All hail queen M.I.A! After a long absence she has finally come back to us, dropping not only one but two tracks. She has released ‘Bad Girls’ and ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’ in collaboration with Madonna and Nicki Minaj on the same day, snatching everybody’s wig in the process. The track was initially released a year ago on her mixtape ‘Vicki Leekx’. Now remixed with the help of Danja, Timbaland’s former protégé, the track brings us back to the ‘Paper Planes’-fame days. The Arabic flute, the ‘fuck-the-haters’ lyrics and last but not least the kick ass drift racing video all come together to create what could well be the anthem of 2012.

For the past few years the music industry has been all about dub-step and electro. Whether it was Jay-Z and Kanye going HAM on ‘Who Gon’ Stop Me’ or Ke$ha’s glitter-puking face on any of her tracks. So it comes as a refreshment to hear a song which brings us back to the old days when Timbaland was still fat and produced Middle Eastern influenced tracks.

The lyrics of ‘Bad Girls’ are also a game changer compared to the lyrical style on her last album. They are easy breezy, audible and more importantly it has a flawless hook: ‘Live fast/die young/bad girls/do it well’. I dare anyone to listen to the song and not sing along, it is literally impossible. This might be a bit problematic for some of her die-hard fans for a simple reason; it makes the song undeniably pop.

But what really gives ‘Bad Girls’ swag and an M.I.A flavor is the video that was directed by French director Romain Gavras. M.I.A collaborated with Gavras earlier for video of ‘Born Free’ which depicted the genocide of ginger haired people. This time around Gavras brings us a more care-free drift racing video that takes place in a Middle Eastern country. Although it wouldn’t be a real Gavras and M.I.A video if it didn’t hold a somewhat political message.

Shot on a deserted highway in Morocco, we first get to see a group of women in blinged out and tiger-printed djellaba’s standing in front of a few cars. Later on we get to see a few Arabic men doing outrageous car stunts that could make The Fast & The Furious look like Driving Miss Daisy. The ladies are also seen driving cars and vibing to the music. This can be interpreted as a direct provocation to the Saudi government, which prohibits women from driving because it would ‘provoke a surge in prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce’.

After the mild success of her last album, ‘Bad Girls’ will reintroduce M.I.A to the bigger public through its catchy beats and audible lyrics. While most songs off ‘Maya’ seemed to be experimental, her new single might indicate a more pop album. Some fans will be disappointed but others will see the light and accept the return M.I.A as our queen and savior.

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