Singer M.I.A. recently discussed how becoming an outspoken Christian caused some fans to turn against her.
The British rapper revealed development during an interview with Apple Music and on her social media.
“The fact that the biggest back lash (sic) in my career and life I’m facing after saying ‘Jesus is real’ is such a revelation to me. People who control these apps rather me be a bad girl, then [sic] a good one,” the 47-year-old singer shared with her Twitter followers.
The fact that the biggest back lash in my career and life I’m facing after saying “Jesus is real” is such a revelation to me. People who control these apps rather me be a bad girl , then a good one.
— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) December 28, 2022
M.I.A., whose real name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam MBE, said during an interview with Zane Lowe that she was a practicing Hindu when she experienced a vision that changed her whole perspective. Now, some fans take issue with that.
“Basically, all of my fans might turn against me because they are all progressives who hate people that believe in Jesus Christ in this country,” she said.
“[E]ven if it costs me my career, I won’t lie. I will tell the truth, and I will tell you what’s on my mind and my heart. If I’m coming back now saying ‘Jesus is real,’ there’s a point,” M.I.A. continued.
The singer previously opened up to Relevant magazine about her conversion experience. Prior to that, she thought of Christianity as “a silly story.”
“…Right now I think the only clear thing I can say is that even when I had no belief in Jesus Christ and Christianity, and even when I was 100 percent comfortable in Hinduism, it was a Christian God that turned up to save me,” she told the publication. “And I think there is truth in that.”
During the interview, M.I.A. also discussed how she uses her newfound faith to inform her perspective on the world.
“We live in a world where understanding has to be simplified because our attention span is smaller, our ability to think deeply about things is going, tolerance is going. So many of these qualities are going and I think that’s why we need something that is a simplified form of understanding,” she said.
“The more I understand the complexities of the world, the simpler I find things really are. And funny enough, Christianity is very simple; it’s because those things are really simple. The world is really simple.”