M.I.A. called out MTV for “racism,” “sexism,” “classism” and “elitism” on Twitter Thursday morning after her video “Borders” failed to receive any Video Music Award nominations.
“Borders came representing people outside U.S. showing [the world]. This is a perfect example of ‘allowed’ voice [versus] excluded voices,” she added.
The musician didn’t receive any nods when the nominees were announced Tuesday. In 2012, M.I.A. won the awards for Best Direction, Cinematography and Video of the Year for “Bad Girls.”
With her music video “Borders,” M.I.A. sought to illustrate the worldwide refugee crisis. A refugee herself, the singer told TIME that a TIME magazine-featured photo of a vast number of people all in one boat inspired her to create the music video, which TIME also named one of the top pop music videos of the year.
Speaking about her art, the musician told TIME, “I’ve taken a lot of criticism and made a lot of sacrifices because I keep talking about this. I could never talk about this again and be more successful, more accessible and more famous and more rich. But I’ve never done that because that aspect is important for me.”
M.I.A.’s upcoming album, A.I.M., will come out Sept. 9.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com