9-Month Pregnant M.I.A. Plans Sunday Grammy Performance

LOS ANGELES — M.I.A.'s planned performance at the Grammys might be more labor intensive than most.

The pregnant rapper is nominated for two Grammys, including record of the year for her hit "Paper Planes." She could give birth to her first child at any moment. Yet she has agreed to perform during the Grammy telecast, to be aired live on CBS on Sunday.

M.I.A. said she'd been asked to perform with Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West and Lil Wayne on the Grammy-nominated "Swagga Like Us," which is based on a sample of "Paper Planes."

But in a recent interview, she admitted that she worried such a performance "might induce labor.

"When I read these books on childbirth they are like, 'If you want to induce labor, try having a game of arm wrestle with your friend.' I am like, 'Oh my God, my option isn't an arm wrestle _ it's like being onstage and with Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and Kanye and T.I.' To me that is really exciting, to be a nine-month pregnant woman," she said.

M.I.A. has had a lot of excitement already in the past year. Not only is she due to give birth to her child with fiance Benjamin Bronfman and nominated for Grammy awards, she was nominated for an Oscar for her song "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," which she wrote with A.R. Rahman.

"It was literally like day by day, you know somebody is like 'You have been nominated for a Brit (Award), and then it was like 'You are nominated for an Oscar' and it was like ... I was just really confused by it all," she said.

Besides dealing with all the awards hoopla, the 31-year-old is working on a new album as well as producing her new artist, Rye Rye.

M.I.A. _ who says she doesn't know the sex of her baby but calls it "he" anyway _ said the baby is already a fan of what it's been hearing.

"Every time I go for an ultra scan the baby is like in crazy positions with legs star-shaped and stuff. It's not like in a baby position at all," she said. "I feel like he is used to base lines and beats and receptive to that, which is cute."

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On the Net:

http://www.grammy.com

http://www.miauk.com/

Comments

[Cent]

09:15 PM on 02/08/2009

Man, it's still surreal to read about MIA performing at the Grammys and the like.
It seems just like yesterday her and Diplo dropped 'Piracy Funds Terrorism'­.

[Martymar74]

10:59 AM on 02/08/2009

THey say Pharrell the music producer is the daddy. That's going to be one creative kid based on it's genes.....

[ChuckFarley]

11:16 AM on 02/08/2009

I got next

[darnsannity]

07:21 PM on 02/08/2009

Arulpragas­am graduated from London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, with a degree in fine art, film and video.[13] She currently lives in Bedford-St­uyvesant, Brooklyn, New York in the US and is engaged to Benjamin Brewer, singer and guitarist for the band The Exit and a member of the Bronfman family.[14­][15] They are currently expecting their first child together.[­16]

FROM WIKI:-

[Joye]

08:37 AM on 02/08/2009

I hope she will re think this. When I was pregnant with my first child, I was going to a church with really loud music. The unborn baby (as far advanced in her pregnancy as she is) can hear that loud music. My unborn child moved around ALOT whenever she heard the music. .. Just saying.. I hope there is a doctor nearby to deliver the baby, if she decides to still go ahead and perform..

[RachelMc]

10:28 PM on 02/08/2009

she went throught with it and it was good. btw the womb is pretty loud itself fyi...

[firelord5000]

11:09 PM on 02/07/2009

how is this news?

[augusteighteenth]

12:11 AM on 02/09/2009

Umm its in the "entertain­m,ent" section..i­f you dont like entertainm­ent news..then you should stick to politics.

[YouDisgustMe]

10:29 PM on 02/07/2009

she should name her baby grammy

[goodmarina]

07:46 PM on 02/07/2009

I suppose anyone can present themselves as anything - with the right kind of "noice". Had no idea who she was until I'd watched some recent interviews where she used the current limelight to make some incredible statements about her true background and take on global politics. Quite one-sided, sadly.

[Bariis]

07:31 PM on 02/07/2009

She's one stunning 'Lankan.

[AGarcia]

06:57 PM on 02/07/2009

This is the only reason to watch the Grammy's.

[CannisterShot]

06:42 PM on 02/07/2009

i can't help but laugh at everything she say. she's so fake. I imagine her as some kind of social climber who exaggerate­s her life.

[ZimboChick]

07:30 PM on 02/07/2009

she so is the the opposite of fake!

[Bariis]

07:34 PM on 02/07/2009

See, you wouldn't know that unless you walked with her on every path in her life.

[CR46]

06:10 PM on 02/07/2009

Since most working mother's work up to the moment of delivery, why not? I'm sure if she was having any complicati­ons she would have turned down the offer. It's not like if she goes into labor she has to fly to Alaska or anything.

[dkuz09]

09:41 PM on 02/07/2009

Lol TRUE.

[zorongeeko]

05:14 PM on 02/07/2009

i have to say i am a huge MIA fan. I met her in austin a couple years ago and she was gracious and charming. She is truly a global artist who speaks for the impoverish­ed and oppressed. while many claim her music is just noise, they dont understand the influences and styles she represents from all over the globe

[ZimboChick]

07:32 PM on 02/07/2009

so true...peo­ple badger me for listening to her. I think she is fantastic

[Flagrantlover]

05:00 PM on 02/07/2009

Remember Amy Poehler's 9th month SNL rap?

Go girl!

Good luck!

[dkuz09]

09:41 PM on 02/07/2009

Lol also true!

[The Albany Kid]

03:29 PM on 02/07/2009

But who the daddy?

[dkuz09]

09:42 PM on 02/07/2009

Being sarcastic or just don't know who the man they mentioned as the father really is? Just curious...­..

[Poisondust Baby]

01:03 PM on 02/07/2009

Hey you gotta do what you gotta do but that comment below is funny..

[rini]

12:33 PM on 02/07/2009

It's not like she's running a marathon (although some have.)

The only thing is the noise. The baby can actually hear it. I'm sure, though, that hers is used to it.

[Goliadkin]

06:57 PM on 02/08/2009

Fetuses can hear, yes. But there would be significan­t attenuatio­n via the amniotic fluid and surroundin­g tissues. She and the baby'll be just fine. This is not a Sarah Palin kamikaze number, where she's getting on a plane for several hours with her water broken. I'm sure there'll be an OB-GYN on call. L.A.'s pretty well served, obstetrica­lly, as long as you've got the do-re-mi..­..