For 25 years, Meltdown Festival has been inviting cultural icons to act as director of the event and, this year, Wonderland fave M.I.A. is taking on the role. M.I.A. is following the directing footsteps of an overwhelmingly brilliant list of people, including Patti Smith, David Bowie, Yoko Ono and Morrissey, to become the curator of the 24th Meltdown Festival, running 9th – 18th June 2017.

As a rapper and producer, M.I.A. has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Grammy’s and a Mercury Prize in a career that spans thirteen years, five albums and a huge range of genres. As well as a musician, she is also a director, visual artist, activist, photographer, fashion designer and model. Impressive, right?

Known for innovation, M.I.A. is considered a leading influencer of her generation, guaranteeing this year’s Meltdown Festival will be an amazing, creative spectacle. With the festival’s reputation for bringing to life the world of its curators and staging special one-off performances and collaborations, previously The New York Dolls have reunited for Morrissey and Pete Doherty, Grace Jones and Nick Cave have sung Disney songs for Jarvis Cocker, we can’t wait to see what M.I.A. has in store.

In her own words, she explains: “For me, this Meltdown will be about putting on a musical week that shows different types of music which have inspired each other to exist. Genres that support other genres, redefining the concept of a melting pot. Respect the history, don’t live in it. I plan to bring together music’s best forward thinkers who have contributed to all our lives. When music acts as inspiration, it’s boundary-less.”

For more information visit: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/meltdown