Phoenix Blog

No, you weirdo, she's actually pregnant

For those of you who tuned into the 51st annual Grammy Awards Sunday night, you were most likely treated to a lamely named performance of the "Rap Pack:" Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I., and Lil' Wayne. The four artists gave a dapper performance, no doubt flustering audiences of 40-year-olds in the Midwest who have no clue who any of the performers were. It didn't help that Sri Lankan rapper/activist/Day-Glo fabric champion M.I.A. joined the men on stage, kicking off their performance by singing a few bars of her mega-hit "Paper Planes." M.I.A. earned her spot onstage, and she stole the show, in my opinion. This is, of course, due to the fact that she is 9 months pregnant and performing onstage at the Grammys.

It was no skin off my back to explain to those who I was watching with (my mother, my aunt and my uncle) who exactly M.I.A. is. They couldn't really give a shit, though, because she was insanely pregnant and still performing. M.I.A. is currently carrying the child of indie rocker (and son of CEO of Warner Music Group Walter Bronfman, Jr.) Ben Brewer. Brewer leads New York band The Exit, who released a pretty good album Home For an Island in 2004. I often refer to Brewer as the luckiest man on earth. Not only does his father allow him instant access to any record deal (perhaps his band was good enough to earn their own deal, but I doubt it), but he gets to have sex with M.I.A. By the looks of things, Brewer and Ms. Arulpragasam will have one talented (if not large) offspring.

M.I.A. wasn't just barely pregnant, mind you - she was apparently "due to deliver [that night]," due to what presenter Kate Beckinsale said following her performance. So you're saying we could have seen someone go into labor onstage at the Staples Center? M.I.A. was HUGE last night -- I loved every minute of watching her perform. She couldn't care less what she looked like -- she seemed to be enjoying herself and she also has a pretty unique story to tell her child once he or she is born.

As always, M.I.A. pushed the fashion envelope, wearing some see-thru tights and a white and black polka-dot bikini top with matching belly cover, so as to give off the appearance of some monochrome ladybug (genius!). While it may have appeared a bit tacky and confusing to those that don't know her, I found the outfit to be quite fitting of her style, even in her severely pregnant state. I didn't expect to see her perform last night, mainly due to my blissful ignorance of the Grammys, but watching her do her thing onstage was quite an impressive feat. Her back probably ached and her feet were most likely swollen afterwards, but her achievement has to put her up there among some of the all time great (and bizarre) Grammy performances in recent years.