M.I.A. Puzzled By Backlash Over 'Jesus Is Real' Remark

British rapper and singer, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, also known as M.I.A., claims that of all the statements she has made, her public confession of her faith in Jesus Christ has received the most negative feedback.

The singer previously stated in May 2022 that she became a born-again Christian after receiving a vision of Jesus Christ in 2017 that turned her world "upside down."

M.I.A. claims that her fans reacted negatively to her public confession of faith with a barrage of backlash. She's ready to put everything on the line, pointing out that she knows her declaration will make her lose a lot of fans.

Read on to learn more.

The 47-year-old singer observed that she received a lot of criticism and unfavorable comments from fans after professing her faith in Jesus.

"The fact that the biggest backlash 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, than a good one," the rapper shared on Twitter.

The singer is not new to controversy, as she received criticism for her radical political activism, which included supporting a group that the United States had designated as a terrorist organization. According to the New York Post, In 2006, she was allegedly banned from entering the country.

During an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, the singer revealed that she had a vision in 2017 and that she has since experienced a different shift in perspective.

"I had, like, a weird spiritual experience. One of the first people I told was Richard Russell, actually. And it was, like, back in 2017. And, since then, my head has been in a totally different place," the "Paper Planes" crooner said per Marca.

She pointed out that before the experience, she was comfortable being a Tamil and a Hindu because "she'd arrived finding herself," a remark she reckoned most Americans wouldn't be able to process.

She continued by saying, "I had a vision and I saw the vision of Jesus Christ. It's very, creative; it's a very crazy thing because it turned my world upside down because everything I thought and believed was no longer the case. And I think that was maybe a sign that something major was going to happen in the world and that people needed to be introduced to this concept."

M.I.A. disclosed that she'd always found the concept of Christianity quite basic before her experience.

During her interview, Lowe interrupted the singer's conversation with him mid-sentence, saying, "I think people are going to be more focused on the fact that, I think, and, correct me if I'm wrong, you're saying that you're a born-again Christian now."

M.I.A. then went on to confirm that that was the case. "I'm not going to lie. Then, when I had this vision, it turned my world upside down. I kind of couldn't let go of the Tamil side. I think that's why 50% of the record is sort of like that. Because I'm still me," she said about her new music. 

The singer continued, "that's still my language. And those are still my tools to be able to create beats like that or sounds like that. But I think the message was just to get to a peaceful place."

She predicted that she'd lose more fans because of her newfound faith. "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 in the Apple Music interview.

"Even 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," she added.

The singer admitted that her newfound faith is still new and that she doesn't have all the answers, but she was unequivocal about who saved her.

"I'm still very much even working out what 'this all means,'" she said. "At the moment, I feel like I have to stick to who I've always been, which is, to tell the truth. This experience happened. And I have to tell the truth about it," she said via Relevant magazine.

M.I.A. added, "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. And I think there is truth in that."