P.O.W.A.

For the South African anti-violence to women NGO, see POWA.

"P.O.W.A" (pronounced "power") is a song by British musician M.I.A., released on 8 February 2017 by Interscope Records. The video was released alongside the single, and was directed by M.I.A.^[1][2][3]

"P.O.W.A"
Single by M.I.A.
Released	8 February 2017 (2017-02-08)
Length	3:16
Label	Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Maya Arulpragasam
Producer(s)	M.I.A. Kid Kamillion
M.I.A. singles chronology
"Freedun" (2016) "P.O.W.A" (2017) "Up Inna" (2020)
Music video
"P.O.W.A" on YouTube

Background and composition

A "politically-charged track",^[4] "P.O.W.A" features lyrical references to Rihanna, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Barack Obama, Osama Bin Laden and the Spice Girls.^[5] The song also features chanting from M.I.A.^[6]

"P.O.W.A" samples "Blue Moon" by The Marcels.^[4]

Music video

"P.O.W.A"'s music video was directed by M.I.A and shot in Jammu & Kashmir, India. It displays the singer lying on a marigold truck, wandering several different desolate landscapes in J&K, capturing the state's natural beauty while wearing vividly-colored saffron saris to reference the famous colours of J&K, and a line of men dancing against a saffron wall.^[6]