M.I.A.

Men say: I want to be with you but I don’t want to get married.
M.I.A. says: I think both sides see the benefits of that. It’s less pressure. It’s difficult, though, because I spent 10 years in Sri Lanka growing up, and our values are really old school. I’m very, very back to basics, an old-school, traditional person; but I know that’s not the case in the West. Believing in marriage is really amazing to achieve now.

Men say: We don’t need to go to the club together every time. 
M.I.A. says: Women also don’t want to go to the club with their man every night. I’m sure men just want to go and stare at other women for a bit, and women do the same thing. So you can go and look, as long as you’re not shagging anyone in the toilet.

Men say: I can’t be with a woman who makes more money than me. 
M.I.A. says: The thing that pops into my head is Jay-Z and Beyoncé. I was on a plane with Mr. Vegas and that’s what he talked about, like, “Why would Beyoncé go out with Jay-Z? She should go out and find someone nice.” And I said, “I’m gonna marry a taxi driver.” But then he was like, “He’s never going to understand your lifestyle.”

Men say: I should confront anyone who disrespects my woman on the street. 
M.I.A. says: I handle my own battles—to me, it’s nothing. That kind of shit doesn’t work. If someone says something to you, you say something back. You don’t need your boyfriend to deal with it.