Paper Planes surpasses 1 billion Spotify streams, nearly two decades after M.I.A. and Diplo created the track that became her biggest international hit

Nearly two decades after its release on M.I.A.’s 2007 album Kala, Paper Planes has surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams. Diplo produced the track with additional production from Switch, using a sample from The Clash’s Straight to Hell. What followed took the song far beyond its original album audience. Paper Planes eventually reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, earned a Record of the Year nomination at the Grammy Awards and gained further exposure through Pineapple Express and Slumdog Millionaire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How M.I.A.’s Visa Problems and a Clash Sample Led to Paper Planes

During the sessions for Kala, M.I.A. recalled waking up and recording the Paper Planes vocal in one take. Diplo used Straight to Hell as the main sample, while Switch contributed additional production. The recording itself may have been straightforward, but M.I.A. drew much of the song’s meaning from what she was experiencing outside the studio.

Problems entering the United States fed directly into the gunshots and cash-register sounds heard in the chorus. M.I.A. used them to mock stereotypes portraying immigrants and refugees as dangerous or interested only in money. As more listeners discovered the song, its catchy chorus often overshadowed that political message. The lyrics, however, were still addressing immigration, suspicion and attitudes towards migrants.

How Paper Planes Became M.I.A.’s Biggest Hit

Months after Kala had already been released, the Pineapple Express trailer introduced Paper Planes to a much larger United States audience. Radio support grew as more people found the track, giving it another wave of attention well after the album’s release.

Its connection with film continued when Danny Boyle used both the original and the DFA Remix in Slumdog Millionaire. Rather than becoming an immediate mainstream hit, Paper Planes found new listeners gradually through film, radio and word of mouth. That slow rise eventually turned it into M.I.A.’s biggest commercial success and the song most closely associated with her internationally.

Nearly two decades later, crossing 1 billion Spotify streams adds another milestone to a track that continued growing long after its first release. The song has outlasted the chart run and film placements that helped introduce it to a wider audience, while its chorus, Clash sample and original message continue reaching new listeners.