Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has described MIA as “the world’s finest megaphone for the truth” in a new interview with NME.

MIA, who released her new album ‘Matangi’ on November 4, appears on the cover of this week’s magazine, available digitally and on newsstands tomorrow (November 13). In the interview, she discusses her relationship with Assange, who she describes as “one of the smartest people I know.”

Talking about Assange, who is living inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces allegations of sexual assault, MIA says: “That’s kind of how they get you these days. It’s your character. They don’t actually assassinate you like they used to in the ’70s. It’s not necessary these days.”


Assange himself contributes a quote to the interview. Asked how he would describe his friend MIA, he replies via email, to say: “She’s the world’s loudest and finest rapping and dancing megaphone for the truth.”

MIA kicked off her November 1 show at Terminal 5 in New York with a surprise speech by Assange beamed in from London. The Australian appeared via Skype on a big screen at the start of the performance to speak about press freedom and online privacy with MIA sharing pictures of the event via Instagram.