It’s been a rough couple of months for M.I.A. with the difficult launch of her third album, Maya. Some call it classic media backlash, while others will insist that the album’s challenging sound fails to live up to her previous efforts. But M.I.A. has always had her ups and downs. Here’s some of the most significant ones in her career.

UP: “Galang” (2003)

Inspired by instruction from Peaches on the Roland MC-505 drum machine, artist/graphic designer Maya Arulpragasam records several demos, including the song “Galang.” A largely unprecedented mix of dancehall, electro and world beats, the song circulates widely on the Internet. A cover story in The Fader give M.I.A. her first international press.

(What are your fave M.I.A. moments? Tell us in the Comments Section.)