Monday: Robyn. Tuesday: LCD Soundsystem. Wednesday: M.I.A. and Paul Weller. Our original plan was to announce one artist or band every day this week, but we just couldn’t hold back when two strong names were confirmed. And there’s more. Be sure to tune in tomorrow and Friday as well.

One of modern pop music’s most interesting and eclectic artists is coming to Øya on Wednesday August 11th. M.I.A.’s two previous albums were among the best of the last decade, regardless of genre, and she was even Oscar-nominated for O Saya, a song she wrote with Bollywood-legend A.R. Rahman for the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. This year she’s back with a new record.

The best and coolest songwriter in modern British rock is also headed our way. We’re talking about living legend Paul Weller, the front-man in both The Jam and The Style Council, and later a great solo artist in his own right. Weller has been a huge inspiration for the Brit-Pop movement. NME recently awarded him the Godlike Genius-award. His tenth solo album will be released in April, and on Saturday the 14th of August he’ll play his first gig ever in Norway.

M.I.A. (UK)
She’s back. A few songs have already leaked online, and the new full-length will drop this summer. M.I.A. herself promises different-sounding beats and both singing and rapping, and her musical collaborator Diplo told Pedestrian.tv that the new material sounds «like Gucci Mane meets Animal Collective». We’re psyched!
Mathangi «Maya» Arulprugasam, better known under her less tongue twisting moniker M.I.A., was asked to design the cover for Elastica’s second album, The Menace, in 2000. Vocalist Justine Frischmann was so pleased with the result that she invited her along to document the band’s American tour on video. During the tour, opening act Peaches challenged M.I.A. to make music.

Back home in London, she recorded six tracks on just a Roland MC-505 Groovebox, a four-track recorder and a radio microphone. One of the songs, Galang, was released on limited edition 12” vinyl in 2003, to massive hype. XL Recordings heard the song, signed her, and released M.I.A.’s debut album Arular, named after her father, in early 2005. It became one of that year’s biggest and most talked about records. Kala, named after her mother, followed in 2007. Kala included the monster hit Paper Planes, a song that took on a life of its own and is still used in TV-shows and has been sampled by many.

M.I.A. created quite a stir when she told the audience at the Bonnaroo festival that this would be her last show and that she was about to retire. She then cancelled her European tour dates and told NME that she was exhausted and needed a break. Luckily, the exhaustion “just” turned out to be a baby on the way. M.I.A. was back on stage at the Grammy Awards last year, nine months pregnant. A few days later, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman was born. Now she’s back with a new album, and this could very well be the year when M.I.A. enters the major league of pop. On August 11th she’ll play her old and soon-to-be classics at The Øya Festival.
”MYSPACE”:http://www.myspace.com/mia

PAUL WELLER (UK)
Last week Paul Weller was named Godlike Genius at the Shockwave NME Awards. Two of his biggest fans and also previous recipients, Mick Jones from The Clash and Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream, presented Weller with the honour. The artist known as The Modfather gave a short speech and performed a few highlights from his career with Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) and Gem Archer (Oasis) joining him on stage. In August he’ll play his first ever gig in Norway – at The Øya Festival, of course.

For almost 35 years, Paul Weller has made excellent music. He rose to prominence as a teenager with the punk/powerpop-outfit The Jam, who debuted with In The City in 1977 and topped the charts four times during their lifetime. Few of their contemporaries could match their success, but the trio from Woking never quite fit in with the rest of the punk explosion: They wore suits, were influenced by classic soul, The Kinks, The Who and Small Faces, and composed more complex music than most of their peers.

Paul Weller wanted to make even more sophisticated tunes, and formed The Style Council in 1983. The soul- and jazz-influenced band had several hits during the 1980s, but never managed to convince the British music critics, who kept comparing them to The Jam. In the early 1990s, Weller was ready to embark on a solo career. The last 20 years have been busy for him. His nine critically acclaimed albums have all reached the top ten of the British album charts. The combined guest list is impressive. Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic), Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer (Oasis), Graham Coxon (Blur), Steven Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene) and Aziz Ibrahim (Stone Roses) have all played on Weller’s solo albums. Many other prominent British bands have been inspired by his vast musical output. The new album, with contributions from Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) and Bruce Foxton (The Jam) will be released on April 12th.

Live, Paul Weller plays mostly solo material spiced up with some classics from his days in The Jam and The Style Council. Will he play Eton Rifles, That’s Entertainment or Town Called Malice? Shout To The Top or Long Hot Summer? We don’t know, but we’re positive that it’s going to be great. And if you think that Chris Martin, Fran Healy, Ricky Wilson and Brett Anderson are the coolest guys in British rock, think again. Let Paul Weller show you who the boss is. Make that The Modfather.
“MYSPACE”:http://www.myspace.com/paulweller