M.I.A.'s new album was delayed for being "too positive."

The "Bad Girls" singer claims she had completed her fourth record, Matangi, months ago, but her record company weren't happy and told her to "darken it up a bit."

"I thought I'd finished it. I finished it and then I handed the record in, like a couple of months ago. [They said] 'We just built you up as the public enemy number one and now you're coming out with all this positive stuff,'" she said.

The singer - born Mathangi Arulpragasam in Sri Lanka - said the album will be released over New Year in her homeland. "It's due in April, which is the Tamil New Year - April 15th - and I'm still working on it," she added.

When asked if she will adhere to her record company's demands and make the album darker, she said, "I'm taking my time to decide what they mean."