QUICK TAKES - March 21, 2009

In her first major appearance following her pregnant performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards, globe-trotting electronic artist M.I.A. has been booked for the second night of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. M.I.A. will take the April 18 spot of Amy Winehouse, who dropped out earlier this month.

M.I.A. is a Coachella veteran, having played the fest in 2005 and again last year.

Reports of retirement followed M.I.A. after her last major festival performance. In June of last year, she declared her appearance at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Festival as her “last gig ever.”

Yet M.I.A. hasn’t called it quits, and instead has had a relatively active year. She was nominated for an Oscar with “O Saya,” her contribution to “Slumdog Millionaire,” and released the soundtrack on her own label, the Interscope-affiliated N.E.E.T. Additionally, she produced the debut from East Coast rapper Rye Rye, who performed Thursday night at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.

-- Todd Martens