So M.I.A. was nominated for a Record of the Year Grammy for ‘Paper Planes,’ last Friday’s Song of the Day.

She has been popping up a lot lately, especially on my own car radio, where a generational war of sorts has broken out each morning.

As always, the younger generation is pushing for edgier music while the elder prefers the old melodic standbys. In this case, it’s my 3-year-old daughter Fiona who has emerged as a big M.I.A. fan while 6-year-old Sophia can’t stand “that awful CD.”

Sophia is partial to female singer-songwriters such as Neko Case, Sara Bareilles and Duffy. Fiona prefers music that makes her move.

It’s an interesting nature/nurture question, because both of them have been exposed to pretty much the same music their whole lives. Until recently, Sophia dictated the music choice each morning. Even though they take turns handing me the day’s CD, Fiona always stuck with Sophia’s trio of favorite artists. But then Fiona happened upon M.I.A.’s Kala CD and now it’s all she wants to play.

This is Fiona’s first real proactive musical choice, and it’s a bold one. Before Fiona was born, Sophia had a chance to sample such artists as Fountains of Wayne, Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright and Josh Rouse. Now she is gravitating more toward the women. It will be interesting to see how Fiona’s tastes evolve over time.

But for now, it’s ‘Bamboo Banga’ every other morning at 7:15. Power to the people!