Who Is The French Singer at The Olympics? Meet Aya Nakamura

Nakamura is a multi-platinum-selling pop star with 25 prime ten singles in France, and greater than 20 million followers on social media, The New York Instances reported. Her songs have been streamed seven billion occasions, and final 12 months she made historical past when she offered out three Paris concert events in simply quarter-hour, based on The Guardian.

One among her hottest songs, “Pookie,” is a model of the slang-word poucave, which comes from the Romani language for “traitor” or “rat.”

However Nakamura is finest identified for her track “Djadja” that hit the airwaves in 2018 and have become a number-one hit in France. The track has been streamed about one billion occasions, The New York Instances mentioned.

Within the anthem for feminine empowerment, she sings, “I’m not your catin,” which is a centuries-old French time period for “prostitute.”

“A ‘djadja’ is principally a man spreading false rumors a couple of lady he couldn’t sleep with,” she informed Dazed. “It’s my story.”

She added that she created the time period “djadja.”

“The identify itself doesn’t imply something,” she mentioned in an interview with Dazed. “I might have picked any random identify. I invented the time period ‘djadja’ to check with a man I regarded as much as…and was finally disillusioned in. Sadly, individuals too typically consider the person’s aspect of the story. Why ought to we assume the women are mythomaniacs? It’s additionally about an upfront lady who tells it like it’s.”

The track has grow to be an anthem for feminist protests, and the lyrics have been woven into chants and indicators.

“Seeing my face on banners throughout feminist protests was very reassuring within the sense that I spotted there have been many ladies like me,” Nakamura mentioned to Dazed.

The track was so widespread throughout Europe, Nakamura grew to become the primary French feminine artist to prime the Dutch charts since Edith Piaf in 1961, based on Hype journal.

She gained huge at France’s Les Flammes awards for rap, R&B and pop in April 2024, taking dwelling feminine artist of the 12 months, pop album of the 12 months and worldwide star of the 12 months, and devoted her awards to “all black ladies.”

“I’m very honored as a result of being a black artist and coming from the banlieue may be very troublesome,” she mentioned on the awards, The Guardian reported. (Whereas banlieue technically simply means “suburb” in France, it’s often used to connote immigrant neighborhoods on the outskirts of Paris which can be economically disenfranchised.)