Aya Nakamura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aya Nakamura
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Nakamura performing in 2024
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Aya Coco Danioko
10 May 1995 Bamako, Mali
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Children | 2 |
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| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
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Aya Coco Danioko (born May 10, 1995), known as Aya Nakamura, is a popular singer and songwriter from France and Mali. She started sharing her music online and became well-known with songs like "Karma" and "J'ai mal". Her friend Dembo Camara became her producer and manager.
Her song "Brisé" became popular on YouTube. She also sang a duet with rapper Fababy called "Love d'un voyou", which was her first song to appear on the music charts in France. In 2017, she released her first album, Journal intime. Then, in 2018, she released Nakamura. This album was incredibly successful, selling over 1.2 million copies worldwide. It featured hit songs like "Djadja" and "Copines", which helped her become famous around the world. That same year, she broke a record held since 1961 by Édith Piaf for being the most-listened-to French-speaking female artist in the Netherlands.
Throughout her career, Aya Nakamura has had five songs and one album reach number one in France. She won a Victoires de la Musique award for her 2020 album, Aya. This album sold 200,000 copies by 2023. She also won an NRJ Music Award and was nominated many times for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best French Act. Two years after its release, her album Nakamura was streamed over a billion times on Spotify. This made her the most-listened-to French-language female artist on the platform. In February 2023, she became a global beauty ambassador for the brand Lancôme.
Early life and music start
Aya Coco Danioko was born in Bamako, Mali, on May 10, 1995. Her family comes from a long line of griot. Griots are West African storytellers, singers, and poets who share traditions through spoken word. When she was a child, she moved to France with her family and grew up in Aulnay-sous-Bois. She became a French citizen in May 2021. Aya is the oldest of five children.
Danioko first studied fashion design. In an interview in 2017, she said, "I wanted to be a fashion designer, but then I wanted to sing instead." She chose the stage name Aya Nakamura after the character Hiro Nakamura from the American TV show Heroes.
Aya Nakamura's music journey
First steps: 2014–2017
In 2014, when she was 19, Aya Nakamura released her first song, "Karma", on Facebook. With help from producer Seysey, she created the song "J'ai mal", which had a zouk-inspired sound.
In 2016, she released "Brisé" and then "Love d'un Voyou" with rapper Fababy. She even performed at the Modibo-Keïta stadium in Bamako, opening for the famous American-Nigerian star Davido.
In January 2016, she signed a music deal with Rec. 118 and Parlophone. Later that year, she released the song "Super Héros" with rapper Gradur.
On August 25, 2017, her first album, Journal intime, came out. It included her first platinum hit, "Comportement". The album itself also became platinum in France. In September 2017, she performed at La Nuit du Mali in Bercy to celebrate Mali's Independence Day. She shared the stage with other Malian artists like Oumou Sangaré.
Becoming famous: 2018–2020
On April 6, 2018, Aya Nakamura released "Djadja". This song was the first single from her second album. It stayed at number one on the French charts for two weeks and later became a Diamond-certified hit.
"Djadja" became a huge success in France and around the world. Aya Nakamura was the first French female artist to reach number one in the Netherlands since Édith Piaf did it in 1961. "Djadja" also became the first French-language song since 2009 to top the Dutch charts. The song then became popular on charts and radios across Europe.
Her next hit song was "Copines", released in August 2018. It started at number four in France and then climbed to number one in November 2018. It also became a Diamond-certified song.
On November 2, 2018, Aya Nakamura released her second album, Nakamura.
In January 2019, she won the European Music Moves Talent Award for Best Urban album. In February 2019, she was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Urban Album at the France Music Awards.
In April 2019, she released the music video for "Pookie", which became the most-watched French music video that year. In August, she released a new version of the song with American rapper Lil Pump.
In May 2019, The New York Times newspaper called her "one of the most important acts in Europe now, musically and socially." In June 2019, she was nominated for her first BET Awards as Best International Act.
By October, "Djadja" was Platinum in Spain and Portugal, and "Pookie" was double Platinum in Italy. On October 25, 2019, Nakamura released a special edition of her Nakamura album, which was now double Platinum. It included five new songs, like the top-five hit "40%".
At the end of 2019, YouTube named her the Most Watched French female artist, and Spotify named her the Most Streamed French female artist. On January 3, 2020, it was announced that she would perform at the Coachella Festival. On June 12, she released a Spanish version of "Djadja" with Colombian singer Maluma.
New albums: 2020–present
On July 17, 2020, Aya Nakamura released "Jolie nana", a song from her third album, Aya. It went straight to number one on the French singles chart and became Gold-certified in just two weeks.
On October 9, she released the second song from the album, "Doudou". It reached number 6 in France. The album Aya came out on November 13 and featured collaborations with artists like Stormzy and Ms Banks.
In March 2021, Major Lazer released a special edition of their album Music Is the Weapon which included "C'est cuit" featuring Nakamura. This was followed by her song "Bobo" in May, which reached number three in France. Nakamura also appeared on French rapper Franglish's song "Sans moi". Her picture on the cover of Vogue France was chosen as the favorite magazine cover of 2021.
In 2022, Nakamura released three new songs: "Dégaine" with Damso, "Méchante", and "VIP". "Dégaine" went straight to number one in France. In October, Nakamura performed a virtual concert in the video game Fortnite, becoming the first French artist to do so. Her fourth album, DNK, was released on January 27, 2023, and was number one on the French albums chart for two weeks. It included the songs "Baby" and "Daddy" with SDM. In August, she released a special version of DNK with three extra songs.
On January 25, 2024, she released the song "Hypé", followed by a remix with Ayra Starr in March. In April 2024, she won three awards at the Flammes Awards, more than any other artist that year.
Aya Nakamura's music style
Aya Nakamura's music mixes different styles like pop, R&B, zouk, and Afrobeats. Shamira Ibrahim from Pitchfork described her as "fearlessly genre-bending," meaning she's not afraid to try new things with music. She writes her own songs in French, often using slang and words from other languages like English, Arabic, and Bambara. Because her family are griots, some people say she continues their tradition, but she believes her music is different.
Personal life
Aya Nakamura is Muslim. Since 2019, she has supported the ALIYAH association, which helps children with a rare kidney disease called hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
Nakamura had her first daughter in 2016. In October 2020, she confirmed her relationship with music video producer Vladimir Boudnikoff. Their daughter was born in January 2022. She later announced her separation from him.
Tours
Headlining
- Nakamura Tour (2019)
- DNK Tour (2023–2024)
Awards and nominations
Aya Nakamura has won many awards for her music.
- In 2018, she won the W9 D'OR award for Most Listened Female Artist.
- In 2019, she won the Music Moves Europe Talent Award for Public Choice.
- In 2020, she won the NRJ Music Award for Francophone Female Artist of the Year.
- In 2021, she won the Apple Music Award for Artist of the Year in France.
- In April 2024, she won three awards at the Flammes Awards, which was the most wins that year.
See also
In Spanish: Aya Nakamura para niños
