Aya Nakamura

Aya Coco Danioko, known professionally as Aya Nakamura, is a talented French and Malian singer-songwriter born on May 10, 1995. She first gained recognition by sharing her music online, captivating audiences with her early hits like 'Karma' and 'J'ai mal'. With the support of her longtime friend Dembo Camara, who took on the roles of producer and manager, Nakamura's career began to flourish.

Her breakthrough came with the song 'Brisé', which gained significant traction on YouTube, followed by a successful collaboration with rapper Fababy on 'Love d'un voyou'. This marked her first entry into the French music charts. In 2017, she released her debut album, 'Journal intime', which laid the groundwork for her subsequent success.

The release of her second album, 'Nakamura', in 2018 was a turning point, as it achieved diamond certification in France and sold over one million copies worldwide. This album featured hit singles such as 'Djadja' and 'Copines', propelling her onto the international stage. Notably, she broke a long-standing record held by Édith Piaf, becoming the most-listened-to francophone woman in the Netherlands.

Aya Nakamura has since accumulated five number-one songs and two number-one albums in France. Her 2020 album, 'Aya', won a Victoires de la Musique award and was certified double platinum in 2023, with sales reaching two hundred thousand copies. She has also received an NRJ Music Award and multiple nominations for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best French Act.

In a remarkable achievement, Nakamura surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, solidifying her status as the most-listened-to francophone woman on the platform. On February 23, 2025, her single 'Djadja' became the fourth French-language song to exceed one billion views on YouTube, making her the first African artist to reach this milestone and the fastest French-speaking artist to do so in just six years.