Aya Nakamura

Aya Nakamura is the stage name of Malian-French pop and R&B singer Aya Danioko, born on May 10, 1995, in the city of Bamako. After emigrating with her family to France and settling down in the Parisian suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois, she began releasing music under the moniker Aya Nakamura, a name taken from the character Hiro Nakamura of the fiction drama series Heroes. She first gained notoriety with the song “Brisé,” which garnered much attention on video streaming platforms. In the following years, Danioko made a series of features on rapper Fababy’s “Love d'un Voyou,” which hit the French charts in 2015, and Abou Debeing’s “Sorry” in 2016. She also collaborated with Fally Ipupa on “Bad Boy,” and with Dadja on Naza's “Moi je vérifie” in 2017 before releasing debut album Journal Intime that same year. The album reached Number 6 on the French Albums Chart and paved the way for Nakamura (2018), her sophomore effort. Propelled by the chart-topping single “Djadja,” it peaked at Number 3 in France and was quickly certified diamond by the SNEP. Danioko gained considerable momentum as follow-up single “Copines” topped the French charts and she became the most streamed French female artist of 2019. Yet another Number 1 single ensued with the release of “Jolie nana,” which served as a teaser for Danioko’s third album, simply titled Aya (2020). Thanks to the popularity of singles such as "Jolie Nana" and "Doudou," Aya reached Number 2 on the French charts and entered the Top 10 in Belgium and Switzerland, eventually receiving platinum certification in France. In 2022, Aya Nakamura began teasing the release of her upcoming album with the single "SMS," followed by the Top 5 entry "Baby" the following year. Released in early 2023, her fourth studio effort DNK debuted atop the French charts, becoming her first album to ever reach Number 1 in her native country.