Aya Nakamura

Aya Coco Danioko (born May 10, 1995) known as Aya Nakamura, is a French-Malian singer-songwriter, composer and producer.
After a high-profile debut on social networks and many collaborations like "J'ai mal (Part 1)", "Brisé" or "Love d'un voyou" featuring Fababy, she made a breakthrough with the release of her debut studio album, Journal intime, in 2017, which was certified platinum after just over two years. The fourth single "Comportement" was certified diamond by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP), which became her first single to be certified diamond.
In 2018, she released her second album Nakamura, where she became a household name, propelled by the single "Djadja". This new album is certified diamond, with sales reaching over 550,000 units in France and over 1.2 million copies sold worldwide. His songs rank high in French-speaking countries and abroad.
In 2020, she was the most listened-to French-speaking female artist on Spotify, with 20 million monthly listeners. That same year, she released her third album, Aya. This album is certified double platinum in 2023, having sold 200,000 copies.
In 2023, she released her fourth album DNK (a reference to her surname Danioko), which reached number one in the French album charts, making it the singer's highest-ranking album. That same year, she became Lancôme's new international beauty muse.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Nakamura was born on May 10, 1995 in Bamako, Mali. She comes from a family of griot. Her father is a bartender at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. She immigrated to France with her family, growing up in Aulnay-sous-Bois. She is the oldest of five siblings.
=== 2014-2017: Debut and first success ===
She wrote her first lyrics as a teenager. In 2014, at the age of 19, she published her first single, "Karma", on Facebook. Fascinated by the NBC American superhero drama television series Heroes, she chose the stage name of one of the series' characters: Hiro Nakamura. With Seysey, she then composed a break-up song, "J'ai mal", set to a zouk love melody. The video for the track surpasses one million views on YouTube. Long-time friend Dembo Camara becomes her producer and artistic agent. In April 2021, she states that she no longer has an agent, managing her career herself.
In 2015, with composer Christopher Ghenda, they produced the track "Brisé", which reached thirteen million views on YouTube. This was followed by a duet with rapper Fababy, "Love d'un voyou", which was even better received on YouTube. In reference to her roots, she also performed a concert at the Modibo-Keïta sports stadium in Bamako, opening for the Nigerian-American singer Davido, and dedicated a track to one of Mali's best-known singers, Oumou Sangaré, who like her was born in Bamako. Oumou Sangaré agrees to take part in the corresponding music video, and shows herself to be an accomplice.
In January 2016, the singer landed a record label deal with Warner Music (Parlophone). The same year, she released two singles "Oublier" released on February 15 and "Super héros" released on June 2 in collaboration with French rapper Gradur.
=== 2018-2019: Nakamura ===
=== 2020-2021: Aya ===
=== 2022-Present: DNK ===
=== Personal life ===
Nakamura is Muslim.
== Discography ==
* Journal intime (2017)
* Nakamura (2018)
* Aya (2020)
* DNK (2023)
== Tours ==
* Nakamura Tour (2019)
* DNK Tour (2023-2024)
== Trivia ==
* Nakamura became the most streamed French female artist in France and the world in 2018.
* Nakamura is the most listened-to female artist in history on Spotify in France.
* Nakamura is the most listened-to female artist on Spotify in France in 2023.
== Gallery ==
== References ==
Category:People
Category:Females
Category:Singers
Category:Songwriters
Category:Composers
Category:Producers