Meet Aya Nakamura, the French Superstar Who Took a Stand Against Racism and Performed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony – Essence

The world took notice of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this afternoon as French pop star Aya Nakamura paraded across a bridge over the Seine. Dressed in a gold metallic feathered mini dress and a daring blonde bust, the singer sang her hit “Pookie” accompanied by a live band conducted by France’s Republican Guard.

Yet this triumphant moment is one which many French people never desired to see.

Aya Nakamura is currently the best-selling French artist in the world. The pop singer, best known for her billion-stream hit, 2019 album Nakamura and chart-topping singles “Dżaja“Girls“And”Pookie,” is the hottest French singer since Edith Piaf, in accordance with . As such, it was only natural that she can be a part of the international celebrations held in the nation’s capital, which were decidedly celebrating French history and culture, including performances by a few of the country’s biggest stars.

However, when a recent Sprint program on French news reported that President Emmanuel Macron himself had invited Nakamura to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the pop star was immediately met with racist backlash and xenophobic verbal attacks from residents, journalists and politicians.

Though born in Mali, the singer was raised on the outskirts of Paris, sings mainly in French (though she also includes Arabic, English and some West African languages) and has enjoyed five years of A-level music fame in the country. However, skeptics argued that her African heritage, and frankly, her black identity, should disqualify her from representing her country on the world stage at a prestigious event reminiscent of this.

“The French do not want to be represented in the eyes of the world by a singer whose style is inspired by the barrio and Africa,” argued French politician and far-right extremist Marion Marechal-Le Pen in an interview with The Telegraph. Performance on Europe 1 Radio in March. Many shared her views, accusing Nakamura of not being a “true Frenchwoman” as a consequence of her African heritage and accusing her of not being “elegant” enough to represent France.

Signs harassing the singer loomed over the Seine during construction work ahead of the Olympic Games, reminding it that “this is Paris, not a market in Bamako.”

Thankfully, with the support of the president, the Olympic committee, in addition to quite a few journalists, fans and the music community, Nakamura remained undeterred, responding to the banners and reminding everyone that irrespective of what anyone needed to say, she was still the best artist in the country.

“You can be racist but not deaf,” she said. published on X March 10. “It hurts you! I’m the number one topic of debate… but what do I really owe you? Nothing.”