The urban pop star explained on France Inter that his interpretation of For me Formidable on the Pont des Arts last year was a response to the far right after “all the controversies”.
Aya Nakamura comes out of silence. At the microphone of France Inter, Tuesday morning, the queen of urban pop returned to the background of her performance during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games, in July 2024. The singer revealed that she “should not have sung Charles Aznavour”, especially the title For me Formidableperformed on the Pont des Arts alongside the Republican Guard. “I just had to sing Pookie et Djadjabut as there were all these controversies, this hubbub of nastiness around me, […] I wanted to throw a dig in front of the French Academy”she said.
In her comments, Aya Nakamura refers to the episode of the banner, in March 2024, when a small far-right group was offended to see her associated with an event of such importance. “There’s no way Aya, this is Paris, not Bamako”had written and brandished the ten identity activists, since sentenced – for seven of them – to fines of several thousand euros. The singer also cites, implicitly, Marine Le Pen, according to whom, her presence at the Paris Games was “a provocation from Emmanuel Macron” and one “attempt to humiliate the French people”.
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Aya Nakamura – No Stress (2025)
“We know very well why [Marine Le Pen dit ça]it’s because I come from the suburbs and I’m not at all in the codesretorque come nakamura. I am a UFO. Some people say it’s because I’m black, but it’s not just a skin color. It’s also my language, the energy that I send back, the nonchalance. » The singer also confides that she has long wondered why she “interested these people”. “Why do I annoy them, why do I make such an impression?she asks herself. My musicality and my personality are surprising, but I feel like I had to go through that to be able to accept myself, or for people to accept my music. »
“I became national”
Today, the thirty-year-old looks favorably on these controversies which have made her “gain visibility”. “I have become national and I feel like I am part of the country”she rejoices. But this episode left some after-effects, inspiring him, moreover, his new piece Anesthesia. “I didn’t feel anything anymore at one point, after the Olympicsconfie Aya Nakamura. I gave everything to do it and for two or three months I took a break. […] When you are hypersensitive and you feel certain things, after a while you have so many emotions that you anesthetize them. »
This break allowed him to concentrate on preparing his new album Destinyreleased on November 21, in which the singer appears much more mature, tackling serious themes on blues and jazz rhythms. In May, Aya Nakamura will experience new emotions in the capital. After the buzz of the Olympic Games, she is preparing to set foot in May 2026, three times in front of more than 240,000 spectators, on the emblematic stage of the Stade de France. “To live my life, I must be strong”she said humbly.