Newly Released Track: Lyrics Include “It’s Them That Don’t Like Me,” Amid Far-Right Backlash Over Possible Édith Piaf Cover.
French-Malian sensation Aya Nakamura, targeted by racist attacks amid rumors of performing an Édith Piaf song at the Paris Olympics, strikes back at far-right critics with her latest single.
In her track “Doggy,” released on Friday, the 28-year-old star asserts, “I don’t have enemies, me. It’s them that don’t like me … A load of enemies, but I don’t even know them.”
Despite being the most streamed French-speaking artist globally, Nakamura has endured racial abuse following reports of her discussing a Piaf performance during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in February.
The prospect of Aya Nakamura performing an iconic song by the revered 20th-century singer at the July Games sparked swift condemnation from the far right in France. Marine Le Pen of the National Rally criticized it as “not a nice symbol” and labeled it “another provocation from Emmanuel Macron.” Le Pen also took aim at Nakamura’s “outfits and vulgarity.”
At a campaign rally in March for the Reconquête party, led by far-right former presidential candidate Éric Zemmour, mentions of Nakamura’s name elicited boos from the crowd.
In a display of extremism, a small group identifying themselves as the Natives unfurled a banner by the River Seine, declaring: “There’s no way Aya, this is Paris, not the Bamako market.”
In a bold social media response, Nakamura addressed the racist backlash: “You can be racist but not deaf… That’s what hurts you! I’m becoming a no 1 state subject in debates… but what do I really owe you? Nada.”
Reflecting on the situation, she added, “I have the impression that I’ve made you discover Édith Piaf and that she’s reincarnated in me. For the rest, whether they like me or not, that’s their business.”
Meanwhile, the Paris prosecutor has initiated an investigation into the alleged racist abuse directed at the singer.
France’s culture minister, Rachida Dati, has strongly condemned “pure racism” in response to the backlash against Aya Nakamura. Former footballer Lilian Thuram also weighed in, questioning the criteria used to judge Nakamura’s ability to represent France: “When people say Aya Nakamura can’t represent France, what criteria do they base it on? I know the criteria, because when I was a footballer, some also said this isn’t the French team because there are too many Blacks.”
Adding to the support, sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra assured Nakamura: “It doesn’t matter, people love you. Don’t worry about anything.”
Nakamura, born Aya Danioko in Mali, immigrated to France as a baby. She was raised on a housing estate in the northern Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis alongside her siblings by her mother, who was a griotte, a traditional Malian poet or singer.
With a staggering 7 billion streams of her songs and last year’s remarkable achievement of selling out three Paris gigs in just 15 minutes, Aya Nakamura’s influence in the music world is undeniable.
While it’s uncertain whether Nakamura will perform at the Olympics, the Paris organizing committee is actively working to mitigate the fallout from the controversy. “We are very shocked by the racist attacks against Aya Nakamura,” they stated. “Total support to the most listened-to French artist in the world.”
