Multi-Platinum artist and songwriter Aya Nakamura, one of the biggest French breakthrough star of the last three years, has signed a new globally exclusive deal with Warner Chappell Music, three years after having signed her first agreement with the publisher in 2017.
She recently topped the French charts with Plus Jamais feat Stormzy, a single from her third studio album Aya, released by Rec 118/Warner Music France in November 2020.
The album has already been certified Gold and also features the single Jolie Nana, which topped the French charts for four consecutive weeks – the longest run for a female artist since 2015.
Her previous album Nakamura sold more than a million copies worldwide, and has generated over 3.5 billion audio and visual streams since its release in 2018.
Its success was propelled by the global smash and French No.1 single Djadja, which also has gone Platinum in 17 markets and charted in 36 countries worldwide.
The original popularity of Djadja was amplified across Europe and beyond with a features from Loredana in German, Afro B in English, and more recently a Spanish version with Colombian superstar Maluma, which broke into the Billboard Global 200 (No.57) and Spotify Global Top 50.
Nakamura earned the singer-songwriter no less than 10 certified singles in France.
This included three Double-Diamond certified singles in Djadja, Pookie and Copines; three Diamond certified tracks in 40%, La Dot and Sucette; one Platinum track in Oula; and two Gold records in Pompom and Soldat.
The week of the album’s release also saw her achieve a record-breaking seven out of the Top 10 songs in the French singles chart.
She also recorded a version of her song Pookie with Italian rap star Capo Plaza, which became a multi-Platinum hit in Italy.
Born in Bamako, the capital of Mali, in 1995, Aya’s lyrics blend the use of Parisian argot, Arabic, and Bambara, the Malian language of her parents.
Aya has surpassed two billion views on her YouTube Channel, and an all-time high of 18 million Spotify monthly listeners last October.
She won Best Female Artist at the NRJ Music Awards in December 2020 and received two SACEM Awards the same month, the Grand Prix for SACEM Repertoire Abroad and the SDRM Grand Prix.
She was also named among the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ in 2019 and earned a BET Award nomination for Best International Act the same year.
“It’s not always so easy for a French songwriter and artist to connect with fans internationally, but her powerful songwriting has enabled her to cross boundaries.”
Matthieu Tessier, Warner Chappell Music France
Matthieu Tessier, Managing Director of Warner Chappell Music France, said: “I’m so glad that Aya has placed her faith in us again at Warner Chappell.
“We were among the very first partners to believe in her songwriting, and we continue to have a very close publisher-writer relationship.
“It’s not always so easy for a French songwriter and artist to connect with fans internationally, but her powerful songwriting has enabled her to cross boundaries.”
Music Business Worldwide
