Aya Nakamura Faces Backlash from Far-Right Critics Ahead of Olympic Opening Performance

Rising to sing at the opening of the Paris Olympic Games alongside stars like Céline Dion and Lady Gaga, the Franco-Malian Aya Nakamura represents Francophone urban music. Her vibrant beats and African influences showcase the diversity of her adopted country. For this very reason, the 29-year-old artist has been attacked by politicians and far-right influencers in France since her participation in the ceremony was announced two weeks ago.

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Born in Bamako, Mali, and raised in France, Nakamura is a representative of urban music from the Francophone world and one of the most listened-to artists in the country today. With hits like “Djadja,” “Copines,” and “Pookie,” she blends afrobeat, pop, and R&B. At the opening, she will perform classics from the traditional singer Charles Aznavour, combining tradition and modernity. The singer has 97.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

At a rally last Sunday, politician Eric Zemmour from the Reconquête! party used the singer to criticize cultural changes in the country. “Future babies have no culture, they know nothing, but they detect beauty; they love this beauty […] they don’t vote for rap, nor lambada, nor Aya Nakamura: they vote for Mozart at 91%!”

One of the main representatives of the French far-right, Zemmour has already been convicted of “incitement to racial hatred.” In March, he had declared, “to me, Aya Nakamura’s songs are not in French.”

The extremist group Les Natifs, which opposes immigration, marched with a banner that read, “Y’a pas moyen Aya. Ici c’est Paris, pas le marché de Bamako” (“There’s no way, Aya. This is Paris, not the market of Bamako,” in loose translation).

The singer used her profile on X to respond: “You can be racist, but not deaf. That’s what hurts you! I’ve become the number 1 topic in debates, etc., but what exactly do I owe you? Nothing.”

Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron defended the Franco-Malian singer. He viewed her selection for the event positively: “She speaks to many of our compatriots and I think she has every right to be at an opening or closing ceremony of the Games.”