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Did Aya Nakamura release the new summer hit?
After she swept the nation at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, singer Aya Nakamura is finally back. She performed at the Pièces Jaunes charity gala in Paris in January 2025 and released two new singles that have the potential to be the next summer hits: Chimiyé and Baddies. She has also just been inducted into the Musée Grévin in Paris. Will she be dropping a new album this year?
By Violaine Schütz.
Chimiyé and Baddies: Aya Nakamura’s summer hits for 2025
Could 2025 see the release of a new album by Aya Nakamura? The singer, who has just been immortalized in a wax statue at the Musée Grévin in Paris, may well be preparing to drop a new record this year. At least, that’s what her two latest releases may suggest.
On Thursday, February 20th, the singer released Chimiyé, along with a music video heavily inspired by the 2000s. That decade is also echoed in sounds used for the track. Blending R’n’B and afrobeat influences and created in collaboration with Alpha Wann and Doums, Chimiyé could well become one of the season’s biggest hits. Its lyrics are already stuck in our heads: “He wants the house, he wants the kids, he talks to me in chimi chimiyé“
Another track with all the makings of a 2025 summer anthem? The sultry Baddies, released in May 2025 by Aya Nakamura and Joé Dwèt Filé. With its provocative lyrics about a romantic relationship, its irresistibly swaying melody, and its hedonistic music video featuring a cool girls’ trip, the song feels like an instant hit.
These recent events confirm that the singer is back for real. Many still recall with emotion Aya Nakamura’s live performance during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26th, 2024, on the Pont des Arts in Paris. She performed two of her biggest hits (Pookie and Djaja), as well as Charles Aznavour’s For me formidable (1963) alongside the Republican Guard.
Thus, everyone could listen to her singing the meaningful lyrics dressed in a Dior golden gladiator outfit: “I’d better choose my words / To please you / In the language of Molière”. The performance sparked major reactions, drawing both racist backlash and widespread acclaim from the French and international press.
An unforgettable performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
After this, the 29-year-old French-Malian singer chose to step back for a while, taking time to process the criticism. It wasn’t until August 25th, 2024, that she broke her silence on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter).
She explained: “When they asked me to perform at the event, I didn’t even know what the Olympics were. When I say I didn’t know, I mean I didn’t grasp what it represented. It was a bit unclear in my mind. I asked myself a lot of questions. We were planning the show with the Olympics team in a pretty relaxed way. But then I started seeing things on social media… Luckily I didn’t see everything, because I might have ended up cursing some people’s mothers.”
Regarding the racist remarks, she added: “As a Black woman artist, I think I bore the brunt of everything. I’ve been in conversations where people said to me, ‘Oh, you’re sensitive?’ Well, yeah.” She also called out “the caricature of the Black woman people saw in [her].”
Aya Nakamura performs at the Pièces Jaunes charity gala in Paris
Fortunately, the artist didn’t let the negativity defeat her. She made her comeback at a major event. In a custom-made LGNC outfit, Aya Nakamura performed at Europe’s largest indoor venue, Paris La Défense Arena, for the Pièces Jaunes charity gala on January 23rd, 2025. She sang her hits Baby and 40% to a thrilled audience.
This concert, organized to raise funds to improve the daily lives of hospitalized children, brought together international artists including Rosé from Blackpink, pop star Katy Perry, Burna Boy, John Legend, J-Hope (from BTS), G-Dragon, J Balvin, Pretty Yende, and pianist Lang Lang. For those who were unable to attend the event, it was broadcast on the TV channel France 2 on January 28th.
The charismatic Aya Nakamura, who hadn’t performed live since the 2024 Olympics, also made an appearance at the U-Arena in Bercy, Paris, on January 24th, 2025. There, she was the artistic director of an NBA All-Star Game night.
Baddies (2025) by Aya Nakamura, available now.
