Afropop star Aya Nakamura faces court over domestic violence

Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, whose real name is Aya Coco Danioko, answers hosts’ questions upon her arrival to attend the 24th edition of the NRJ Music Awards ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, southeastern France, on Nov. 18, 2022. She will appear in court on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, in Paris along with her former partner after they were charged with domestic violence following a row at their home in August. VALERY HACHE / AFP

BOBIGNY, France—Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura will appear in court on Thursday, Nov. 24, in Paris along with her former partner after they were charged with domestic violence following a row at their home in August.

The singer behind the 2018 sensation “Djadja”—which has nearly 900 million views on YouTube—is one of the biggest-selling francophone artists worldwide.

The court appearance for the 27-year-old star, whose real name is Aya Coco Danioko, came after police were called several times in the early hours of Aug. 7 to the Paris home she shared with partner Vladimir Boudnikoff, a music video producer.

They have both been charged with domestic violence.

“We did stupid things that night but that’s life too,” Boudnikoff wrote on Instagram after the fight with Nakamura, with whom he has a daughter.

Nakamura, one of few francophone pop artists to break into English-speaking markets, was born in Mali, but grew up in the Paris suburbs.

She has been hailed for rapping and singing about female empowerment and black identity, mixing French, the capital’s distinctive slang, Arabic and her family’s native Bambara language.  /ra

RELATED STORIES:

French pop queen Aya Nakamura shrugs off the criticism

Africa’s ‘Grammys’ celebrate hits of the continent