“What Criteria Do They Base It On?”: Aya Nakamura Finds Support in a 52-Year-Old French Soccer Star Amid Recent Controversy

Aya Nakamura was all set to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024. And now, in all probability, she will not! Soon after the rumors kicked in about her participation in the Games, several people from different fields opposed the idea of her association. However, even in the face of such a huge controversy, the 28-year-old singer has found support in a 52-year-old French soccer star. 

Such an outrage is baffling as Nakamura is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the French music industry at the moment. The recent fallout related to whether Nakamura would sing or not has created a whirlwind of controversies. Especially after it was promised by the Olympic authorities to “showcase and celebrate” the communities to which Nakamura belongs. 

Aya Nakamura backed by veteran French soccer star amidst ongoing storm

As the Olympics are approaching, things were expected to be smoothly falling into place. Unfortunately, opposition against Aya Nakamura’s involvement in the Olympics has surely turned things bitter. With a dark cloud hovering around the games even before its start, Nakamura got several entities in support. Chief among them is the former French soccer star, Lilian Thuram. 

He spoke in favor of the singer, stating that he can relate to the situation she is currently in. Thuram also went on to say that people like Nakamura should be performing at the Games. The 52-year-old went on to say, “When Aya Nakamura can’t represent France, what criteria do they base it on?” Adding to the support, the French culture minister, Rachida Dati, also issued a warning to keep “pure racism” in check.

The singer had immediately hit back at the protestors citing racism. As a result, the issue is being dealt with strictly by the prosecutor and every possible chance of racial abuse is being investigated. Taking a step further, the authorities have also filed a complaint by the France-based International League against Racism and Antisemitism

Amidst all the chaos, Emmanuel Macron, who was allegedly the lead to have approached Nakamura for a performance, has not confirmed the allegations. As per the reports, Nakamura was expected to perform to the tunes of the legendary cabaret icon of the 1950s, Edith Piaf on the opening night. Now, while the entire situation is taking a clumsy turn, let’s not forget how accomplished a singer Aya Nakamura is. 

A look at Aya Nakamura’s shining career

Aya Nakamura was brought up in the suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis. Originally born in Mali with Aya Danioko as her name, she had dreams in her eyes about singing. Surely enough, her talent got the attention while she was only 19 as her YouTube content about relationships and love went viral. Her most notable success came with ‘Djadja’, with over a billion views ornamenting the creation on YouTube. 

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Over the years, Nakamura has established herself as the most listened to French artist with over 7 billion streams to her name. Influenced by the Caribbean zouk and Afrobeats, three of Nakamura’s gigs were sold out within 15 minutes in Paris. Thus, with controversy surrounding such a noted superstar, it will be interesting to see which way things take a turn in the future. 

Continue to Read: Paris Olympics 2024 Organizers Claim Continuous Concerns Raising Is ‘A Little Bit Inevitable’