In the last weeks of October in Paris, where the sun's reigned supreme on the notoriously grey metropolis, you can still hear an airy dancehall ballad blasting from cars. Truth be told, French-Malian musician Aya Nakamura's “Djadja” undeniably possesses power to place France closer to the sunlight. The song itself is bittersweet, with soft and romantic melodies as Nakamura recounts how a friend falsely told people he had sex with her. The song's turned into a no-nonsense anthem for female empowerment, as its heady chorus was impossible to avoid over the summer.

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When I meet Aya, her second album NAKAMURA (which was released in the beginning of November) is already completed, but she’s still in the studio, on a break between recording sessions. “I love the studio — this is my happy place," she welcomes me with a warm smile, softly touching her honey-blonde hair that compliments her deep brown skin beautifully while playfully cracking jokes: “So you gave me a Diet Coke 'cause I’m a girl and you don’t want me to get fat?”

When I ask her if anything's changed since “Djadja” dropped, she answers confidently: “Not much for me, at least. I’m still dropping off my daughter at preschool everyday like every parent would. I’m trying to stay focused.” She then turns around and says: “Actually, people take me seriously now.”

