Aya (album)

Aya
Studio album by Aya Nakamura
Released	13 November 2020
Genre	Urban pop soul R&B dancehall
Length	42:25
Label	Rec. 118 Parlophone Warner Music France
Producer	Vladimir Boudnikoff Heezy Lee Julio Masidi Jordan Houyez Starow Drama State Timo Aloïs Zandry
Aya Nakamura chronology
Nakamura (2018) Aya (2020) DNK (2023)
Singles from Aya
"Jolie nana" Released: 17 July 2020 "Doudou" Released: 9 October 2020 "Plus jamais" Released: 13 November 2020 "Fly" Released: 17 March 2021

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	7.6/10 [1]

Aya is the third studio album from French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura. It was released on 13 November 2020 through Warner Music France.

The album features guest appearances by Stormzy, Ms Banks and Oboy. ^[2] It was preceded by the singles "Jolie nana" and "Doudou", both of which reached the top 10 in Nakamura's home country France.

Background and promotion

On 15 October 2020, Nakamura announced the album through her social media accounts. ^[3] About the recording process, her boyfriend and producer Vladimir Boudnikoff revealed: "We spent days, nights, weeks in the studio on this album. And if there is one thing I can guarantee you, there is immense talent behind this woman". ^[4] Nakamura herself explained: "I had a lot of fun, I've tried a lot of stuff, wanted to test some things like on "Doudou". I can't wait to see my fans again because I think they will be surprised." ^[5] The album received advertising billboards on Times Square on 13 November. ^[6]

Track listing

Aya track listing ^[7]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Plus jamais" (featuring Stormzy)	Aya Nakamura Stormzy	Heezy Lee Timo	2:55
2.	"Tchop"	Nakamura	Julio Masidi . Jordan Houyez	2:50
3.	"Doudou"	Nakamura	Vladimir Boudnikoff	2:48
4.	"Jolie nana"	Nakamura	Masidi	2:27
5.	"Fly"	Nakamura	Boudnikoff	3:37
6.	"Biff"	Nakamura	Drama State	2:33
7.	"Sentiments grandissants"	Nakamura	Masidi . Houyez . Dave	2:21
8.	"Love de moi"	Nakamura	Masidi Starow	2:36
9.	"Ça blesse"	Nakamura	Heezy Lee Timo	2:36
10.	"Mon chéri"	Nakamura	Boudnikoff Aloïs Zandry	2:35
11.	"Hot"	Nakamura Boudnikoff	Boudnikoff	3:30
12.	"Nirvana"	Nakamura Boudnikoff	Boudnikoff	2:30
13.	"La machine"	Nakamura	Boudnikoff	3:03
14.	"Mon Lossa" (featuring Ms Banks)	Nakamura Thyra Oji	Masidi	3:05
15.	"Préféré" (featuring Oboy)	Nakamura Oboy	Boudnikoff	2:54
Total length:				42:25

Physical edition bonus tracks

16. "Criminel"
17. "Plus la même"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Aya Chart (2020) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [8] 14 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [9] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [10] 36 French Albums (SNEP) [11] 2 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [12] 71 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [13] 8

Year-end charts 2020 year-end chart performance for Aya Chart (2020) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [14] 104 French Albums (SNEP) [15] 50 2021 year-end chart performance for Aya Chart (2021) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [16] 39 French Albums (SNEP) [17] 32 2022 year-end chart performance for Aya Chart (2022) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] 170 French Albums (SNEP) [19] 128 2023 year-end chart performance for Aya Chart (2023) Position French Albums (SNEP) [20] 186

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) [21]	3× Platinum	300,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Ibrahim, Shamira (4 December 2020). "AYA | Pitchfork". Pitchfork . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
2. Zidel, Alex (13 November 2020). "Aya Nakamura Releases Third Studio Album "AYA" Featuring Stormzy". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
3. "AYA NAKAMURA : journée spéciale vendredi 13 novembre 2020 sur Mouv'". Mouv' (in French). 10 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
4. Manson, Leonard (13 November 2020). "Aya Nakamura is pleased with the release of her album AYA". Somag News. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
5. "Aya Nakamura : écoutez son nouvel album "Aya" et ses duos avec Stormzy, Ms Banks..." Purebreak Charts. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
6. Manson, Leonard (13 November 2020). "Aya Nakamura was exhibited in Times Square!". Somag News. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
7. "Aya / Aya Nakamura". Tidal . Retrieved 14 November 2020.
8. "Ultratop.be – Aya Nakamura – Aya" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
9. "Ultratop.be – Aya Nakamura – Aya" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Aya Nakamura – Aya" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
11. "Lescharts.com – Aya Nakamura – Aya". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
12. "Spanishcharts.com – Aya Nakamura – Aya". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
13. "Swisscharts.com – Aya Nakamura – Aya". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
14. "Rapports Annuels 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
15. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2020" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
16. "Rapports Annuels 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
17. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2021" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
18. "Rapports annuels 2022" (in French). Ultratop . Retrieved 14 May 2023.
19. "2022: La production musicale française toujours au top" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
20. "2023: La dynamique de la production et de la consommation musicales en France" (in French). SNEP. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
21. "French album certifications – Aya Nakamura – Aya" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved 11 November 2025.