It’s a title that brought him international success. It was even certified diamond single… And yet, the song “Pookie” by Aya Nakamura almost never got released.
Since the phenomenal “Djadja”, Aya Nakamura’s career has been breaking records. Today recognized on the international music scene, she has had hits at the top of the charts. The singer released “DNK”, her fourth album, in February 2023. An opus that is a hit thanks to titles like “Baby” or “SMS”. The triumph was such that Aya Nakamura bought three sold-out Bercys in the spring of the same year. While his career is at its peak, the 28-year-old artist will join the prestigious jury of the musical show “Nouvelle École”.
It’s no surprise to see Aya Nakmura selected among GQ France’s “Men of The Year”. On this occasion, the star returned to one of the biggest hits of his career: “Pookie”. And as surprising as it may seem, the “Queen of France” did not believe in the potential of this single. “ They made me listen to the topline and the instrumental and I was there saying: “Yeah, honestly, I’m not hot, it’s not my style.” “, she explained to GQ. Despite this first impression, she still went into the cabin: “ I really put it down quickly, I test it, but I put it in the trash “. The title was not included in his options when deciding on the tracklist for his album “Nakamura”.
View this post on Instagram
Finally, she will be contacted by her label who will tell her: “ But Aya, you have to put it in the album, it’s different, you don’t know what it can give “. But for her, “ it’s dead “. Finally, at the last minute, she agreed to include it on the album and the bet more than paid off.
“ It was a surprise “, she admits, “ Basically, it’s not even my style, with my friends we listened to it but it’s not our thing, we don’t listen to that, we only listen to zouk. And in the end, it’s the song that worked the most with “Djadja”, so I was good to listen, it’s good to be wise “, she concluded.
