Theodora, Mother of the New French Sound

In 2022, Lili Théodora Mbangayo Mujinga, her real name, gave herself one year to make a living, even modestly, from her art.
 
Born in Switzerland and having spent time in Greece, of which she retains few memories, she was moved from city to city as her father resumed his studies later in life, pursuing his ambition of becoming a doctor. Saint-Jean-d’Angély, Rennes and finally Saint-Denis, where a foundational track was born: “Le paradis se trouve dans le 93” (“Paradise Is in the 93”).

Her first breakthrough with a wider audience, the song simply allowed her to keep singing. A definitive goodbye to her studies followed, having never completed her first year in a D1 law-and-economics preparatory program. Her early EPs—Neptune, Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels and Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels: Tome 2— laid the groundwork for a hybrid pop sound infused with Afro-Caribbean influences.

Less than a year later, she released “KONGOLESE SOUS BBL.” The blend of bouyon rhythms and unapologetic imagery caught attention, sparked debate, and propelled its creator forward. Two months after its release, the track entered the France Top Singles chart, climbing as high as No. 10.

What initially appeared to be just another viral trend in charts increasingly shaped by short-form video content was, in fact, laying the groundwork for BAD BOY LOVESTORY, the backbone of the singer’s success.

Released on Nov. 1, 2024, the 13-track project posted a modest first week, debuting at No. 119 on the Top Albums chart with 563 equivalent album units, a figure largely driven by the success of “KONGOLESE SOUS BBL.” Thirteen months later, reissued as MEGA BBL after a May re-release, the project now ranks among the four biggest successes of the year in France.

Beyond her own releases, Theodora has also become a secret weapon on other artists’ records. “melodrama,” her collaboration with disiz, has topped sales charts for more than two months. According to Luminate data consulted by Billboard France, she is now the most-streamed francophone female artist in the country in 2025, having climbed the rankings step by step since January.

The Genesis

Before music, her first passion was judo, a discipline that took her as far as the French national championships. “It was a version of myself that wasn’t possible,” she recalls.

“I have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes hormonal and physical disorders. In judo, there’s this notion of weight. I was never at the right weight, always too light or too heavy. It made me terribly unhappy because it blocked my progression and I couldn’t control it. I’d show up to competitions four kilos underweight, compensating by drinking massive amounts of water, but I would faint during warm-ups and vomit the water I’d drunk. Ten minutes later, I was fighting.”

After graduating high school, she enrolled in a law-and-economics preparatory program, which she soon abandoned to focus on music. “I often see people using a classist argument to defend me by pointing to that prep school, but… I never finished it. I did what—one year? Not even, more like six months. And yet that doesn’t take away my credibility in so many other areas.”

A Political Artist?

When Jordan Bardella, one of the leading figures of France’s far-right Rassemblement National party, used one of her songs on social media, the singer did not hesitate to publicly call him out.

“When you become famous, your words carry weight,” she explains. “Sometimes our power also lies in relaying information, rather than speaking on issues we don’t fully master—issues that people work on every day.”

Some see her time on the Brittany Regional Youth Council—where she later became president of the culture commission—as a sign of political ambition. “It was more about opening the door to demands than about institutions,” she counters. “They wanted to teach us civic power, how much of a role we had to play in the future. I don’t know how many people who were there are right-wing today, but it must be very few.”

The constant moves of her youth have shaped both her writing and her public statements, as has her experience with racism, an issue she addresses head-on, particularly when discussing situations she has faced since her visibility increased.

“I feel like I’ve sensed it my whole life. And yet, even though I lived in really remote places, it’s today that I experience it the most. Recently, at an event, I was mistaken… not for another Black woman, but for a member of a Black man’s team. There were only two Black women at the entire event but even that was too much to remember.

“Not everyone is racist, that’s not the point. The reality, when you leave the Île-de-France region, is that many people don’t even interact with Black people and are full of preconceived ideas.

“But a lot of people feel like we’re stealing something, that visibility for us takes something away from others who would be more ‘French.’ But some of us are French too, and even when we’re not, we’re producing work in France that contributes to its soft power.”

A Family Creative Cocoon

Among the elements that resonate with French audiences is an artistic vision developed alongside her brother and composer, Jeez Suave. In a partnership some have compared to the Billie Eilish/Finneas duo, Theodora insists on avoiding compartmentalization.

“My older brother has always positioned himself as a protector—but not overprotective, more like a guide, and above all an explorer. There’s a respect for the other as a human being, not as a brother or sister. He’s truly my best friend. In work, we function exactly like in our private lives, except that we try to respect each other’s working time.”

At the end of 2024, the duo and their associates Noé Grieneisen and Paul Steiner founded BOSS LADY RECORDS, borrowing a catchphrase that has become inseparable from Theodora’s identity.

“Jeez, Noé, Paul, Youss, Mona…. Being together every day, 17 hours a day, I feel like we’ve known each other for years.”

Being a Black Woman in 2025’s France

In May, invited to La Seine Musicale for the Flammes awards ceremony, Theodora dedicated her win to “all the slightly weird Black girls.” Widely shared on social media, the message resonated with a new generation of listeners.

“They come up to me, they thank me. I didn’t think it would have that much impact—I hadn’t even prepared my speech! Alternative white women are accepted,” she explains. “We grew up watching them. But alternative Black women have always been made invisible, as if it were a mistake. I would have loved to see more alternative Black profiles, because it would have made me feel like it wasn’t crazy. It took me a very long time to be 100% alternative, and even today I sometimes worry that people won’t understand.”

On BAD BOY LOVESTORY, she paints a portrait of a confident, almost arrogant woman. This “boss lady” identity has become her calling card, an anthem chanted by audiences at every live show. Yet behind that façade, she places values of kindness and sisterhood at the center of a French music industry still largely dominated by male production.

“This industry isn’t anti-girls—it’s anti-women. It loves obedient little girls, dolls, but not women who come to claim what they’re owed. In a capitalist society, women are seen as a burden. She’s the one who gets pregnant at work, who has to be paid maternity leave, who’s assumed to work less, be less productive. And I think in music—which is ultimately a very capitalist industry—women aren’t liked because there’s only room for one. ‘The others, delete them. Let them not exist.’”

A New Era

With 2026 just days away, the artist says she is “preparing a new era” of her career. While the concept of an “era” is widespread among American pop stars—from Taylor Swift, who even named her latest tour the Eras Tour, to The Weeknd and Rihanna—it has never truly taken hold in France.

“It comes from show culture, from that desire to be a showgirl,” she explains. “At a certain point, when you carry a project with your whole body, you mark it in time. And when you move on, it has to be felt. As a huge Rihanna fan, for example, I loved watching her go through all her different eras. Everyone remembers the semi-shaved head, the rock phase, the red hair, the pop phase… I love that concept.”

France, Then the World?

On “MASOKO NA MABELE,” she collaborates with Nigerian-British producer Thisizlondon. One year after its release, Theodora performs the track along with “DO U WANNA ?” and “I WANNA” on NTS Radio. A sign of momentum beyond France?

“I didn’t wait for this moment to think about it,” she says. “Those ambitions were always there. And if they’ve become real, it’s because I was already carrying them inside me. Dreaming big, looking outward—that inevitably opens you up to influences and to a broader vision. Today, those ambitions are even stronger: I see that the international audience understands me, welcomes me—so why not?”

“The language barrier exists, that’s true. But every language also has something unique, things that can’t be translated. And that’s what makes them rich.”

First Tour

When offered a performance at the Olympia, the legendary 2,800-capacity Paris venue, the artist insisted on playing at the Zénith de Paris instead, which holds 7,000 people. In total, she announced four shows, all of which sold out within minutes.

Ahead of her tour, which kicks off on March 30, she says: “We really have the ambition of an American-style show: big stage, set pieces, everything. I think it’s going to be a major turning point in my career. It’s too spectacular not to be.”

“I want to become the best performer. For my first year, I went out with six dancers, which is already huge at my level. Now we’re moving into something bigger and more thought-out on every level, down to the makeup. We’re also trying to organize properly—physical training, vocal preparation—because music is a sport, and to be the best, you have to train.”

Support From the LGBT Community

Appearing on Drag Race France, Theodora formed a duo with Mami Watta. With its exuberance, the singer’s universe—she is openly LGBT herself—echoes many of the genre’s codes. She first discovered that world while working at La Gaîté Lyrique, where ballroom events were being held.

“It’s a world I really loved, at a time in my life when I was unknowingly closing in on myself. I met people who were truly there to express themselves and to unite. I think some of them felt an almost paternal need to help me. That’s why I feel close to that community—and I also have many LGBT people on my team.”

New Territories

“I think music reveals one side of me and allows others to exist,” Theodora concludes. “Unlike many other fields, when you make music, you can allow yourself many careers. It’s your responsibility not to be foolish and not to do things you’re bad at. But for now, it’s the field where I can most afford to be eclectic.”

Having walked the runway for designer Rohan Mirza during Paris Fashion Week spring/summer 2026, she is now considering exploring “other forms of art.”

“I’m a very curious person. I don’t know if I’d talk about a ‘career’ in other fields—that’s a word you can only use after you’ve succeeded.”

This article originally appeared on Billboard France.