How Theodora Is Redefining the French Music Scene

Unless you’re familiar with the current French music scene, Theodora “Boss Lady” might not be on your radar. At only 21 years old, the French-Congolese singer won over audiences after  “KONGOLESE SOUS BBL,” produced by her older brother Jeez Suave, went viral on TikTok late last year and later became her first platinum record. In a music scene that has imposed clear-cut standards for black women to excel, Theodora defies all of them.

It’s Theodora’s world, we’re just living in it

Her world is pink and full of shimmer.  Her world is a maximalist’s dream,  oozing creativity, confidence, and authenticity. Theodora has lived multiple lives: she’s moved to Switzerland, Greece, Congo, Réunion, and finally, France. Her music carries itself as a love letter to that as its influences vary from bouyon, French rap, afrobeat, electro, and even rock. Her collaborations are equally as eclectic, ranging from  rapper Jul with their catchy “ZOU BISOU” to “LES OISEAUX RARES” featuring Juliette Aramanet, a heart-wrenching ballad (and one of my personal favorites). Theodora’s latest album release, MEGA BBL, is a reissue of her mixtape BAD BOY LOVE STORY, which originally dropped in May of this year.

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Across multiple songs and interviews, Theodora refers to herself as “Boss Lady.” But what is being a Boss Lady? “It’s a hymn to determination,” is what she tells France Inter. “It’s not necessarily pursuing higher education, or holding a high-ranking position, (...) sometimes it’s just believing in yourself, (and) 100% following your objective, even if for others it could seem a bit crazy.” In “FASHION DESIGNA,” she proclaims being a “Fashion Designa / J’achète plus j’designe”, translating into “Fashion Designa/ I don’t buy anymore, I design.” Theodora isn’t following the trend; she’s creating it. The accompanying music video is in itself a piece of art, with references to Michel Ocelot (whose films every French kid has seen at least once in their life), graphic designer Saul Bass, and Grace Jones. It has accumulated more than two million views in less than two months. In an era in which we speak of music videos as a dying format, Theodora proves that they’re very much still alive, at least for her.

Black Girl Weirdness, as seen by Theodora

Theodora has always been vocal about her music being for “the Black girls that are a little weird.” Her fashion sense is alternative  – full of different textures and colors, shapes, and layers. She’s far from discreet, but that is the point. The French music scene hasn’t experienced a rise to fame as quick and hard-hitting as hers. Black women artists have often stuck to a similar ‘classy’ style, and even then, they are quick to be discriminated against. In an interview with Libération, she talks about the difficulty in being a Black girl who doesn’t fit the status quo:

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“The music industry expects black women to confine themselves to sectors that were attributed to them, that they shouldn’t do pop music, that they should indulge in more so-called  “urban” aesthetics. It’s a problem. When they step out of this framework, we don’t consider them.”

She’s also been an advocate for body positivity, and throughout her album plays with the term BBL – that usually stands for Brazilian Butt Lift – giving it other meanings, such as “BAD BOY LOVE STORY,” “BAD BOY LACKED,” and of course, “BAD BOSS LADY.” While the lyrics of “KONGOLESE SOUS BBL” refer to quite a sensual image with the below lyrics, in reality, she doesn’t have ‘big breasts’ or a ‘particularly huge ass’ as she says in interviews.  

“Baby boo, tu sais, je vaux beaucoup / Même si parfois je ne joins pas les deux bouts / C'est à cause d'mon fiak, il éloigne trop mes g'noux / Et mes gros seins me font souvent mal au cou (Boss lady)” “Baby boo, you know, I’m worth a lot / Even if sometimes I struggle to make ends meet / It’s because of my ass, it pushes my kness apart / And my big breast often make my neck hurt (Boss lady).”

The song is a form of retaliation against the growing beauty standards that dictate women’s bodies today, and in Theodora’s words, “it’s also maybe to tell people that it’s okay (not to have one), and that I don’t want a BBL –  I just want a Bad Boy Lovestory.”

Theodora is a breath of fresh air. She’s a middle finger to conformity who’s unapologetically herself, trusting her own vision. And her four sold-out March 2026 Zénith shows are proof that she definitely isn’t going anywhere. Blurring the lines between genres, aesthetics, and expectations, she really is one of France’s current superstars.