Theodora

Lili Théodora Mbangayo Mujinga (; born 23 October 2003), known professionally as Theodora or Boss Lady, is a French-Congolese singer, rapper, songwriter, dancer and TV personality. She began her music career working alongside her older brother, Jeez Suave, who produced her music, encouraged her singing, and acted as her composer and manager. At age 15, she released her debut single, "La thune", in November 2018, and also received the Spotify Flame for Album of the Year and Best New Pop Album at Les Flammes.

In August 2025, Le Monde described Theodora as the "pop phenomenon of the summer", noting that her inclusive songs had made her "the new boss of pop in France". In November 2025, GQ France named her Woman of the Year,

Theodora's television career began with a guest role on the fourth season of Nouvelle École, which streamed on Netflix from 31 October to 14 November 2025. Her grandfather was a member of the opposition party Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). Her father joined the Forces Armées Zaïroises (FAZ) during the late 1990s to qualify for a government scholarship program in Greece. Before he could finish, Mobutu's government collapsed after Laurent-Désiré Kabila took power. Théodora told Numéro that the military students were abandoned by the new government, which left her father without financial support and forced him to put his studies on hold. By 2025, her father was working as a gynecologist.

In 2008, after Greece's financial crisis, the family left the country. They first stopped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and then on Réunion Island. They later moved to mainland France in 2009, living in several parts of France, including Val-d'Oise, Bordeaux, and Brittany before settling in Saint-Denis. After arriving in France, the family initially lived together in a small studio apartment before her father's medical career improved their financial situation.

She earned her Baccalauréat in 2021 in Vitré, where she was classmates with the French streamer and online content creator Anyme. Initially interested in politics, she enrolled in the ENS D1 preparatory program in Vannes, which she left after six months. As the project developed, Theodora and Suave organized their first festival and officially released Neptune on Spotify on 10 January 2021 through their independent label, Neptune Production. pays tribute to Seine-Saint-Denis over an animated drum-and-bass production. The song was later included on her six-track EP Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels, which was released on 15 March 2023 under Maison Neptune X NBDF. Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels also featured tracks such as "Ici le temps est trop morose", "C trop la loose", "Liliroxk", "Dans le paradis artificiel", and "Après l'orage". Most of the songs were co-written with Suave, who also produced the EP. The sequel, Lili aux paradis artificiels: tome 2, was released on 6 July 2023 and included five new tracks: "...Y'a deux fois plus d'orage", "Besoin d'aide", "J'ai retrouvé le sourire", "Boss Lady" and "Love me lagadou". The EP featured guest appearances from Implaccable and production contributions from Pedro Da Linha, Sutus, Koboi, MEI, Neophron, and Suave. as it evolved into a "body-positive anthem" and fueled dance challenges and lip-sync skits across social platforms. Jeremie Leger of the French rap outlet Rap City noted that "Kongolese sous BBL" challenges stereotypes surrounding the hyper-feminized and hypersexualized image of Black women. The acronym "BBL" refers variously to Brazilian Butt Lift, Big Boss Lady (her nickname), or Bad Boy Lovestory, the title of her debut mixtape. it also entered Spotify's Top 50 France, received airplay on NRJ and Skyrock, It became the first bouyon song performed by a non-Caribbean artist to receive gold certification in France in 2024 and was later certified diamond by SNEP and gold by the BRMA. The Fader described it as a "sugary fizz of dance, electronic, dancehall, and more". Commercially, Bad Boy Lovestory peaked at No. 2 on the SNEP Top Albums chart for three consecutive weeks, No. 14 on Ultratop Wallonia, and No. 100 on the Swiss Hitparade, Beneath its upbeat sound, Bad Boy Lovestory explores themes of mental health, toxic relationships, and self-reflection. Meanwhile, the amapiano-influenced "Fashion Designa", also produced by Suave, accentuates her confident and self-empowered persona, and it was certified diamond in France and spent two weeks at No. 12 on the SNEP Top Singles chart. "Fashion Designa" won her Original Song at the 2026 Victoires de la Musique and was also nominated for Audiovisual Creation, It debuted at No. 15 on Ultratop Wallonia and No. 21 on the Swiss Hitparade, and was certified platinum in France. The release was supported by "PAY!" (featuring Guy2Bezbar), "Do U Wanna?", "Zou Bizou" (featuring Jul), "Masoko Na Mabele" (featuring London), and "Mon bébé" (featuring Brazy). In June 2025, she sold-out three consecutive concerts at Zénith Paris. Throughout the summer, she performed at major French festivals including Yardland, Les Vieilles Charrues, and Cabaret Vert. In August, Le Monde described her as the "pop phenomenon of the summer" and noted that with the success of her inclusive songs, she had become "the new boss of pop in France". That month, Billboard France reported that Theodora was the second most-streamed female francophone artist of the year in France, behind Aya Nakamura. On 12 September 2025, she performed on the Angela Davis stage at the Fête de l'Humanité in La Courneuve. The performance, attended by one of the festival's largest crowds, was noted for its political themes and was described as the most significant concert of her 2025 tour by her entourage.

On 26 September, Theodora featured on Disiz's single "Melodrama", from his 14th album On s'en rappellera pas. The song topped the SNEP Top Singles chart for ten consecutive weeks, reached No. 1 on the Ultratop Wallonia chart, and peaked at No. 9 on the Swiss Hitparade. setting a 2025 record for the longest consecutive run at No. 1 in the country, She also appeared on Sarz's "Mademoiselle", taken from his album Protect Sarz at All Costs, alongside Odumodublvck, Shallipopi, and Zeina. The song peaked at No. 19 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and No. 29 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs. She then appeared at the GP Explorer 3 concert on 4 October 2025 and appeared on its companion album The Last Race. In November 2025, GQ France named her Woman of the Year, and later appeared on Meryl's "Instructions" from her album La Dame, which reached No. 43 on the SNEP Top Singles chart. By December 2025, she had become the most-streamed French-language artist in France.

In January 2026, she appeared on Gims' single "Spa", which reached No. 4 on the SNEP Top Singles chart for three weeks, No. 18 on Ultratop Wallonia, and No. 21 on the Swiss Hitparade. The following month, she released "Des mythos", which peaked at No. 13 on the SNEP chart. That same month, on 13 February, she won four awards at the 41st Victoires de la Musique, the most of any artist that year. and the following day featured on PLK's "Sex Model" from his album Grand Garçon, which peaked at No. 3. On 12 March, she released "Miss Kitoko", which reached No. 12. In April, she was announced as the first French ambassador for Mugler's Angel Nova fragrance.

Television career Between 31 October and 14 November 2025, Theodora appeared as a guest on the fourth season of Nouvelle École, a Netflix-produced musical reality series centered on French-speaking European rap (from France, Belgium, and Switzerland) and adapted from the American show Rhythm + Flow. In January 2026, she became a permanent member of the judging panel for the program's fifth season, alongside Oli and SDM.

Style and influences Theodora's style has been described as a mix of goth, rap, and R&B influences. In July 2024, after the National Rally's performance in the first round of the legislative elections, she joined other artists at a demonstration opposing the far right. She has also spoken out against genocides, especially those occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza. On 22 April 2025, she appeared at the sold-out Solidarité Congo benefit concert at the Accor Arena, joining dozens of French rap and international artists to gather support for children affected by the Rwandan-backed M23 insurgency in eastern DRC. The concert's revenue was entirely donated to Give Back Charity. She reiterated her stance against the far right by referencing Zaho de Sagazan, stressing that politicians should not quote artists if they fail to defend the people those artists stand for.

LGBTQIA+ advocacy

During her 2025 appearance on Drag Race France All Stars, she expressed her appreciation for drag culture and the LGBTQIA+ community, acknowledging how much she has gained from them and her desire to give back. According to Steffanee Wang in the Fader, her song "Mon Bébé" stands out as boldly provocative and rich in queer-coded visuals. Theodora performs on stage in lingerie, bikinis, corsets, and creatively draped fabrics that strategically cover only what censorship requires.

In an interview with Billboard France in December 2025, she added that the drag world had helped her through difficult periods in her life, stating, "It's a world I really appreciated, at a time in my life when I was withdrawing into myself without realizing it. I met people who were really there to express themselves and come together. I think some of them felt this almost paternal need to come and help me. That's why I feel close to it, and I also have many LGBT people on my team". She said she intentionally wears her natural afro-textured hair, aware that her visibility can shape how young Black girls see themselves. She also described feeling pressure to adopt a more formal French tone during radio interviews and to navigate media questions that included subtle microaggressions or reductive comparisons to the small pool of Black French female artists.

Women in the music industry

In an interview with Red Bull France, she described the music industry as hostile toward women, overly competitive, and structured to foster insecurity. She argued that women are made to believe there is limited space for them, even though many are talented. While she does not oppose competition itself, she believes it should not prevent solidarity or mutual respect among artists.

Speaking to Billboard France, she also criticized the industry as fundamentally anti-woman, saying it favors compliant "doll-like" figures rather than women who assert themselves and demand what they deserve. She also revealed that she has polycystic ovary syndrome, which leads to hormonal and physical issues.

Francophone Female Artist of the Year Herself

Social Hit "Fashion Designa" GQ Men of the Year (France) Woman of the Year

Dazed 100 Music

Victory for the Revelation Scene

Female Révélation of the Year Album of the Year Méga BBL Original Song

Best Audiovisual Creation

Spotify Flame for Album of the Year

City Country Place 16 March Bordeaux

Arkéa Arena 17 March

18 March 20 March Lyon Halle Tony Garnier 21 March Toulouse Zénith de Toulouse Métropole 22 March Marseille Le Dôme de Marseille 24 March Lille Zénith de Lille 25 March Brussels Belgium Forest National 29 March

30 March 31 March 1 April

Discography

EPs

Neptune (2021) Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels (2023) Tome 2 (2023)

Mixtapes Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications FRA BEL(WA) SWI Bad Boy Lovestory Released: 1 November 2024 Labels: Boss Lady, Maison Neptune X NBFD 3 14 — SNEP: Méga BBL (deluxe) Released: 29 May 2025 Labels: Boss Lady, Virgin Music France, Universal Music France 2 15 21

Charted singles and songs TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertifications AlbumFRA BEL(WA)US AfroNGSWIUK Afro"Kongolese sous BBL"20241034–––– SNEP: BEA: Bad Boy Lovestory"243 km/h"–––––– SNEP: "Ils me rient tous au nez"2649–––– SNEP: "Fashion Designa"1237–––– SNEP: BEA: Méga BBL"PAY!" (feat. Guy2bezbar)202531––––– SNEP: "Do u wanna?"53––––– SNEP: BEA: "Zou Bizou" (feat. Jul)931–––– SNEP: BEA: "Masoko Na Mabele" (feat. London)122––––– SNEP: "Mon bébé" (feat. Brazy)30––––– SNEP: BEA: "Melodrama" (Disiz feat. Theodora)11––9– SNEP: BEA: on s'en rappellera pas"Mademoiselle" (Sarz feat. Odumodublvck, Shallipopi, Theodora, Zeina)––2947–19Protect Sarz At All Costs"Dis moi je t'aime" (feat. GP Explorer)48–––––"Instructions" (Meryl feat. Theodora)43––––– SNEP: La Dame"Spa" (Gims feat. Theodora)2026418–––– SNEP: –"Des mythos"13––––– SNEP: "Sex Model" (PLK feat. Theodora)3–––40– SNEP: "Miss Kitoko"12––––– SNEP: –"Ms Paper" (Ayra Starr feat. Thedora)–––66––Starr Girl