Meet the Franco-Malian pop star sparking debate over who should sing at the Olympics

One of the most important roles at the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympic Games this summer is likely to be performing the songs of Édith Piaf. So when President Emmanuel Macron was asked who might be tapped for such a duty, it was perhaps natural that he would suggest the most listened-to French singer on the planet: Aya Nakamura.

But the thought of Ms. Nakamura, a pop and rap artist known for salting her lyrics with slang influenced by her native Mali and of her own invention, performing the work of the beloved Ms. Piaf did not sit well with everyone. Far-right leaders called Mr. Macron’s endorsement a “provocation,” complaining that