un fil pour THEODORA et son album MEGA BBL

J'ai besoin d'un late pass, but MEGA BBBL, the 2025 expanded re-release of late 2024 album BAD BOY LOVESTORY, is currently my favourite music in the world and I think ilm would dig it too.

Theodora is based in France but grew up all over the place thanks to a military dad. With her producer brother Jeel Sauve, she makes an endlessly charming mix of genre-hopping global pop.

The expanded album is pretty long so start with the bouyon channelling "KONGOLESE SOUS BBL"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2tnwgcBfoA

"Fashion Designa" does the amapiano-najia afrobeats thing I thought I was thoroughly sick of, but could listen on repeat here (cool video too):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXmXQ9nxWY

I also really love "ZOU BISOU" which I'm going to go ahead and erroneously call reggaeton yé-yé:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8JraA4K14c

And "ILS ME RIENT TOUS AU NEZ" which almost has an indie pop feel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRXKpZnLw1A

Sweet, yes, gonna check this. The only one I've heard till now I'd Kongolese

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhgFR2L2reE

oh nice I was looking for an excuse to bump this, and she obliged by dropping "Mythos" and a very striking video. This one is a moody jazz not-quite ballad with skittering shuffling afrobeats drums.

I'm liking MEGA BBL even more than when I started this. There's a live version of ILS ME RIENT TOUS AU NEZ at the end of it that really shows off her voice

Haven’t listened to the earlier stuff yet but “Des mythos” is fabulous

it is! I was caught a little off guard by yet another stylistic swerve (not that big of one on further listening), but it's wonderful. "Fashion Designa" probably the one I'd say to check next, but at this point I am in love with everything she does

listened to mega bbl last week and got major amaarae vibes. i dug the whole thing, never boring despite the long run time, but the highlight among highlights for me was "ils me rent" and the live version. big tune.

oh yeah that's a good comparison — though Theodora has a wider vocal range — some of the newer tracks on it esp have a high-drama dancey black star amaarae quality, e.g. Do U Wanna

new album SM4L coming soon, here's the next single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsUsICDxobc

"Miss Kitoko"

I listened to that three times in a row and have determined that SM4L is the 2026 AOTY

what a banger

Okay I love this

c'est un bop

new single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ASB6TAsfk0

"Be My Valentine"

no surprise, it's fabulous and the last 30 seconds demand an extended mix

oh there's a head-spinning b-side too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er9oCVwKNIo

"MR. DJ"

love them both - Theodora effortlessly smashing it out of the park yet again

otm. I couldn't be more excited for the album

It's been interesting seeing her influence crop up here and there in the francosphere. Guyanese shatta star Bamby's new single, "Pardon Maman," is very Theodora (to a fault really, though the trop bizarre Boots Riley-ish video is worth a look), and yesterday I listened to Congolese-French artist Merveille's EP "Wondersummer" and liked it a lot. The track with Miimii is particularly good, I should post it on the rolling thread