Diarra Sylla (born 30 January 2001), is a French-
Senegalese
Demographic features of the population of Senegal include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
About 42% of Senegal's population i ...
singer, dancer and model. She was part of the global pop group
Now United
Now United (sometimes abbreviated as NU) is a global pop group formed in West Hollywood, California, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, USA, in 2017 by ''Idols (TV series), Idols'' creator Simon Fuller. Originally debuting with 14 members from ...
, representing
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
, and left the group in 2020 to pursue her solo career.
Biography
Sylla was born in Paris, France, but later moved to
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
, Senegal where she grew up. She is estranged from her biological father, and has only met him a handful of times. During her childhood, she mainly lived with her cousin, as her mother frequently travelled. After performing onstage when she was 6, she decided that her ultimate goal was to become a singer.
Sylla speaks three languages fluently, French,
Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
and English; she also speaks Turkish, but not fluently.
Career
2015–2016: Sen P'tit Gallé
After four years of discouraging her to pursue music, her mother finally allowed her to participate in the 2016 Sen P'tit Gallé, one of the most prominent singing competitions in Africa. She won first place and gained instant recognition.
2017–2020: Now United
Sylla first heard about Now United through her sister and encouraged her to audition. After her successful audition, she was revealed as part of Now United's final lineup on 12 November 2017, being the group's only representative from Africa.
In March 2020, Sylla announced that she was preparing her solo career.
On 5 September 2020, she confirmed in a Hollywood Fix interview in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
that she had officially departed from the group to pursue solo endeavors.
However, even after announcing her departure from the group, she appeared and even sang in some clips of the group. Such as "Pas Le Choix", "Hewale" and "All Around The World".
2021–present: Solo career
On 25 February 2021, Sylla released "Set Free", the debut song of her solo career.
On 12 March 2021, Bruno Martini,
Luísa Sonza
Luísa Gerloff Sonza (; ; born 18 July 1998) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2016 after posting cover songs on her YouTube channel. After signing with Universal Music Group in 2017, she released her debut album, ''P ...
and Sylla released "Ain't Worried".
On 15 September 2021, Sylla and
Marieme released "Catch a Vibe".
On 1 April 2022, Sylla and JayUncut released "Contagious".
On 19 August 2022, Rax and Sylla released "If I".
On 22 September 2022, Sylla and JayUncut released "Runaway".
On 4 November 2022, Sylla and JayUncut released "Comment Vas La Vie".
On 21 July 2023,
Tones and I
Toni Watson, known professionally as Tones and I, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her breakout single "Dance Monkey", which reached number one in over 30 countries including her home country ...
,
Bia and Sylla released "Bring It On", the official song of the
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's association football, football championship contested by List of women's national association football teams, women's nat ...
.
On 10 January 2024, Sylla released "On It".
On 14 February 2024, Sylla released "Cupid".
On 4 October 2024, Sylla and Dior Mbaye released "La Famille Au Senegal Oui".
On 1 November 2024, Sylla and Mc Soffia released "Summer Love".
On 14 November 2024, Mason & Julez and Sylla released "Walked Away".
Discography
Singles
As lead artist
Influence
Sylla is the most followed Senegalese woman on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, with over 3 million followers on the social network.
She was featured on the cover and featured as a global icon of the North American magazine, Bloom Xo, in June 2021.
Appeared on the cover of and featured in the North American magazine, Grind Pretty Magazine, in the December/Winter 2021.
Filmography
Documentaries
In July 2021 Sylla appeared I one of the episodes of the documentary "Trace Trends", which deals with Afro-urban culture
In September 2021, Sylla made a special appearance on the WebSerie on the YouTube platform of the channel "ElhadjTV".
Awards and nominations
With Now United
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylla, Diarra
2001 births
Living people
Models from Paris
Musicians from Dakar
21st-century Senegalese women singers
Senegalese female dancers
Senegalese dancers
Singers from Paris
Now United members
French female dancers
French emigrants to Senegal