Theodora (French singer; aka Boss Lady)

Lili Théodora Mbangayo Mujinga (born 23 October 2003), known professionally as Theodora or Boss Lady, is a French-Congolese singer-songwriter and television 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, followed by her trap-pop extended play (EP), Neptune, on 10 January 2021, which was released through their independent label, Neptune Production. Theodora first received mainstream recognition with the Caribbean bouyon-inspired smash hit "Kongolese sous BBL", which was released on 27 September 2024. The song went viral on TikTok, becoming a body-positive anthem and sparking dance and lip-sync trends across social media. It peaked at No. 10 on the SNEP Top Singles chart for one week, reached No. 34 on Belgium's Ultratop Wallonia (charting for seven weeks), entered Spotify's Top 50 France, climbed to No. 3 on Spotify's Top Viral Global chart, and accumulated over 2.3 billion streams worldwide, including more than three million in the UK. The single was certified diamond by SNEP and gold by the BRMA, and was included on her debut mixtape, Bad Boy Lovestory, which was released on 1 November 2024 through Boss Lady Records. The mixtape debuted at No. 2 on SNEP Top Albums for seven consecutive weeks, reached No. 14 on Ultratop Wallonia, and No. 100 on the Swiss Hitparade, as well as earning triple platinum certification from SNEP. A deluxe edition, Méga BBL, followed in May 2025, debuting at No. 15 in Wallonia and No. 21 in Switzerland, and was certified platinum by SNEP. On 13 May 2025, she won the Best Female Revelation at Les Flammes [fr], and by 2026, Méga BBL won the Album of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique, 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". Billboard France reported that she was the most-streamed female francophone artist of the year in France. In September 2025, she guest-performed on Disiz's song "Melodrama", which topped the SNEP chart for ten consecutive weeks, reached No. 1 on Ultratop Wallonia, and No. 8 on the Swiss Hitparade. In November 2025, GQ France named her Woman of the Year, and in April 2026, she became the face of the Angel Nova perfume by Mugler. 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. In January 2026, she joined the show's judging panel for its fifth season. Lili Théodora Mbangayo Mujinga was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 23 October 2003, to Congolese parents who had emigrated after being forced into exile due to political persecution. Her grandfather was affiliated with the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), a political party established in 1982 by Étienne Tshisekedi, who later served as Prime Minister of Zaire, the former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo under Mobutu Sese Seko. A lawyer by profession, he opposed President Joseph Kabila, who governed from 2001 to 2019. During Mobutu's period, her father, then serving as a military doctor, was enlisted in the army to take advantage of an overseas study program in Greece, but shortly after his arrival, Mobutu was overthrown by Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Théodora told Numéro that military students were later abandoned by the government, left without funding or support, which led her father to suspend his studies. Although some details remain unclear to her, she explained that he later moved to Switzerland, where she was born, before the family returned to Greece and also spent time on Réunion Island. Théodora's father completed his medical training in his early forties, around the age of 43. On France Inter, she emphasized that her mother delayed finishing her own medical education to raise the children, while her father, grew up in severe poverty in Kinshasa. 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. The family later moved to mainland France in 2009, living in Val-d'Oise, near La Rochelle, Bordeaux, and in Brittany. They ultimately settled in Saint-Denis, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. After their arrival, the family of five initially shared a small studio apartment in public housing until her father's medical career allowed for improved financial stability. By 2025, he was working as a gynecologist. Although born in Switzerland, she does not hold Swiss citizenship because of the absence of birthright citizenship and has said she feels no particular attachment to the country. Having completed her schooling in France, she acquired French citizenship by declaration at around 13 or 14 years old. Alongside her studies, she practiced judo and competed in French national tournaments. She earned her Baccalauréat in 2021 in Vitré, where she was classmates with the French streamer and online content creator Anyme. Initially interested in political studies, she enrolled in the ENS D1 preparatory program in Vannes, which she left after six months. She later joined the Brittany Regional Youth Council and became president of its culture commission. Her older brother, known by the stage name Jeez Suave, was born on 5 January 2000 in Athens and produced several of her songs, including "Kongolese sous BBL". He also serves as her manager. Theodora's first exposure to music came through her father. She told Vogue France that whenever the family moved to a new country, her father would enthusiastically dive into the local musical culture. She also told the French-language online magazine Abcdr du son that her mother was a fan of Koffi Olomide and introduced her to many classics of Congolese music, including artists such as Mbilia Bel, Tshala Muana, and Fally Ipupa, as well as Cameroonian music, especially that of Lady Ponce. From a young age, Theodora regularly sang and danced, often alongside her older brother Jeez Suave. In an interview with France Info, she cited Rihanna, whom she first saw on television in 2007, as the artist who left the strongest impression on her, noting that seeing a Black woman succeed in pop music offered her a powerful sense of representation. France Info also noted that Theodora recorded sounds everywhere she went, including television commercials she heard in Kinshasa. One of the first artists she listened to when she moved to France was the French rapper La Fouine and the rap group XV Barbar, which led her to discover PSO Thug. She later expanded her musical interests to artists like Young Thug, Drake, and The Weeknd. At the age of ten, Theodora bought her first albums, including those by Stromae and Maître Gims, and attended her first live concert to see Indila. While her earliest involvement in the industry came through dance, Theodora's first musical compositions developed through collaboration with Suave, who handled rhythmic creation and encouraged her to sing. In November 2018, at 15, she released her debut single, "La thune". As she prepared to enter the École normale supérieure preparatory class in Vannes, she decided to fully commit to music. At the same time, she was involved with the Brittany Regional Youth Council and later became its head of cultural commission. Together with Suave, she chose to pursue music as a full-time career. Theodora recalled on Couch, the podcast hosted by Léna Situations, that her father initially opposed her decision and told her she would be on her own if she pursued music, but she chose to continue. However, by 2025, their relationship had improved significantly, and she described him as one of the people who had changed the most through love.