Nadia Mladjao (born 5 April 1979), better known by her stage name Imany ( ), is a French pop-soul recording artist of Comorian descent. Her debut album, The Shape of a Broken Heart, which was released in 2011, reached platinum status in France, Greece and triple platinum in Poland.
ImanyâÂÂs work frequently engages themes of resilience, emotional struggle, personal autonomy, and the search for meaning. Critics and interviewers note her emphasis on narrative clarity and emotional sincerity; she often describes her songwriting as a process rooted in storytelling and melodic exploration. Her performances are marked by a combination of vocal intensity and restrained acoustic accompaniment, a stylistic choice that underscores her preference for directness over ornamentation.
She was born in Martigues near Marseille, in a family from the Comoros in 1979. Her stage name, Imany (Imani) means faith in Swahili (from Arabic ÃÂ¥ÃÂàçà- imaan). As a youth, she was an athlete, doing high jump.
She became a model for Ford Models Europe. She went to the United States for seven years, before coming back to France, when she started her singing career.
In 2008, she began singing. She performed at the Beau Lounge, at the Réservoir, at the Bellevilloise, and at the China Club.
ImanyâÂÂs first album, The Shape of a Broken Heart, which was named after a drawing she made with closed eyes, contains twelve songs written in English.
Imany produced the soundtrack for the 2014 film French Women by Audrey Dana.
In 2016 the Filatov & Karas remix of her song "Don't Be So Shy" became a Europe-wide hit, topping the charts in Austria, France, Germany, Poland and Russia.
Her public presence often merges artistic and social concerns. Performances and public commentary consistently situate her as a cultural figure attentive to questions of gender justice, lived experience, and emotional wellbeingâÂÂan alignment evident in later works such as her project Women Deserve Rage (2025), which explores themes of empowerment, anger, and selfâÂÂassertion through a feminist lens. Beyond her musical output, Imany is involved in health advocacy, particularly through her work with ENDOmind, an organization focused on raising awareness about endometriosis, a condition affecting millions of women worldwide. Her participation in this initiative reflects a broader engagement with issues of bodily autonomy, womenâÂÂs health, and social visibility.