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. 3 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. Its deluxe edition, Méga BBL, followed in May 2025, debuting at No. 15 in Wallonia and No. 21 in Switzerland, and received platinum certification in France.
On 13 May 2026, she won the Best Female Revelation award at Les Flammes. That August, Le Monde described her 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. On 26 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, GQ France named her Woman of the Year.
From 31 October to 14 November 2025, Theodora appeared as a guest on season four of Netflix's Nouvelle ÃÂcole, and in January 2026, she joined the 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 ÃÂtienne 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, enlisted in the army to take advantage of an overseas study program in Greece. However, shortly after his arrival, Mobutu was overthrown by Laurent-Désiré Kabila. She told Numéro that military students were subsequently 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. Her father ultimately 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, following Greece's financial crisis, the family left the country, stopping first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and then on Réunion Island. They later moved to mainland France, living in Val-d'Oise, near La Rochelle, Bordeaux, and in Brittany. The family 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. From an early age, she was constantly singing and dancing, often accompanied by 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. At home, her mother repeatedly listened to Congolese singer-songwriter Koffi Olomide, and the household also owned a DVD of Tshala Muana.
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. Her playlist was highly diverse and included French rap artists like PSO Thug, whom she discovered through Suave. 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 ÃÂcole 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 remained confident and chose to continue. However, by 2025, their relationship had transformed, and she described them as being very close, calling him one of the people who had changed the most through love.
Theodora began developing her trap-pop Extended Play (EP), Neptune, in collaboration with Suave. What started as a bedroom project eventually moved to Le Block in Rennes, a community studio that offered professional-quality recordings at a modest cost. As the project progressed, the siblings organized their first festival and officially released Neptune on 10 January 2021 on Spotify through their independent label, Neptune Production.
She began to attract attention on the Paris music scene in 2022 with the track "Le Paradis se trouve dans le 93" (Paradise is found in the 93rd district), co-written with Suave. The music video, funded with money she had saved while working at McDonald's, pays tribute to Seine-Saint-Denis over an animated drum-and-bass production. The song was later included on her six-track EP Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels, which was released on 15 March 2023 under Maison Neptune X NBDF. Lili Aux Paradis Artificiels also featured tracks such as "Ici le temps est trop morose", "C trop la loose", "Liliroxk", "Dans le paradis artificiel", and "Après l'orage". Most of the songs were co-written with Suave, who also produced the EP.
On 10 January 2023, she took part in the ÃÂle-de-France regional auditions for the iNOUïS du Printemps de Bourges at La Maroquinerie. The sequel, Lili aux paradis artificiels: tome 2, was released on 6 July 2023 and included five new tracks: "...Y'a deux fois plus d'orage", "Besoin d'aide", "J'ai retrouvé le sourire", "Boss Lady" and "Love me lagadou". The EP featured guest appearances from Implaccable and production contributions from Pedro Da Linha, Sutus, Koboi, MEI, Neophron, and Suave. This second installment stood out for its rapid tempos, over which Theodora expressed her "innermost feelings, whether euphoric or tinged with the deepest melancholy (as in the poignant "Besoin d'aide")".
On 27 September 2024, she achieved major commercial success with "Kongolese sous BBL", a Caribbean bouyon-inspired track that went viral, particularly on TikTok, as it evolved into a "body-positive anthem, fueling viral dance challenges and lip-sync moments across social platforms". Jeremie Leger of the French rap outlet Rap City noted that the track highlights the dismantling of stereotypes surrounding the hyper-feminized and hypersexualized image of Black women. The acronym "BBL", frequently used in her work, refers to Brazilian Butt Lift, Big Boss Lady (her nickname), or Bad Boy Lovestory, the title of her first mixtape. "Kongolese sous BBL" also playfully responds to critics who mock her lyrics, criticisms she suggests are often thinly disguised racism, and, unbothered by online attacks, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), she has reacted with humor, dismissing accusations about the "dumbing down" of youth culture. The Fader described the song as having "palpable energy" and "hilarious" songwriting.' The song peaked at No. 10 on the SNEP Top Singles chart for one week and reached No. 34 on Belgium's Ultratop Wallonia, where it charted for seven weeks; it also entered Spotify's Top 50 France, received airplay on major stations such as NRJ and Skyrock, climbed to No. 3 on Spotify's Top Viral Global chart, and accumulated more than 2.3 billion streams worldwide, including over 3 million in the UK. It was later certified diamond by SNEP and gold by the BRMA.
Shortly afterward, on 1 November 2024, Theodora released her debut mixtape, Bad Boy Lovestory, through Boss Lady Records. The Fader described it as a "sugary fizz of dance, electronic, dancehall, and more". Featuring collaborations with Guy2Bezbar, Zoomy, Suave, and Jahlys, the mixtape merges Afropop influences with Caribbean genres such as zouk, and bouyon. It includes the hit "Kongolese sous BBL". The track "FNG", short for "freaky nasty girl", embraces her bold, unconventional persona. Beneath its upbeat sound, Bad Boy Lovestory explores themes of mental health, toxic relationships, and self-reflection, and went on to achieve major commercial success, debuting at No. 3 on the SNEP Top Albums chart for seven consecutive weeks, No. 14 on Ultratop Wallonia, and No. 100 on the Swiss Hitparade, as well as earning triple platinum certification from SNEP. The mixtape was followed by a deluxe version, Méga BBL, released in May 2025 and featuring collaborations with Chilly Gonzales, Juliette Armanet, Jul and Luidji. The expanded version debuted at No. 15 on Ultratop Wallonia and No. 21 on the Swiss Hitparade, and was certified platinum in France in August 2025.
On 13 May, at the 2025 edition of , an awards ceremony dedicated to French rap and R&B, Theodora performed a medley of her songs "Fashion Designa" and "Do U Wanna". She received the award for the Female Revelation of the Year, notably for "Kongolese sous BBL". In June 2025, she sold-out three consecutive concerts at Zénith Paris. Throughout the summer, she performed at major French festivals including Yardland, Les Vieilles Charrues, and Cabaret Vert. In August, Le Monde described her as the "pop phenomenon of the summer" and noted that with the success of her inclusive songs, she had become "the new boss of pop in France". That month, Billboard France reported that Theodora was the second most-streamed female francophone artist of the year in France, behind Aya Nakamura. On 12 September 2025, she performed on the Angela Davis stage at the Fête de l'Humanité in La Courneuve. The performance, attended by one of the festival's largest crowds, was noted for its political themes and was described as the most significant concert of her 2025 tour by her entourage.
On 26 September, Theodora was featured on Disiz's single "Melodrama" from his 14th album On s'en rappellera pas, which topped the SNEP chart for ten consecutive weeks. The track also reached No. 1 on Ultratop Wallonia and No. 8 on the Swiss Hitparade. It marked her first chart-topping single and Disiz's second, following "Rencontre" with Damso. "Melodrama" earned gold certification in France within a month and diamond status two months later, setting a 2025 record for the longest consecutive run at No. 1 on the French charts. It was also certified platinum in Belgium.
Toward the end of September 2025, she and her mixtape Bad Boy Lovestory were awarded the 18âÂÂ20 prize by the Prix Joséphine des artistes, organized with Télérama, Crédit Mutuel, and the , and judged by thirteen young music enthusiasts. She appeared at the GP Explorer 3 concert on 4 October 2025 and also features on the companion album The Last Race, produced for the event. In November, GQ France named her Woman of the Year, and by December, she had become the most-streamed French-language artist in France.
Between 31 October and 14 November 2025, Theodora appeared as a guest on the fourth season of Nouvelle ÃÂcole, a Netflix-produced musical reality series centered on French-speaking European rap (from France, Belgium, and Switzerland) and adapted from the American show Rhythm + Flow. In January 2026, she became a permanent member of the judging panel for the program's fifth season, alongside Oli and SDM.
Theodora's style has been described as a mix of goth, rap, and R&B influences. Her brother, Jeez Suave, serves as her main producer. Together they have incorporated elements of drum and bass, Creole folk music, Caribbean genres such as bouyon, and influences from her childhood spent in Greece, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Réunion. In an interview with Vogue France, she credited her father, a music enthusiast, with introducing her to local styles during their travels. She has also cited The Weeknd and Rihanna as influences.
On social media, she openly shares her opinions on societal matters, particularly her support for feminism. In July 2024, after the National Rally's performance in the first round of the legislative elections, she joined other artists at a demonstration opposing the far right. She has also spoken out against genocides, especially those occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza. On 22 April 2025, she appeared at the sold-out Solidarité Congo benefit concert at the Accor Arena, joining dozens of French rap and international artists to gather support for children affected by the Rwandan-backed M23 insurgency in eastern DRC. The concert's revenue was entirely donated to Give Back Charity. In September 2025, during the Fête de l'Humanité, she performed in a "Free Congo" top to denounce the ongoing M23 campaign.
She actively positions herself against far-right ideology, even stating that she is proud not to "have any fascists" attending her concerts. Commentators have portrayed her as a symbolic antidote to rising reactionary politics, suggesting that her aesthetic, embodiment, and outspoken messages offer a sense of relief in a period perceived as socially regressive. In December 2025, she called out Jordan Bardella for using melodramatic rhetoric on social media, pointing out what she saw as hypocrisy: "I cannot understand how you, who never consider me fully French, can profit from my work to defend positions that I fight against and with which I have never wanted to be associated". She reiterated her stance against the far right by referencing Zaho de Sagazan, stressing that politicians should not quote artists if they fail to defend the people those artists stand for.
During her 2025 appearance on Drag Race France All Stars, she expressed her appreciation for drag culture and the LGBTQIA+ community, acknowledging how much she has gained from them and her desire to give back. According to Steffanee Wang in the Fader, her song "Mon Bébé" stands out as boldly provocative and rich in queer-coded visuals. On stage, Theodora performs in lingerie, bikinis, corsets, and creatively draped fabrics that strategically cover only what censorship requires.
In an interview with Billboard France in December 2025, she added that the drag world had helped her through difficult periods in her life, stating, "It's a world I really appreciated, at a time in my life when I was withdrawing into myself without realizing it. I met people who were really there to express themselves and come together. I think some of them felt this almost paternal need to come and help me. That's why I feel close to it, and I also have many LGBT people on my team".
Speaking to the Fader in November 2025, Theodora discussed systemic racism in France, noting that Black women in the music industry must exert significantly more effort to succeed. She said she intentionally wears her natural afro-textured hair, aware that her visibility can shape how young Black girls see themselves. She also described feeling pressure to adopt a more formal French tone during radio interviews and to navigate media questions that included subtle microaggressions or reductive comparisons to the small pool of Black French female artists.
Over the past decade, France has seen only one dark-skinned Black woman achieve major superstardom: Aya Nakamura, who continues to endure significant racism. When Nakamura was announced as a performer at the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, a far-right group protested with a racist banner that read: "No way, Aya, this is Paris, not the Bamako market". Theodora's lyrics resonate with themes Yseult previously articulated in 2021 about exclusion, overperformance, and being reduced to one's skin color.
In an interview with Red Bull France, she described the music industry as hostile toward women, overly competitive, and structured to foster insecurity. She argued that women are made to believe there is limited space for them, even though many are talented. While she does not oppose competition itself, she believes it should not prevent solidarity or mutual respect among artists.
Speaking to Billboard France, she also criticized the industry as fundamentally anti-woman, saying it favors compliant "doll-like" figures rather than women who assert themselves and demand what they deserve. In her view, capitalism frames women as liabilities, particularly due to issues like maternity leave, and this logic extends into music, where she feels there is perceived to be room for only one successful woman at a time.
In 2024, Theodora was said to be dating rapper Zoomy. In a June 2025 interview, she spoke about her bisexuality, saying, "Actually, I've never come out. If I consider sexuality to be something normal, then I talk about it normally. No need for an announcement". She also revealed that she has polycystic ovary syndrome, which leads to hormonal and physical issues.