Newsletter 
Imany, or Nadia Mladjao, grew up near Marseille in a large family from the Comoros before moving to New York to pursue a career in modelling. After several years in the United States, Mladjao moved back to France and began performing as Imany, combining folk, pop, blues and soul music. Her debut album The Shape of a Broken Heart (2011) made Imany an international star, selling platinum in France, Greece and Poland. A remix of Imany’s song Don’t Be So Shy by DJ duo Filatov & Karas topped global single charts, in Finland as well. Her second album, The Wrong Kind of War (2016), cemented Imany’s position as one of the most popular English-language artists in France.
The immense success burned her out, and Imany had to stop and rediscover herself. Slowing down and becoming a mother were the keys to her new album. Imany wanted to produce and arrange classic songs from different decades for eight cellos and turn them into unique hypnotic versions, which resulted in the fabulous Voodoo Cello. Tilting its head to Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child, the album includes Imany’s versions of classic songs by Elton John, Bob Marley, Imagine Dragons, Madonna, Bonnie Tyler and others.
Nominated for the Best New Artist Indie Award, Sophia Mitiku opens the evening. The artist moves candidly in the space between experimental R&B and avant-pop, creating interesting, dream-like states.
Voodoo Cello
A concert show designed by Imany
Musical arrangements: Imany
Choreographies: Gladys Gambie / Thierry Thieû Niang
Light design: Jérémy Bargues
Creation outfits: Olivier Rousteing – Maison Balmain
Residence of creation in Théâtre des Sablons in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Imany, vocals
Cellos:
Rodolphe Liskowitch, Julien Grattard, Octavio Angarita, Lucie Cravero, Bohdana Horecka, Laure Magnien, Polina Streltsova, Leonore Vedie