In the clip of Floko, in feat with Le Juiice, it appears conquering and combative. Stubborn and focused, she relentlessly lands straight thrusts into a male bust mannequin. A few minutes later, it gives way to another Davinhor, ultra-sensual and exuberant, the young woman bursts the screen. Two representative facets of the rapper from Creil, including the first album entitled Indomitable comes out this Friday.
Thirteen titles which oscillate between edgy trap, pop and zouk, a “visiting card” where Davinhor wishes to show the extent of her talent and all of which she is capable. It’s also a glimpse of what she’s been through since childhood. “It’s the story of a little girl from homes, tossed from left to right, she explains to 20 minutes. A little girl from the suburbs too, who doesn’t let herself be pushed around and who has the slab to succeed. »
“Sport is what keeps me going despite the hard times”
This rage to win, the young woman born in Congo in 1997 takes it from her career and from her parents with whom she had to face many hardships from a very young age. “They really armed me so that life wouldn’t break me,” she says gratefully. She and her family fled the Congo three years after her birth, after her father escaped from prison, “incarcerated for his positions in favor of human rights”, is it specified in the bio of the artist. Direction Paris, where they stay a few months, then Gien, in the Loiret, where they settle in a home. “My parents did not have political refugee titles, he was always rejected. It was not easy, a lot of difficulties and in particular integration, but fortunately athletics is there, it is a bit of my escape, ”she specifies.
Because long before embarking on rap, Davinhor caressed the dream of a great career in sport. “It’s my breath of fresh air. This is what keeps me going despite the hard knocks, the difficulties, the pitfalls. It’s the thing that gives me hope and the desire to believe in a better future,” recalls the artist.
She excels in athletics, which she discovers at the age of 5 and goes on to compete, in Loiret then in Creil (Oise) where she and her sisters move in with their father after their parents’ separation. Then, as a teenager, she joined a sport-studies training. “I see in the look in my coaches this little thing that tells me that people believe in me. I see that they look at me differently, that I shine, that there is light and that makes my parents proud. They have a bit of this feeling of success, of accomplishment,” she explains. But a “fight” and a meniscus injury put an end to it all. Davinhor drops out of sport and studies, his relationships change, his life “no longer becomes safe” and the young woman “loses her footing”. Until rap takes over.
“I would like them to respect us as we are, in basketball or in heels”
“I find that rap is true, it’s something very sincere,” she says. I am very committed and I tell myself that this is the way for me to be heard and understood. And say what I think. “She is particularly encouraged in this direction by Naza and Keblack, two artists well known to rap listeners, both from Creil as well, with whom she will become close. And it is in 2019 that Davinhor stands out notably. Invited by rapper Niska on his Planet Rap (and the only woman present among an audience of men), the rapper caused a sensation in the Skyrock studio with her performance and her confidence. “I arrive as the winner, I impose myself directly, I’m not afraid of anything and I’m not afraid of anything. I tell myself it’s “now”, “she recalls.
From then on she adopted a very angry, sometimes aggressive rap, but did not refuse softer and sentimental pieces like S.O.S. Where Together in his album. She also assumes an ultra-femininity, claims self-affirmation and the independence of women. A feminist approach? “’Feminist’ is putting us in a box too much and some men have not yet understood this movement. I would say rather committed, ”she replies. And she develops: “I want in my rap there is something for everyone. My message is also addressed to men: I would like them to respect us as we are, in sneakers or heels. »
Last fall, she made a significant impression by participating in the project Queens, for the love of rap on Canal+. A documentary which immortalized the recording of a title bringing together five rappers: Chilla, Le Juiice, Vicky R, Bianca Costa and her. ” To me Ahoo [le titre du morceau] it’s a movement, it’s an Amazon battle cry, very girl power “, she believes.
Powerful, the song also opened a debate on the lack of visibility of women in rap and the role of the media. “They are the first to complain that there are not enough women but they are also the first not to necessarily put us forward”, she reacts. In addition to shaking up the codes a little, the project will have brought these five artists together. “Since then, we relay all the projects of others and as soon as one of us does a concert we try to create a small movement”, specifies Davinhor.
For her part, the rapper seems well on her way to making a name for herself in French rap and taking her revenge on life. In any case, she does not intend to stop there. “I’m proud of myself a little more every day. As my father says, the fight will never end”.