Princia Plisson, popularly known as Cool Fawa (Cool Girl), is rapidly pursuing her aspirations of becoming a world-class celebrity. The native of the Central African Republic initially dreamed of a career in music in 2010, when the country had few women in the industry.
“I was a fan of Diam’s,” the 27-year-old said to the Brussels Times in 2022, referring to Melanie Georgiades, a French rapper who rose to stardom with her debut album “Brut de Femme,” which dared to go over into masculine territory.
In 2012, Plisson, who was only a teenager, decided to follow suit and became the sole female member of the all-male revolutionary rap group MC Fonctionnaire, whose lyrics addressed inequality and poverty. She recalled that they initially didn’t take her seriously but eventually warmed up to her.
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Not too long after, a civil war broke out with the toppling of President Francois Bozize, nearly dashing her musical dreams. Plisson recounted, “We couldn’t go out anymore; we were afraid of taking a bullet or being kidnapped.”
The unwavering dreamer still brought her career back to life when the violence subsided, concentrating more on romantic relationships with a “zouk-love” rhythm—a lyrical genre from far-off Haiti that spread from the Caribbean.
Feeling a little guilty for deviating from her original rap, she rationalized, saying, “That’s what sells. For most people in the CAR, rap is a music for losers.”
Today, she has over 4,500 followers on Instagram and racked up more than 50,000 views on YouTube for her 2018 hit “On va se marier” (“We’re Gonna Get Married”)—a big recognition in her native home.
Plisson sings primarily in the former colonial language, French, with hints of Sango and English.
TRT Afrika reported in 2022 that she makes a living from concerts, but not yet from songs and videos on YouTube, due to the public’s lack of internet access.
As evidenced over the years, megacities in wealthy nations are magnets for talent in the music industry, and aspiring stars use the internet to promote their songs and videos. That was not possible for Plisson in her country, where only 10 percent of the population of some five million have access to the internet.
Plisson said recently that she runs a modest business with her sister because she still struggles with money.
She remarked, “We buy wigs, shoes, bags… abroad to resell them here. This enables me to pay for the recording of my songs in (neighboring) Cameroon.”
While coming from a humble background, she also gets some help from her relatives and the Ministry of Arts and Culture.
Her mother, Cecile Yohoram, a high-school English teacher expressed, “People around me always comment negatively on what my daughter is doing. But as soon as I hear her sing, I feel proud.”
