Last night in an Autumn-ready Paris, Belgian rapper Aly Bass galvanised a hyped crowd at the stunning art deco club space YoYo, an enclave of the Paris Palais de Tokyo that looks out towards the Eiffel Tower. It was an evening of celebration, as Bass drops her merch collaboration with Bershka as part of the ongoing Onstage series that elevates the most fresh, kinetic talent across Europe.

This Wednesday night, Paris was brought the bumping beats of dancehall, the frisson of French trap, and the lyrical prowess and presence of a superstar in the making, with Aly looking like an IRL Bratz Doll in her merch tee (a mesh shirt that evokes 00s graphic glam), PVC combats, and huge lace-up platforms – head-to-toe Bershka ofc.

A crowd of local artists, models, creative kids, and friends were warmed up by support act Welna, who DJed with an expansive selection of trap and hip hop. When Aly took to the stage, flanked with dancers and swinging her Manga-inspired, butt-length purple pigtails, she exploded into “Baby Mama” – a fiery, feminist song that turns the tables on the sugar baby trope back on men. 

Across a set dappled with heavy synths, rock, reggae, and trap beats, Aly debuted five new tracks from her forthcoming album, set to drop in January next year. The hopscotch performance was a true testament to her already expansive identity as an artist and leading voice in new gen French rap, playfully interacting with the crowd and experimenting freely with genre, platforms stomping the stage to bodyshocking beats.

Speaking with Dazed before the show, Aly shared that this upcoming LP sees her “letting go of her ego”, “letting everyone see the real me”. The spitfire aggression of her first EP, Jeu 2 Société, is shed for a work that explores her vulnerability, her real life, and lets go of what she calls “an ego trip”. 

Aly Bass’ Paris show was the fifth in a series of performances curated by Bershka and Dazed for the Onstage series – we’ve bopped to Let’s Eat Grandma in London, got down with German R&B singer Ace Tee in Berlin, been blown away by Milanese rapper RKOMI in Milan, and been bewitched by Nathy Peluso in Barcelona.

The rapper’s Bershka merch collab is now available to shop online, its centerpiece a black mesh “Aly B***” crop top that reflects her 00s-recalling aesthetic.

If you missed it, you can check the live stream of Aly’s show below, visit her banging playlist for Bershka, and shop her merch.