Matthieu Tota, is the son of professional footballer André Tota and his mother is Brigitte Tota. His parents divorced in 1998 when he was just 13. As a child, he studied at an elementary school in Hohberg, and later at Collège Paul-Émile Victor in Mundolsheim, and Lycée Aristide Briand in Schiltigheim near Strasbourg. As a young man, football (soccer) became his first ambition and he wanted to be a professional player. But he opted for music.
Matthieu Tota explained about the origin of his name Pokora in an interview during the documentary Mis à jour broadcast on 26 August 2010 about him on NRJ 12 television station. He said he was searching for an artistic name and happened to be talking to his grand mother of Polish origin and the importance of humility came up. So he asked her how do we say humility in Polish language and she said "pokora". So Matthieu immediately decided to call himself Pokora. Matt came form his name Matthieu. So he became to be known by his stage name Matt Pokora.
He earned some public attention as a member of French R&B group, Mic Unity. In fall 2003, he participated in the third season of Popstars, a French talent reality television show broadcast on M6. The concept of the program was to present possible candidates the winners of which would take part in the formation of a boy band or girl band. He was a crowd and jury favourite, and became a member of a boy band called Linkup formed with Lionel and Otis, two other winners in 2003 Popstars. The female winners were formed into another group Diadems formed of Marylore, Angel, Pookie, Ophélie and Alexandra. In the final showdown, the boy band including Mattieu Tota won the series over the girl band Diadems, who ended up runners-up.
Their first Linkup single "Mon Étoile" was very successful topping French charts, and the debut album Notre Étoile was moderately successful. However the second single release "Une seconde d'éternité" was much less successful despite good sales.
The band tried again their hand in a collaboration with the British boy band Blue making a bilingual English/French version with Blue based on the latter's song "Bubblin'". The bilingual English/French Blue/Linkup version was entitled "You & Me Bubblin". Soon afterwards, Linkup disbanded due to poor performance of sales on releases
In 2004, soon after the break-up of Linkup, Mattieu started working preparing for a solo career collaborating with the producers Kore & Skalp.
Under the stage name Matt Pokora, he released his first eponymous solo album originally entitled Matt Pokora. In 2005, he was forced to change his chosen name after a lawsuit from French R&B singer Matt Houston. As a result, he changed his stage name to M. Pokora and re-released the album as M. Pokora.
The debut single from M. Pokora was the very successful. Called "Showbiz (The Battle)" it was a Top 10 hit in France, and also charted in Belgium and Switzerland. The second single Elle me contrôle featuring Sweety reached #6 in France and Pokora received two NRJ Music Awards for the single. Yet a third successful single was released called "Pas sans toi". The album released on Universal was certified gold.
He also started collaborating with Hakim Ghorab who became his long-time choreographer and took part in many of his music videos. He also developed a close collaboration with music video director Karim Ouaret who directed most of his successful videos.
Tokyo Girl
M. Pokora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you looked the other way
Had to make you understand
I wanted you to stay
So many here tonight but
I only see your face
You got me open now
Baby set your mind free
Standing right in front of me
Tell me what it's gonna be
I can see you wanna dance
Why don't you just take my hand
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared baby let it go
You can be my Tokio girl
When you move across the floor
Looking so incredible
Don't be scared baby let it go
You should be my Tokio girl
It's such a foreign feeling
In such a foreign place
Red lights are everywhere
And girl it's getting late
Let's go somewhere where we can
Do what lovers do
I know we've never met
But I'm going crazy for you
Baby set your mind free
Standing right in front of me
Tell me what it's gonna be
I can see you wanna dance
So just take my hand, girl
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared baby let it go
You can be my Tokio girl
When you move across the floor
Looking so incredible
Don't be scared baby let it go
You should be my Tokio girl
Oh
Though I'm fighting my attraction
I can't help it
I need to know
If you really want it
If you're ready
Girl let's go
Oh
I can tell by your reaction
It's our time now
On the floor
If you really want it
If you're redy
Girl let's go
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared baby let it go
You can be my Tokio girl
When you move across the floor
Looking so incredible
Don't be scared baby let it go
You should be my Tokio girl
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared baby let it go
You can be my Tokio girl
When you move across the floor
Looking so incredible
Don't be scared baby let it go
You should be my Tokio girl
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't be scared to let it go
(Merci à pokorette06 pour cettes paroles)
The lyrics to M. Pokora's song Tokyo Girl capture the feeling of being drawn to someone even in a foreign place. The singer knows that he wants this girl, but she doesn't seem to notice him at first. He urges her to let loose and dance with him, promising that he'll take care of her. The red lights and the late hour only intensify the sense of urgency in the lyrics.
As the song progresses, the singer keeps encouraging her to come with him and let go of her fears. He can tell that she's attracted to him as well and invites her to go somewhere where they can be alone together. The lyrics build to a climax where the two finally dance together and the singer realizes that this girl is someone who he wants to be with.
Overall, the lyrics are about taking risks, letting go of fear and taking a chance on love, even if the stakes feel high.
Line by Line Meaning
Knew it when I looked at you
I realized my interest in you right from the first glance
And you looked the other way
But you didn't seem interested initially
Had to make you understand
So I made an attempt to make you comprehend my desire for you
I wanted you to stay
I wanted you to be with me
So many here tonight but
There are many people around us currently, yet
I only see your face
My focus and attention is solely on you
You got me open now
You have managed to capture my attention
Girl you give me something to chase
You have given me a goal to achieve
Baby set your mind free
Relax your mind, don't overthink it
Standing right in front of me
You are right here in front of me
Tell me what it's gonna be
Let me know what you want
I can see you wanna dance
I notice you have a desire to dance
Why don't you just take my hand
Why not hold my hand and dance with me?
Don't be scared to let it go
Don't hold back, let yourself be free
You can be my Tokyo Girl
You have the potential to be my companion in Tokyo
When you move across the floor
Your movements on the dance floor are captivating
Looking so incredible
You look amazing
It's such a foreign feeling
I feel something peculiar, something I've not felt before
In such a foreign place
In a place which is unfamiliar to me
Red lights are everywhere
The environment around us is filled with red lights
And girl it's getting late
It's late now
Let's go somewhere where we can
We should go somewhere
Do what lovers do
To engage in romantic activities
I know we've never met
We have never crossed paths before
But I'm going crazy for you
But I'm feeling extremely attracted to you
Though I'm fighting my attraction
I'm trying to resist my temptation towards you
I can't help it
But I can't resist my temptation
I need to know
I have to determine
If you really want it
If you also have the same desire as me
If you're ready
If you're willing to take a chance with me
Girl let's go
We should go ahead with it
I can tell by your reaction
By your response and behavior, I can sense that
It's our time now
This is the perfect moment for us
On the floor
Let's dance together
You should be my Tokyo Girl
You would make the perfect companion for me in Tokyo
Don't be scared to let it go
Once again, don't be afraid to express yourself
Contributed by Dylan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emperor Archive
I love this song, prod by "Ryan Leslie" ♡
Wiam@Beauty
I like it so 😍
SRC
🔥🔥🔥
ちゆき
当時、本人がTOKYO GIRLと言えば?の質問で安室奈美恵さんの名前を出しておられましたね~
Florian Lethuillier
Oui