Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe in Cotonou, Nigeria in 2002. She is associated with Mavins and 4rt Africa, and her music sits within afrobeats, alternative R&B, alté and neo soul.

Career

She begins to attract mainstream attention in early 2021 with her self-titled debut extended play and its track “Away”. The song spends two consecutive weeks at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 chart and reaches number 17 on the US Billboard Top Triller Global chart. The EP is a five-track release and produces the number one single “Away”.

Her debut full-length album, 19 & Dangerous, follows in 2021. Starr describes her sound as Afrosoul, and her influences include classic Yoruba and Beninese music, as well as artists such as 2Face and Wande Coal.

Breakthrough and later work

She gains wider international recognition in 2022 with “Rush”, which charts in several territories including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it peaks at number 24. The song brings her first nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, in the Best African Music Performance category. It also makes her the youngest African female artist to pass 100 million views on a single YouTube video, and the first to do so within five months.

Her second album, The Year I Turned 21, is released in 2024. It makes her the first Nigerian female artist to appear on the US Billboard 200 chart, debuting at number 195.