Ayra Starr’s stage name is directly linked to legacy; the first part of her moniker translates in Arabic to “highly respected,” the second is an affirmation of status. Nowadays, these associations seem obvious for the 19-year-old voice of Nigeria’s Gen Z, but Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe has long been forging her current success.
The singer was born and lived most of her early life in the West African port city of Cotonou, in Benin Republic. Her household was led by her mom and aunt, who nurtured a creative space for five children to draw, choreograph, and act out movies from improvised scripts. Visitors would often hear Ayra’s assured statements of becoming Africa’s next big music phenomenon.
The strong female figures in Ayra Starr’s life helped her believe in the value of her voice, especially when society would prefer she remain silent. “I’ve been around people who wouldn’t give you a chance, for being female, for being young,” Ayra tells Audiomack World. “I grew up around powerful women that took control and were taking care of the home, of us. I felt the need to always have my input in everything I did. I was always a maverick. I’ve always had a mind of my own.”
With song and dance competitions earlier in life instilling a winning spirit in Ayra, it’s not surprising she caught the attention of legendary Nigerian producer Don Jazzy. In December 2019, he responded on Instagram to a video of Ayra singing what would become the forlorn “Toxic.” Six months later, she was signed to his acclaimed Mavin Records, where she incubated for an additional seven months before the news was made public. Mavin’s official announcement shook the corners of Nigeria’s cyberspace and set the stage for the immediate success of her eponymous EP in January 2021. The five-track Ayra Starr, led by breakthrough single “Away,” was just the beginning of her manifestations coming true.
Released in August of 2021, her debut album 19 & Dangerous was the statement that registered Ayra as a serious contender for the famed halls of Nigerian music superstars. It addressed themes of freedom of expression and troubled romance in its different forms, its coming-of-age heart resonating to the tune of over 65 million streams on Audiomack to date. The album’s crowning achievement was the hit song “Bloody Samaritan,” a track about sustaining confidence while warding off bad vibes. For Ayra, creating music is often an out-of-body spiritual activity in which she’s the conduit for the expression of a higher power: “I’m just allowing God to use me.”
Paired with her spirituality is a rebellious spirit that appears on tunes like “Fashion Killer,” and stems from years of “protesting” in school. “They’d say women shouldn’t wear some things, and I’d argue like, ‘Where in the Bible says that?’ and I’d get flogged,” she recalls. “I’d come up the next morning and say it again. I’ve always had a mind of my own. It was very important for me to bring this spirit into my music career.”
The numbers are only one aspect of Ayra’s story. Last June, I was in the audience at Ayra Starr’s first live show in Lagos. My biggest takeaway from that night was how genuinely connected her fans feel to her, and the deep relationship she’s already built with them in return: “I have younger [girls] watching me and I want to inspire a generation of women taking control, choosing what they want for themselves, and being who they want to be.”
For Ayra Starr, what appears simply as a rapid rise for a young artist is actually a lifelong journey of affirmations and actions, boldly proclaiming future stardom against the odds. Don Jazzy believed, then Nigeria caught on, then all of Africa. Still only 19, she’s just getting started. Now, the world is hers, just as it was originally written by Ayra herself.
How did your childhood lead you to find music?
I grew up in a very artistic, creative, music-friendly environment with four siblings, my aunty, my mom, and it was just jokes. We were either drawing or making a script and acting it out. My aunty would have dance competitions and we’d have to rehearse choreography for like a week for the final competition.
So I didn’t grow up with the need to have friends ‘cause I already had my family. It was very close-knit, and music was just something we loved. Music was something that just made everything easier.
When I’d come back from school, music channels would be on, and my aunty would give us words to write songs with. I grew up in a very musical household.
What are some things you remember dearly from your early years in Benin?
Benin Republic is still kind of home for me, ‘cause I have friends there. I have family there. I remember this road I passed every morning to school that smelled like beer, ‘cause they made Beninese beer there. People hated it so much, but I loved it. I remember passing there to school eager to breathe the air in. It sounds weird now that I think of it, but I’m grateful for those periods. They were just so innocent and so lovely. And the food in Benin is amazing.
Do little details like that—the smell of beer on a childhood street—come into play when you’re writing music?
I genuinely wish they did. I feel like I’m at that phase where I want to be able to write about my own experiences, and just put that in music. But as an empath, it’s easier for me to relate to other people’s pain than I do to mine, or even my own experiences, so I usually like to write about other people.
“Bloody Samaritan” was definitely about me, but on some songs, I like to create a whole world. ‘Cause like I said, I grew up in a very close-knit family. I didn’t really have friends outside, so I always made up my own mind, my own imaginations, and I’d write songs about them. I’d also write stories. I’d create a whole world in my own imagination, and I’d write songs about that.
Was culture shock something that came up as you frequently moved cities?
Definitely. I think growing up in different places has really helped my music, because I can be as diverse as I want to be. I grew up with different cultures feeding me, and now I can feed them back. I’m able to accept people for their differences and allow myself not to be one way. It’s very Nigerian to believe we’re the best, but other people believe they’re the best too.
How does spirituality come into play for you personally and creatively?
That’s a deep question. Spirituality in my personal life is being aware of God, and being aware of myself. One thing I always do, and I’m so proud of now, is I allow myself to be vulnerable. I allow myself to seek God when I need Him. I allow myself to cry when I need to cry.
Creatively, when I’m in the studio, it’s very easy for me to get caught up in overthinking, ‘cause that’s what creatives do. It’s fine sometimes but through all the songs I’ve made, from “Bloody Samaritan” back to “Away,” one thing I’ve learned is that it wasn’t hard, I just had to be patient.
Your fans show so much love on and offline for your music and for what you represent. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to them?
I don’t think I feel a responsibility to anyone aside from myself, to be honest. If I feel responsible for them, I’m going to feel a certain type of pressure to want to perform as this person they want me to be.
What I am right now, I’m just being. There’s no premeditated “I’m going to be onstage to be a bad bitch.” With every decision I make, I’m just living. I’m just being a human being.
I said in an interview once, “I have to be confident ‘cause I have so many people looking up to me.” I don’t want to live like that. I want to be able to do things for myself. If someone feels like they can look up to me to get that from me, then that’s good.
Did you have certain intentions while recording your album 19 & Dangerous?
19 & Dangerous was me living my life and singing about experiences and things I’ve observed and learned from. So I wasn’t exactly in the headspace to try and make 19 & Dangerous, I was just making music and everything came together. That’s why I said when you just follow God, everything will make sense.
“Bloody Samaritan” blew up big time. How did you feel when people received it the way they did?
Amazing! To be honest, that’s one of the songs that I’m shocked about. I was writing, I was recording myself, I remember I had the beat for six months before I recorded on it. It was one of those beats I was like, “Where do I start?”
I’m used to singing. I’m used to just belting and doing riffs and runs. I wasn’t used to that fast pace. It wasn’t my comfort zone but I kept trying. I recorded different things on that beat but I wasn’t content ‘til I recorded “Bloody Samaritan.”
People love not just the melodies, they love the lyrics, they understand it, they live by it. Someone told me, “Ayra, when I wake up in the morning, this is what I play so it can set my mood for the rest of the day.” It’s the most beautiful thing anybody can ever say to anybody. For you to know that you made something that makes somebody’s life better, it’s amazing.
What do you enjoy most about performing?
Performing before was usually mostly about the people being able to sing the song, and them singing with me. But sometimes it shouldn’t be about them singing the song. I just try to perform and enjoy myself onstage. Some crowds don’t even know the lyrics to the song, but I have to make them enjoy it.
When I’m performing “Beggie Beggie,” I’m always singing my heart out. When I’m performing “Bloody Samaritan,” I’m always jumping around. I want people to feel the energy. I want them to be able to take this energy from me, this happiness I feel. It gives me so much joy to see people’s faces light up when they see me having a good time onstage.
How have you continued to be yourself, and strive for individualism amid the social constructs of how to be a celebrity?
I’m not going to lie: it’s hard. I still try to be as normal as I possibly can. I hate and detest that “you have to be a celebrity, you have to act a certain way in public” mindset. When I’m outside and my friend says a joke, I’m going to laugh. I laugh the loudest and people look at me weird but I don’t care.
I just try to be as me as possible. That’s my motto. When I wake up I spend time with myself remembering who I am, giving reverence to my past self, my present self, and my future self.
If you could do anything in the near future, what’d it be?
I’d travel and see the world, get a green van and customize the interior, and there’d be plants inside.
The future is looking amazing. I’m going to be able to meet people from around the world. More music is coming as I’m learning more about myself and heading to be 20. I’m looking forward to it.
What would you like to say to fans reading this?
I know it’s the special people that’d be reading this ‘cause people don’t read as much as before, so to my special people who’re reading this, I love you so much. Keep being amazing, thank you for everything, and you’re always in my heart.
Photos by TSE. Styling by Patience Ezeogo.
