Ayra Starr

Born in Cotonou, Benin, and raised between that city and Lagos, Ayra Starr, born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, is part of a Nigerian afropop scene open to the circulation between contemporary R&B, Afrobeat and Alté. Discovered after posting her first tracks online, she joined Mavin Records and released in 2021 the EP Ayra Starr, quickly followed by the album 19 & Dangerous the same year. Her music rests on melodic hooks, a supple voice, and a blend of English, Nigerian pidgin and Yoruba, with tracks focused on relationships, self-assertion and coming of age. Ayra Starr later broadened her audience with Rush in 2022, a track that accompanies the reissue of 19 & Dangerous and marks a milestone in her reach beyond Nigeria. Through collaborations, she is notably seen alongside Wizkid, David Guetta, Rvssian, Rauw Alejandro, Coldplay or Giveon, in contexts that move her range toward international pop, Caribbean rhythms or a more understated R&B without breaking with her afropop base. In 2024, Ayra Starr releases The Year I Turned 21, a second album that continues this evolution with more introspective writing and an increased presence on international stages, between tours, festivals and major debuts outside Africa.