Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born June 14, 2002), professionally known as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and model from Kwara State. She gained widespread recognition in early 2021 with her self-titled debut EP, featuring the hit song “Away,” which held the number four spot on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 for two consecutive weeks and reached number 17 on the US Billboard Top Triller Global chart. This success set the stage for the release of her debut studio album, *19 & Dangerous*, in August 2021.
Primarily classified as Afropop and R&B, the album received positive critical acclaim. It produced two top 40 hits in Nigeria, with the lead single, *Bloody Samaritan*, reaching the top of the TurnTable Top 50 chart. This achievement made it the first solo track by a female artist to claim the number-one spot.
Early Life
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe was born in Cotonou, Bénin on 14 June 2002, and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. She was born to Nigerian parents from Kwara State and has four siblings: brothers Ade and Dami, two sisters Tolulope and Jesutunmise. Her family moved frequently during her high school years because of her father’s business, and as a result she had a hard time forming close friends. Having been raised in a music-loving family, her interest in singing comes mostly from her family. At the age of 10, she sang in a high school choir and began writing songs with her brother.
Education
Ayra Starr attended Les Cours Sonou University and received a BA degree in international relations and political science, her classmates often bullied her because of her age and appearance. To counter the feelings she experienced from being taunted, Ayra Starr turned to music by listening to Nicki Minaj’s music on her way to school. Ayra Starr’s mother was very supportive of her musical ambitions and always encouraged her to pursue a singing career.
Musical Career
In August 2018, Starr was signed with Quove Models, a modeling agency based in Lagos. From there, she modeled for companies such as Mazelle Studio, Complete Fashion Magazine and Esperanza Woman.
In 2019, she began posting covers of songs by artists like Andra Day and 2Face Idibia online. She chose her stage name because, in her words, “it means woke and eye-opening and that’s what I stand for.”She appeared in the music video for Eri Ife’s song “Dear Future Wife.”
In December 2019, she uploaded an original song called “Damage” on her Instagram page. This was heard by thousands of people including label executive Don Jazzy and led to her first recording contract with Mavin Records.
In 2020, she started recording at Mavin Studios in Lagos with producers Louddaaa and Don Jazzy. Her self-titled debut extended play was released on 22 January 2021 through Mavin Records. The album has been described as “a topsy-turvy chronicle of love or love-themed situations” and “merges elements of R&B/neo-soul with Afropop percussion.” Ayra Starr said her intention with the record was to make music that would resonate with both young and old listeners. Starr wrote one of the songs on the EP alone, and co-wrote the remaining four with her brother Dami. Shortly after its release, the EP became the number-one album on Nigeria iTunes and Apple Music. As of March 2021, it has reached the same position on Apple Music in 4 other countries, racking up over 15 million streams across Spotify, YouTube and Audio Mack. The project spawned the hit track “Away” which peaked at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 and number 17 on US Billboard Top Triller Global. Its accompanying music video also debuted on MTV Base’s Official Naija Top 10. OkayAfrica included the song in their list of The 9 Best Nigerian Songs of January 2021.
Ayra Starr released remix versions of “Ija” and “Away” featuring Tokimonsta and Lilo respectively between March and April. Around the same time, Crayon’s EP Twelve A.M was released with her vocals on the track “In Sync.”
She performed at the UC Berkeley Nigerian Students Association virtual culture show titled The Olori Awards. On 28 April 2021, the official music video for her song “DITR” was released on YouTube via Mavin. In June 2021, the music video for another song titled “Sare”, was released. Both music videos were directed by Afolabi Olalekan.
She debuted on Pandora Predictions chart, and on 28 August 2021, she ranked number two on the Billboard’s Next Big Sound. She was featured on “in the light”, a track on Johnny Drille’s Before We Fall Asleep. On 4 September 2021, she was named brand ambassador for Pepsi Nigeria. The following day, Starr performed during a live eviction episode of Big Brother Naija. She collaborated with Cheque on “Dangerous”, the second track on his album Bravo.
At the 8th African Muzik Magazine Awards, she was nominated for Best Newcomer award. Awards and Honors.
Personal Life
Ayra Starr lost her dad to the cold hands of death in 2018. This loss affected Ayra a lot because she was very close to her father. She has written and sang some songs as a tribute to her dad. She lives with her mother and brother in the Mainland part of Lagos.
Ayra Starr has no boyfriend or husband for now. Her current hit song, “Away” details the pain she faced after leaving her last relationship. She sings about being liberated and finding strength in it. She has also revealed that she freestyled some of the verses.
Net Worth
Unknown!
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