Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr Bio

Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter born on 14 June 2002. She rose to international prominence in 2022 with the release of her single “Rush,” which charted across Europe and earned her a Grammy nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance. Working across Afropop, R&B, alté and Afro-pop, she sings in English, Yoruba and Nigerian Pidgin. Ayra Starr is signed to Mavin Records for music releases and entered an international management partnership with Roc Nation in July 2025 to support her global expansion.

Early Life and Background

Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe was born on 14 June 2002 in Cotonou, Bénin, and was raised between Cotonou and Lagos, Nigeria. She is Nigerian and of Yoruba heritage, with both parents originally from Kwara State. Growing up in a multilingual household, she learned Yoruba and French during her early years in Bénin, and she is also fluent in English and Nigerian Pidgin.

She is the second of five children. She and her older brother, Dami, played music together in childhood, and at age ten she joined her school choir and began writing songs with Dami under the guidance of their mother, a former singer. The siblings formed a small band and entered local music competitions together. The family relocated frequently because of her father’s business ventures, a pattern Aderibigbe has said made it difficult to form lasting friendships during high school.

Although she gravitated toward the arts as a teen, her father urged her to prioritize academics. She attended Les Cours Sonou University in Cotonou, where she earned a BA in international relations and political science. During her college years she was often bullied for her age and appearance, and she has described music as an escape, recalling that she would listen to Nicki Minaj on her way to school. Her mother encouraged her to pursue a singing career.

Path to Music

Ayra Starr’s earliest performance experience came on the Nigerian television talent show Maltina Dance All, where she finished in second place and won a TV set. During her school years, she performed a mashup of One Direction’s “Story of My Life” and Adekunle Gold’s “Sade” at a school concert, an appearance that prompted her teachers to encourage her professional ambitions. In August 2018 she signed with Quove Models, a Lagos-based modeling agency, and modelled for companies such as Mazelle Studio, Complete Fashion Magazine and Esperanza Woman.

In 2019 she began posting song covers by artists such as Andra Day and 2Face Idibia on social media, and she performed at a poetry show where she covered Jorja Smith’s “Don’t Watch Me Cry.” The stage name Ayra Starr is of Arabic origin, meaning “somebody that is highly respected.” In December 2019, she uploaded an original song called “Damage” to her Instagram page, and within three hours Mavin Records founder Don Jazzy messaged her to express interest and invite her to meet.

She began recording at Mavin Studios in Lagos in 2020, working with producers Louddaaa, Don Jazzy and Dayogrey. She has described the Mavin environment as familial rather than strictly business-oriented. Her early musical influences include her mother, her brother Dami, 2Face Idibia, Wande Coal, Angélique Kidjo, the Lijadu Sisters and Tope Alabi, and she has cited Shakira, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Aṣa and Frank Ocean as formative references.

Ayra Starr Career

Early Career (2021)

In January 2021, Ayra Starr released her self-titled debut EP through Mavin Records. The release was described as merging R&B and neo-soul with Afropop percussion, and it included the track “Away,” which spent two consecutive weeks at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 and reached number 17 on the US Billboard Top Triller Global chart. The EP quickly became the number-one album on Nigeria iTunes and Apple Music and reached number one on Apple Music in four additional countries, amassing more than 15 million streams across Spotify, YouTube and Audiomack.

On 6 August 2021, she released her debut studio album, 19 & Dangerous, working with Louddaaa, Don Jazzy, London and Andre Vibez alongside guest features from Fousheé and CKay. The album’s lead single, “Bloody Samaritan,” reached number one on the TurnTable Top 50, making Ayra Starr the first solo female artist to top the chart. The project drew favorable critical reception and established her as a leading voice in contemporary Afropop.

Breakthrough (2021–2023)

In September 2022, Ayra Starr released “Rush” as part of the deluxe edition of 19 & Dangerous. The single charted in several countries, including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 24, and it became the most-streamed solo song by a Nigerian female artist on Spotify. “Rush” also made her the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on a single YouTube video, and the track earned her first Grammy nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance.

On 10 November 2022, she was featured on “2 Sugar,” a track from Wizkid’s fifth studio album More Love, Less Ego. The song reached number one on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs and debuted at number five on the US Afrobeats Songs chart. In March 2023, her music appeared on the Creed III soundtrack, and in July 2023 she announced her first headlining world tour, 21: The World Tour, with 40 stops across North America, Europe, Africa and Australia. She also featured on David Guetta’s “Big FU” with Lil Durk, which reached number 23 on the US Afrobeats Songs chart.

Notable Works and Milestones

Ayra Starr’s signature release remains the single “Rush,” which earned multi-platinum and Diamond certifications in markets including the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and France. In 2024 she released her second studio album, The Year I Turned 21, which debuted at number one on the Official Nigeria Top 100 Albums, entered the UK Albums Chart at number 80, and reached number 195 on the Billboard 200, making her the first Nigerian female artist to chart an album on both lists. Other defining works include her 2021 EP Ayra Starr, her 2021 debut album 19 & Dangerous, and the 2024 collaboration “Santa” with Rvssian and Rauw Alejandro, which earned a Latin Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Ayra Starr Award Nominations

Ayra Starr has earned nominations across several major international and African music ceremonies throughout her career. Her first Grammy nomination came at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024 for Best African Music Performance with “Rush,” and she received a second nomination in the same category for “Gimme Dat” featuring Wizkid. She has also been nominated at the 8th African Muzik Magazine Awards for Best Newcomer and at the BET Awards.

Ayra Starr Awards Won

Ayra Starr has collected awards from leading African and international music institutions, including four wins at The Headies, two MOBO Awards, one BET Award, one Trace Award, one Odeon Award, one TurnTable Music Award, one Liberia Music Award and one South African Music Award. In February 2025, at the MOBO Awards held at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, she became the first woman in sixteen years to win Best African Music Act and also secured Best International Act. In June 2025 she won her first BET Award for Best International Act at the ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Ayra Starr Family

Ayra Starr was raised in a musically inclined household, with her mother, a former singer, and her older brother Dami, a guitarist and songwriter, shaping her earliest creative development. She and Dami began writing songs under the guidance of their mother and aunt, and the siblings performed together in local competitions throughout their childhood. She is the second of five children, and her parents are originally from Kwara State, Nigeria.

Personal Life

Ayra Starr has spoken about her close mentorship with former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, who joined the remix of “Bloody Samaritan” and later advised her on persistence and authenticity. In 2025 she confirmed in an interview with Hot 93.7 Hartford that she had moved to New York City, a step she described as part of broadening her sound while carrying her culture and Afrobeats identity into a global context. She launched a Substack newsletter in December 2025, and she has continued to release music while expanding into fashion and brand partnerships, including ambassador roles with Pepsi Nigeria, Maybelline New York across sub-Saharan Africa, and Infinix Mobile.