Ayra Starr

Ayra Starr has quickly risen as a prominent voice in Afrobeats, blending R&B and alté influences with impactful songwriting to achieve global recognition, including a Grammy nomination for her hit single “Rush.” After an original song uploaded to Instagram in 2019, ‘Damage,’ caught the attention of Mavin Records executive Don Jazzy, Ayra Starr signed her first recording contract with the label that same year. Prior to this, she had engaged in modeling for various companies starting in 2018 and began posting song covers online in 2019. Starr officially launched her music career in early 2021 with the release of her self-titled debut extended play, Ayra Starr. This EP quickly rose to become the number-one album on Nigeria iTunes and Apple Music, accumulating over 15 million streams across platforms.

Its lead single, ‘Away,’ peaked at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 chart and number 17 on the US Billboard Top Triller Global chart. Later in 2021, Starr released her highly anticipated debut studio album, 19 & Dangerous. The album’s lead single, ‘Bloody Samaritan,’ made history by reaching number one on the TurnTable Top 50, establishing Starr as the first solo female artist to achieve this milestone. In August 2021, her rapidly ascending profile was recognized by Billboard, which ranked her number three on their Next Big Sound chart, highlighting her significant impact in the music industry.

In 2024, Ayra Starr also became the first female Nigerian artist to reach 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify, underscoring her unparalleled global reach and growing influence in the music landscape.