Ayra Starr whose real name is Oyinkasola Sarah Aderibigbe and nicknamed Sabi girl or Celestial Being is a renowned Beninese-born Nigerian singer, songwriter and model. Her music is commonly classified as Afrobeats, Afropop and R&B with the lyrics a blend of Yoruba, English and Nigerian Pidgin English. Starr majorly sings about love, relationships, freedom and empowerment.
The Nigerian star grew up in a music loving family. Her mother was a singer while her brother is a guitarist, songwriter and producer.
Starr got nominated for The Future Awards Africa 2023; Prize for Music. Her song Rush was nominated for the Grammy Awards 2024; Best African Music Performance.
She is the brand ambassador for Pepsi Nigeria since September 2021.
Age and Birthday
Ayra was born in Cotonou, Benin on 14 June 2002. She is 21 years old as of 2024.
Height
The Nigerian songbird is approximately 163 cm (5 feet 4 inches) tall.
Religion
Starr is a Christian.
Ayra Starr Family
Starr’s dad was a businessman and came from Kwara state while her mum, who was a singer is from Delta state. Ayra has four siblings; two sisters, Jesutumise and Tolulope and two brothers, Ade and Dami. Dami Aderibigbe is a guitarist, songwriter and producer and played a major rule in Ayra becoming a musician.
The Aderibigbe’s are a music loving family and Starr’s love for music definitely comes from the family. Her mother was chiefly supportive and encouraged her to follow her dreams in music.
Ayra Starr Education
Starr holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and political science from Les Cours Sonou University.
Ayra Starr Career
Modeling Career
Before following her career in music, Ayra pursued a fashion career. She signed with Quove Models, a Lagos-based modeling agency in 2018 at 16 years old. Ayra would later model for Esperanza woman, Mazelle Studio and Complete Fashion Magazine.
Music Career
She got the attention of Don Jazzy, a record executive following the posting of her first song Damage on her social media account in December 2019. Don consequently signed her to his record label Mavin Records.
Debut EP and debut studio album
On 22 January 2021, Starr through Mavin Records released an eponymous debut extended play attaining mainstream recognition. Ayra wrote one of the EP songs alone and co-wrote the rest with Dani her brother. The EP soon after its release topped the Nigerian iTunes and Apple Music. By March 2021, it had reached top spot in four other countries and had more than 15 million streams on You Tube, Spotify and Audio Mack. Its hit track Away was number four on two consecutive weeks on Nigeria’s Turn Table Top 50 chart as well as summiting at number 17 on the Billboard Top Triller Global chart.
This paved away for the release of her debut studio album 19 & Dangerous in 6 August 2021. On 28 August 2021, she was second placed on the Billboard’s Next Big Sound. On 27 September 2021 the album’s lead single Bloody Samaritan pinnacled the Top 50 chart to become the first solo song by a female musician to take the top position.
International recognition and Grammy awards nomination
Following the release of her song Rush in September 2022, Ayra would achieve mainstream international recognition. Additionally, the song appeared on a number of charts including the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Ireland. It also merited Ayra her maiden nomination for the Best African Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. It’s video exceeded 100 million views to make Starr the youngest African artist to achieve such a milestone on a single video besides being the first to do so within five months.
On 10 November 2022, Ayra featured on Wizkid’s song, 2 Sugar which reached number one on the Billboard’s Hot Trending. The song also debuted at number five on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. On 4 March 2023, she announced on her social media platform that her music was used in the blockbuster American action movie, Creed III. Starr was featured on Girl Next Door, a single by South African Grammy award-winning singer Tyla Seethal which was released in May 2023.
Ayra Starr Awards
- Net Honours: Breakout Artist of the Year (Female) 2022.
- The Headies: Viewers Choice 2022- Bloody Samaritan.
Ayra Starr Net Worth
Starr as an estimated net worth of $ 1 million as of 2024.