If Oyinkansola ‘Ayra Starr’ Aderibigbe had not gone through a painful but defining period of bullying while in school, perhaps she would not have turned to music as a form of succour and escape. Maybe the world Wouldn’t have been blessed by this musical gem who has been captivating the world with her sonorous voice.
Born on June 14, 2002, in Benin Republic to a family of seven, Ayra Starr found herself constantly changing location due to the nature of her father’s business. She had her primary and secondary school education in Lagos. Growing up, she had her first taste of music from home, and it was from her mother and one of her aunts, whom she credited with introducing her to the beauty of sounds.
When she was 10, Ayra Starr began writing songs with her brother. In the same period, she joined her school choir, where she began singing more publicly.
In 2016, she left Lagos to pursue a degree in International Relations and Political Science at Les Cours Sonou University in Benin Republic. Being 14 years, she was the youngest in her class and was taunted for her looks and small frame. It was a difficult period, and she turned to music for ‘safety.’
She said in an interview with Hypebae: ‘Everybody wanted to take advantage of me, like, “Oh, she doesn’t know anything.” And it was true, because I was younger then. I thought everybody was my friend, so I wanted to be friends with everybody. I would see people try to take advantage of that and it would just break my heart. I just used to be like, “Why? What did I do so wrong?”
‘Music then became that thing I took power from. I would listen to Nicki Minaj on my way to school, and I’d feel like the second Nicki Minaj. I’d listen to songs like “Moment 4 Life” and “Roman’s Revenge” and feel unstoppable. All those experiences really helped me learn more about myself. They helped me musically. I know how to write about hurt now.’
In 2018, she was signed with Quove Models, a modelling agency based in Lagos. It was in 2019, she began to post covers of popular songs on her social media account. In December of the same year, she posted an original song titled ‘Damages’ on her Instagram account, and it went viral. It was the song that caught the attention of music producer Don Jazzy, who ultimately signed her to Mavin Records.
In 2020, she began working on her debut EP titled Ayra Starr. The five-track EP was released in January 2021. The song, ‘Away’ received rave reviews from music critics and song lovers and introduced her properly to the Nigerian music scene. In August of the same year, she released her debut studio album, titled 19 & Dangerous, which contained the hit track, ‘Bloody Samaritan’. It was nominated for the Net Honours 2021 Most Played RnB Song.
In July 2022, Ayra Starr was named NETHonours 2022 Breakout Female Artiste of the Year, defeating Adeyinka Alaseyori, Lade (Omolade Oyetundun) and Ugoccie.
