T hree years ago, to mark the release of Nigerian singer Ayra Starr’s debut EP, Starr’s brother paid a Lagos singer of fújì, a Yoruba genre incorporating elements of poetry, to chant praises at her. That melodic verse opens Starr’s sophomore album The Year I Turned 21, and sees the artist – born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe – labelled “the glorious child”. It’s a moniker Starr isn’t exactly scared of embracing.
“One thing you’ll notice about me is I’m very audacious,” she says. “I like to shock people and I always show temerity in any way possible.” The audaciousness is what grips you – while you’re taken in by the beautiful, rhythmic fújì melodies, you’re then hit with Starr’s bold vocals, and lines like “I run up blocks, I run ’em myself” and “I don’t watch my tone cause I like how I sound, bitch”.
This swagger is well earned . After her discovery by record producer Don Jazzy via Instagram in 2019, Starr’s distinctively luxurious alto has carried her to greater and greater heights. Her 2022 breakout single Rush has earned Starr more than 370m Spotify streams and a Grammy nomination, while her new album was the first by a female Nigerian artist to debut on the Billboard 200 when it was released last month.
Now, Starr is about to make her Glastonbury debut, taking the Pyramid stage slot that was last year occupied by Brit awards record-breaker Raye. “Oh my God, the pressure!” she laughs. Starr’s ascendancy sits.
