Superstardom might seem innate for someone like Ayra Starr . The Beninese-Nigerian singer-songwriter, born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, possessed a certain level of self-assurance most teenagers lack on her 2021 debut album 19 & Dangerous , where her sweet, deep vocals documented her Gen-Z coming-of-age story. “[It] was literally a flex when I named my first album 19 & Dangerous .
It was very key for me to be a teenage superstar. It was very key to represent a teenage African girl. I wanted to become the Black Hannah Montana from Lagos, Nigeria,” she tells Billboard over Zoom with a laugh.
“Naming my first album 19 & Dangerous was me registering for people, ‘This music you’re about to hear was done by a 19-year-old, by the way.’ I’m dangerous as a 19-year-old.” Since then, the self-proclaimed “sabi girl” has been steadily increasing her star(r) power.
She embarked on her first headlining tour, 21: The World Tour, with 40 stops in North America, Africa, Australia and Europe last year. Her 2022 smash “Rush” earned Starr her first-ever Grammy nomination this year, for best African music performance in the category’s inaugural year, and was included on former President Barack Obama’s favorite songs of 2022 playlist . She was also featured on BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 list .
Now, she’s starting a new chapter of her life with her sophomore album The Year I Turned 21 , out Friday (May 31) via Mavin Records and Republic Records. The 15-track LP play.