In order for a musical genre to have staying power, there must be artists in the genre’s early stages that are serious about succeeding. They must be serious about their craft. They must withstand those who may want the movement or genre to fail. They must be unique in their own way, and powerful when they perform in front of live audiences.
This is how Hip-Hop grew.
And this is exactly how the genre called “Afrobeats” has grown.
Afrobeats is described in Forbes magazine as “a broad West African music genre that mixes jazz, driving drums, reggae, pop and Hip-Hop.” The artists that have helped make it mainstream include Rema, Burna Boy, Tyla, Davido, Wizkid, Tems, Asake, Tiwa Savage…
And an unapologetic 22-year-old who cares, but then again, doesn’t care what you think, in Ayra Starr.
A lot of people have been and are currently going crazy about Starr, and that includes the Grammys. Starr, at the time barely old enough to legally drink in the U.S., was nominated earlier in 2024 for a Grammy for Best African Music Performance for her breakout song, “Rush.” That song was released in September 2022 as part of her first studio album, “19 & Dangerous,” the song and album vaulting her into the global spotlight.
“People love the song so much and it’s reaching new places, like the Philippines,” Starr said in an interview with Billboard Magazine in May 2024. “They had to convince me to put that song out, because I wasn’t sure (about it),” Starr said. “I put out different sounds all the time, but ‘Rush’ was very different from anything I had put out…everybody was like, ‘Trust me, Ayra, just trust your team.’ I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ And when it came out, it blew up immediately.”
She blew up like the 4th of July. In fact, Ayra Starr made history. She became the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on a single YouTube video with “Rush,” and those 100 million views came in just five days following the video’s release. The video currently has more than 357 million views, but who’s counting…
Off the success of “Rush” and other songs that she released, Starr has found herself performing all over the world, including her own headline tour in 2023.
On May 30, 2024, Starr released her latest album, “The Year I Turned 21,” featuring its first single, “Commas.” Starr told Billboard Magazine that on the album, “The Ayra Starr I want to introduce is excellence. Sonically amazing. I feel like this album is unique because I’ve been evolving sonically.”
Starr added: “I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person, I can hear that in my music, from sonically, production wise, everything is just way better and it’s just a more evolved” version of herself.
Ayra Starr, legal name Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, was born on June 14, 2002 in Cotonou, Benin. But she spent a lot of her early upbringing between two countries, Benin (known as Benin Republic) and Nigeria, which neighbor each other in West Africa. Starr recalled Nigeria as being more upbeat, more urban lifestyle, while Benin was more laid back. Before she became a teenager, she spent her time in the more conservative Nigerian city of Abuja.
Her teen years were spent moreso in Lagos, Nigeria.
Before she ever was “Ayra Starr” the international superstar, she hit the books. She graduated from Les Cours Sonou University (in Benin) and earned a degree in international relations and political science. The thing is, she graduated at an age that many Americans start college, as she was admitted to the university when she was only 14. It had to be done, she said, as her mother said she couldn’t start a music career until she earned her college degree.
She first had a modeling career after “university,” as Starr calls it, but always knew her heart was in the music. But to make it in the world of music, one must stand out. Starr has proven that not only does she have the vocal abilities, but her dancing is effortless, she commands the stage, and her confidence oozes.
Ayra (pronounced “eye-rah”) Starr will be one of the featured performers at Afro Nation 2024, a huge, two-day festival that celebrates the Afrobeats genre with tens of thousands of its biggest fans. Afro Nation will once again be held in Detroit, Michigan, with the dates this year being Aug. 17-18, at Bedrock’s Douglass Site. Other featured performers include Rema, Lil Wayne, Asake, Partynextdoor, Adekunle Gold, Kizz Daniel, Omah Lay, Shenseea, Amaarae, Detroit’s own Kash Doll, King Promise and Ruger. On the Piano People Stage, scheduled featured artists include Scorpion Kings, Uncle Waffles, Musa Keys, DBN Gogo, Kelvin Momo, TXC, Kamo Mphela, 2WO-Bunnies, DJ Moma, Blakito, Donavan Glover and DJ Mobu.
When Ayra Starr hits the stage, it’s sure to be pandemonium. At this point, even at just age 22, Starr seems to be more than an artist. She has made a statement that Afrobeats is not just a man’s sport. She’s a role model already.
“I’m a voice for young girls around Africa — young Black girls,” Starr told Teen Vogue. “That’s one thing that makes me know I’m doing something right with my music…Now that I know my position, I know I can’t slack. I’m here for a reason. I’ve been put here for a reason and I have to do what’s right for the people that are counting on me.”
For information and tickets to Afro Nation Detroit, visit detroit.afronation.com.
About Post Author
