Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), professionally known as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. She gained mainstream international recognition in 2022 with the release of her song “Rush,” which charted in various nations, including Switzerland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Starr’s song was nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. In early 2021, she released her self-titled first EP and its lead track, “Away,” which spent two weeks at No. 4 on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 chart and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Top Thriller Global chart.
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Her debut EP was followed by the release of her first studio album, 19 & Dangerous (2021). The album peaked at number 40 on the Nigeria TurnTable charts and appeared on year-end rankings from publications such as NativeMag. The lead single, “Bloody Samaritan,” was the first song by a solo female artist to reach No. 1 on the Top 50 charts.
In August of the same year, Starr was named third on Billboard’s Next Big Sound. The Year I Turned 21, Starr’s second album, was released in 2024.
Ayra Starr Biography
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe was born in Cotonou, Benin, on June 14, 2002, and grew up in Lagos. She was born in Kwara State to Nigerian parents and has four siblings, including brothers Ade and Dami and sisters Tolulope and Jesutunmise.
She attended Les Cours Sonou University in Cotonou and graduated with a BA in international relations and political science. Aderibigbe’s mother reportedly urged her to seek a profession as a singer.
Career
In August 2018, Starr signed with Quove Models, a Lagos-based modelling agency. She went on to model for firms including Mazelle Studio, Complete Fashion Magazine, and Esperanza Woman.
In 2019, she started distributing internet versions of songs by Andra Day and 2Face Idibia. She participated in the music video for Eri Ife’s single “Dear Future Wife.”
In December 2019, she uploaded an original song named “Damage” to her Instagram account. This was heard by multitudes, including label executive Don Jazzy, and resulted in her first record deal with Mavin Records.
In 2020, she began recording at Mavin Studios in Lagos with producers Louddaaa and Don Jazzy. Her self-titled debut extended play was published on January 22, 2021, through Mavin Records.
The album has been described as “a topsy-turvy chronicle of love or love-themed situations” that “merges elements of R&B/neo-soul with Afropop percussion.”
Ayra Starr stated that her goal for the album was to create music that appealed to both young and old audiences. Starr wrote one of the EP’s songs on her own, while the other four were co-written with her brother Dami.
Soon after its release, the EP topped the Nigerian iTunes and Apple Music album charts. As of March 2021, it rated the same on Apple Music in four additional countries, with over 15 million streams on Spotify, YouTube, and Audiomack.
The project produced the hit single “Away,” which peaked at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 and number 17 on the US Billboard Top Triller Global.
The accompanying music video appeared on MTV Base’s Official Naija Top 10. OkayAfrica featured the song in their list of the top nine Nigerian songs for January 2021.
In March and April, Ayra Starr partnered with Tokimonsta and Lilo to make remixes of “Ija” and “Away”.
She performed at The Olori Awards, a virtual culture event hosted by the UC Berkeley Nigerian Students’ Association. On April 28, 2021, Mavin posted the official music video for her song “DITR” on YouTube.
The music video for “Sare” premiered in June 2021. Afolabi Olalekan directed both music videos. On July 11, 2021, Ayra Starr competed in the Nigerian Idol season finals. On August 6, 2021, her debut studio album, 19 & Dangerous, was released.
She worked on the record alongside past colleagues Louddaaa and Don Jazzy, who also produced her EP Ayra Starr, as well as newcomers London and Andre Vibez. Her debut album features appearances by Fousheé and CKay.
She made her debut on the Pandora Predictions list and finished second on Billboard’s Next Big Sound on August 28, 2021. She played “In the Light” on Johnny Drille’s album Before We Fall Asleep. On September 4, 2021, she was appointed Pepsi Nigeria’s brand ambassador.
The next day, Starr took part in Big Brother Naija’s live eviction. She worked with Cheque on the second track on his album Bravo, “Dangerous.”
She made her debut on the Pandora Predictions list and finished second on Billboard’s Next Big Sound on August 28, 2021. She played “In the Light” on Johnny Drille’s album Before We Fall Asleep. On September 4, 2021, she was appointed Pepsi Nigeria’s brand ambassador.
The next day, Starr took part in Big Brother Naija’s live eviction. She worked with Cheque on the second track on his album Bravo, “Dangerous.”
Starr played at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York City, on September 27th, alongside headliners Cardi B and Shakira, as well as Tyla, Mariah the Scientist, and Camilo. During her performance, Starr surprised her labelmate Rema by performing “Rush” with her, followed by Rema’s songs “Calm Down” and “Baby (Is It a Crime)”.
Following the performance, Starr and Rema released their first official collaboration as co-lead performers, “Who’s Dat Girl” on October 17.
On October 27, 2025, Starr revealed that she was working on her first book, but no title, theme, or release date was given.[66] In November 2025, she headlined the Tidal Rave Festival at Accra’s La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, becoming the event’s first significant non-Ghanaian headliner in its 13-year run.
In January 2026, she was announced as a contributing artist to the original motion picture soundtrack for GOAT, an animated feature produced by Sony Pictures Animation, with the song “Brought the Family,” a collaboration with Jon Bellion.
Starr was featured in Spotify’s “Our Frequency” zine Issue 033, where she outlined her goals and revealed that she was working on her third studio album, which is set to be released later this year.
In February 2026, she was added to the program for BRED Abu Dhabi’s fourth edition at Yas Marina Circuit, where she will play on April 25 as part of the festival’s 22-26 April run. She contributed a verse to the remix of “Mon Bébé” by French singer RnBoi.
She launched her single “Where Do We Go” in March 2026 and performed on Angélique Kidjo’s 2026 album Hope!! with the song “Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back)”. On March 26, 2026, she won Best International Act at the MOBO Awards, becoming the first African artist to do so in consecutive years.
Discography
- Memories
- Ija
- Away
- Ditr
- Sare
- Bloody Samaritan
Personal Life
Ayra Starr is a single lady. She is now assumed to be unmarried, as there have been no reports or speculations about her dating anyone, and she has not been seen with anyone. As a result, she is unmarried.
She seemed to be more interested in her profession than in being in a relationship right now. She is content with her existing circumstances and is not bothered by anything. Her sexual orientation is heterosexual.
Ayra Starr Net Worth
As of 2026, Ayra Starr’s net worth is expected to be around $500,000 to $1 million. Her riches are mostly derived from her successful music career, brand sponsorships, and several collaborations.
Social Media
Instagram: @ayrastarr
