Ayra Starr (b. 2002)
Alias:
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe
Birthplace:
Cotonou, Benin
Born:
June 14, 2002
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe (born 14 June 2002), known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. In early 2021, Starr achieved mainstream recognition with her eponymous debut extended play and its hit track "Away", which spent two consecutive weeks at number four on Nigeria's TurnTable Top 50 chart; the song also peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top Triller Global chart, paving the way for the release of her first full-length album, 19 & Dangerous (2021). Categorized mainly as Afropop and R&B, the mixtape received favorable critical reception and spawned two top forty hits in Nigeria. The lead single "Bloody Samaritan" peaked atop the Top 50 chart, becoming the first solo song by a female artist to reach the number-one position. Starr debuted on Pandora Predictions chart and on 28 August 2021, was ranked number three on Billboard's Next Big Sound. Starr would later achieve mainstream international recognition in 2022, with the release of her song "Rush". The song charted in several territories, including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 24. It earned Starr her first nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance. With the song, Starr became the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 Million views on a single video on YouTube, and also the first to do so within 5 months.