My complicated relationship inspired my latest single -Ayra Starr

BY ORJI ONYEKWERE

Nigerian music sensation Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, professionally known as Ayra Starr, recently dropped a new single which she titled, ‘Where Do We Go’.  She released the new track on March 6, under Mavin Global Holdings and Republic Records.

In July 2025, Ayra Starr had signed a management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. While she is managed by Roc Nation for global, particularly U.S. and European, expansion, she remains signed to her primary label, Mavin Records.

The creative singer said; the new single is a deep reflection of the emotional tension she went through over a complicated relationship, marked by secrecy and late night meetings. In addition, she kept asking questions about where the relationship was heading to.

Ayra Star, who is now based in New York, USA, made this revelation in a podcast interview hosted by Angela Yee. She said; the song was inspired by a secret relationship she had over the years, which she kept hidden from other people except the two parties involved

‘‘Where Do We Go, is inspired by a very secret relationship I had for a while where nobody really knew what was going on, only us,” Starr noted

She admitted that her friends even advised her to step down vthe relationship since it was affecting her emotionally, but she found it difficult to walk away because she was really in love with him. But in reality, the relationship had no obvious future and the emotional confusion became the foundation of the songs lyrics.

“My friends kept telling me to wrap it up, but I was like, no, I love him.

“That’s why I kept asking in the song, where do we go from here, what is the point of this? Do you like me because I like you? Everything in the song is very real,” she said.

A creative talent whose style of music and fashion sense has won her a lot of fans, Ayra Starr, the afro pop sensation, has continued to carve her a niche for herself in the international music circle with her new record deal with Roc Nation owned by American billionaire musician Jay -Z

Starr is a two-time Grammy-nominated artist, earning nominations for Best African Music Performance, including her song “Gimme Dat” (featuring Wizkid) at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

A passion that started at a tender age, Ayra Starr, began singing in a church choir at the age of 10 and started writing songs with her brother Dami, at that young age. She began posting covers online in 2019, but her professional music career took off after signing with Mavin Records in 2020/2021, releasing her debut EP in January 2021

After posting covers on Instagram, she was discovered by Don Jazzy, the boss of Marvin Records, who released her debut EP in January 2021.

Her hit, “Rush” raked in over 500 million Spotify plays, and she became the first female African artiste to achieve this feat.

In another interview on Hot 97 Fm, the singer noted how her mother’s unsaturated belief in her, became a catalyst for her success. She gave her mother, the credit for helping her to adapt to her early life in social media. She further disclosed that her mother used financial leverages to ensure that she showcases her talent to the world through the social media. Starr, recalled a little contract she signed with her mother one time as a child

Her words:

“She used to be like, ‘I’m not sending you any money in school if you don’t post… God has given you a gift, post on Instagram

“There was a time I borrowed like 15 naira from her and I told her that when I become a superstar, I’m going to pay her back 1 million… She made me sign the contract. I was probably like nine and she has it till now.”

Another group of persons that also helped push her music career according to the songstress, was her high school teachers who even predicted that she would be signed to Mavin records.

“I have a teacher that inspired me. He literally said ‘Mavin is going to sign you, start making videos.’ I was like 14 then, and whenever I sang in school, he would tell me to go to church and sing in the choir.

“He was my mathematics teacher and even Muslim, also my Civic teacher. Mr Saheed and Mr Yinka God bless you guys,” she said.

The music star also credited her mother for bringing her and her siblings back to Lagos from Benin Republic. She was born on June 14, 2002 in Cotonou, Bénin, and partly raised in Cotonou and Lagos, Nigeria. Her parents are from Kwara State and she learnt both Yoruba and French during her early years in Bénin. She is also fluent in English and Nigerian Pidgin, which she often uses during her work and press interactions.

Ayra Starr has four siblings of which they all did music together with the support of their mum.

“My brother is a video director, my younger brother a song writer and my sister is a model.”

So, how did the name Ayra Starr come? “We are Africans, I’m a Nigerian and a Yoruba girl, every Yoruba name means a prayer. It was so important for my name to mean something that I want to stand for and that’s what I did.

“Oyin means honey, I love it and would have gone for it, but my team, Don Jazzy, Rema and others all thought about it and we got something – Ira.”

The artist added that people might not get the correct pronunciation of how she wants to be called so she prayed about it.

“I don’t know how it happened, I decided to google it one time, I spelt AYRA and it means someone that is highly respected and open-minded in Arabic and it just made sense.” she noted.

The singer is not only focused on her music career; she is also looking at making a name in the movie Industry. She made her debut appearance in the high-profile adaptation of “Children of Blood and Bone,” which wrapped filming in June 2025.  She starred alongside Hollywood greats like Viola Davis and Idris Elba. Starr disclosed that Damson Idris acted as a “big brother” on set, helping her navigate the discipline required for film.

Working with some of the Hollywood greats have also propelled her to consider a future in the cinema especially block buster movies.

As for her future in cinema, the singer has set her sights on the blockbuster genre. “I really, really want to play a superhero at least once… or something like I want to be in a thriller… like a killer, because it’s so unexpected.”

However, Starr is not forgetting what brought her to New York and she wants to remain  focused and continue to maintain commercial success as she prepares for her upcoming album which she promised will be very authentic.

Her words: “The hardest lesson I’ve learned is not forgetting why I came here in the first place… it’s very easy to allow people’s perceptions and people’s idea of what you should be mix up with yours and you kind of lose your voice.”

Some of her songs include Rush Hot Body · Escaladizzy II (feat. Zlatan) · Gimme Dat · All The Love · Bora Bora · PINACOLADA · Bad Vibes (feat. Seyi Vibez).