Popular singer, Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, aka Ayra Starr, recalls that in the early days of her career, she used to attend parties she was not invited to.
In an interview with Spotify, she said, “I grew up in different cities—Lagos, Abuja (Nigeria), and Cotonou (Republic of Benin) and it has helped me to infuse different energies into my sound. Cotonou is like a beach; very calm and serene. It is a place where one can get one’s mind together.
“For creatives like me, Lagos just feels like home. Something is always going on. There is always one party somewhere. I even used to go to parties I was not invited to. There is something about the commotion and the vibe; as if everything is happening at once. It seems like everybody understands the struggle, and they are all working hard.”
The singer also maintained that she always knew music would change her life someday. She said, “Ever since I was a child, I knew that one day, music would change my whole life. Growing up, I knew I was going to be a musician. I did not know when or how it would happen, but I knew it would eventually happen. Even when I was around six or seven years old, I used to argue with choir members in church whenever they said I could not be the lead singer. I used to tell them that when I became a super star, they would not be able to tell me that.”
Speaking on what keeps her going, Starr, who recently clinched the ‘Viewer’s Choice Awards’ at The Headies said, “The things that have kept me going are God, my family and my friends. Also, I met some amazing people in my label (Mavin Records). It is not just about work; they are my family.”