Ayra Starr defends Afrobeats, urges peers to stick together

Singer and songwriter, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, known professionally as Ayra Starr, has said that as long as Afrobeats artistes stick together and continue propelling the music, the genre will continue to thrive.

She stated this during an interview with French origin magazine, ELLE, a worldwide women’s magazine that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, and society and lifestyle. The Nigerian international sensation spoke on being an Afrobeats superstar and her upcoming second album.

She also bared her mind on the global success of the Nigerian sound, Afrobeats, a West African music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles from mainly Nigeria such as the traditional Yoruba and Igbo music and highlife with American funk, jazz, and soul influences.

Commenting on the possibility of the genre getting watered down and losing its originality due to international collaborations and its rising global appeal, the Bloody Samaritan crooner said “as long as Afrobeats artistes stick together and continue propelling the music, the genre will continue to thrive.”

“It’s not fair at all; people want to put negativity on Afrobeats because it has become so mainstream. The generations of African artistes who worked to this extent for people like me to be able to be global with this sound worked for this. The genre’s not being diluted, it’s becoming mainstream. People are going to want to try things and do their own versions of things.

“The key is that when we stick together as Afrobeats artistes and continue with our sound; it can never be diluted. Nobody is ever going to be able to do it like us. That’s just the truth and it’s a beautiful thing to see and lovely to hear,” she added.

On how she has been able to curate a distinctive sound in the Afrobeats space, the 19 & Dangerous singer credits this to her unique voice and her eagerness to push her sonic boundaries.

“It’s my voice. I’ve opened myself up to so many possibilities when it comes to sound because I don’t like to hold myself in a box. I’m a very proud Afrobeats artiste, but I am in different spaces and different genres, from the Spanish world to David Guetta dance music, one thing that has been very consistent in every aspect is my voice.

“It isn’t just a voice, it’s my sound and it’s distinctive from the first “yeah, yeah” you hear in my songs. Just that and people feel good. I don’t want to brag!” she said.

Ayra Starr’s The Year I Turned 21, dropped today to the admiration of fans and music buffs. According to her, the album speaks of positive feeling and greatness.

Prior to the album release, the Grammy nominee, who recently earned three nominations for the 2024 BET Awards, released three singles, Rhythm & Blues, Comma, and Bad Vibes featuring Seyi Vibez. She had on Wednesday, May 22, thrilled guests drawn from across the media and the music industry at the album listening party put together by the online music streaming service Spotify.

Speaking at the exclusively listening gig which was held in Victoria Island, Lagos, the global music star described the process of making the album as a demanding and fulfilling one that involved input from everyone on her team.

“The Ayra Starr I want to introduce is excellent, sonically amazing. This album is unique, because I’ve been evolving sonically,” she told Billboard News in an interview back in February this year.

Featuring guest appearances from Asake, Giveon, Coco Jones, Aniita, and Ayra Starr’s younger brother Milar, the album is crafted from the perspective of a 21-year-old, while it still appeals to listeners across all demographics.