Ayra Starr Explains How Moving to New York City — And Making Her Acting Debut — Inspired Her New ‘Starrgirl’ LP: ‘I Exist in Multitudes’
Billboard · · g5128581
The two-time Grammy nominee's new album is an audacious soundtrack for Carnival, the nightclub and beyond.
Ayra Starr loves a check-in.
Since the release of her eponymous debut EP in 2021, the Grammy-nominated Nigerian Afrobeats star has used each project to survey the state of her heart and psyche at a given age. 19 & Dangerous , which arrived in summer 2021, presented an ambitious, bright-eyed starlet who simply wanted to be heard by the world, and 2024’s star-studded The Year I Turned 21 compiled the lessons, heartbreak, grief and maturation that colored the end of her adolescence and the beginning of her adulthood. Now a newly minted New Yorker, Starr, 24, is ready for her latest spill session.
Starrgirl , which dropped Aug. 14 via Mavin and Republic Records, showcases Starr’s gutsy, global approach to dance music alongside some of the biggest sonic swings of her career. From a brooding Afrobeats-steeped opener (“Dangerous”) to sultry R&B collaborations with new-school stars like Leon Thomas (“Pressure”) and kwn (“Amazing”) and shimmering dance-pop anthems like “Midnight in New York” and “Where Do We Go,” Starrgirl veers between myriad genres, with Starr’s penchant for tempo and Bad Gal RiRi-reminiscent attitude tying the 16-track set together.
Nonetheless, when she slows things down — like on “Misunderstood” and the ZAYN-assisted “Heaven Baby” — her husky lower register and raspy falsetto add ample emotional dimension to ballads that are far more concerned with peace than the devastation of her last album’s downtempos. And, of course, previously released fan-favorites like “Hot Body,” “Gimme Dat” (with Wizkid) and “Who’s Dat Girl” (Rema) remain as excellent as ever.
“In making this album, I started to understand that I exist in multitudes, and the only way for me to show that was through an album,” she tells Billboard. “I can’t show that in just one song. Trying to limit myself to just one thing or one sound made me lash out even more, [whether] that’s cutting my hair or changing my whole aesthetic to black or just doing a sound that was different for me. This album is me allowing myself to be different forms and different things.”
In both its artwork — which finds her pairing a sexy bodycon dress with a purple gele and laser beams — and title, Starrgirl hints at deeper themes of Afrofuturism, personal multiplicity and the tension between tradition and innovation. Those themes may not dominate her lyrical approach, but their presence provides a headier energy that grounds the album and elevates it a few steps above merely a consistent Afropop LP. Next month (Oct. 10), Starr will headline halftime at the upcoming London NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars, marking the latest major stage for her to continue building out the world of Starrgirl beyond the recording booth.
Below, the two-time Grammy nominee talks to Billboard about venturing into bouyon music, the lessons she took away from her Year I Turned 21 era and making her acting debut in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Children of Blood & Bone next year.
Why did you want to move to New York specifically?
I like the craziness of it; it reminds me so much of Lagos in a way, just the hustle and bustle. Everybody’s in their own world.
How did NYC inspire the sound of Starrgirl ?
Well, I was here when I was making the album. New York, me being [here], the people I worked with, people I met on the road, the Ubers I took to the studio — everything played a different part in the album. I was also so far away from home, and that put a lot of things into perspective for me. I could see my life from an outside point of view, and being in this place where I didn’t know anybody just made me more hungry.
“Amazing” (with kwn) is a great example of a sound that’s different for you. How did that song come together?
That was one of the songs that made me know that I was making a crazy a— album. Any song I made after had to be just as good or even better. “Amazing” set the bar for me. The first version was a whole different song called “House Fire,” but I just wasn’t believing it.
I can’t even remember the process of recording “Amazing” — I probably was drunk as f—k in the studio or some s—t [ laughs ] — but I remember listening to it the next day, and it made me scared. I like when things make me scared, because that means I’m doing something right. That was the same feeling I got when I moved to New York. I was moving towards the unknown and my fears.
What was the most pivotal Starrgirl studio session for?
“Misunderstood.” I’d gotten to the point where I didn’t know what I wanted to write about anymore. I knew deep within me what I wanted to do, but I couldn’t articulate it. I was too scared to say, “I want to make the best album I’ve ever made” out loud, because it puts a lot of pressure [on us]. When I was writing with Darius [Coleman] and Adanna [Duru], I said I wanted to talk about being misunderstood and how I’m used to it now.
I’ve accepted the fact that I will always be misunderstood because that’s how I grew up. I feel like most girls, black women, African women will understand it. It’s kind of a blessing; I don’t mind being misunderstood. Making that song healed a part of me.
“Misunderstood” continues that throughline of maturation across your albums. It’s like you check in with us every few years.
I’m very big on check-ins. I always visualize that moment in the girls’ bathroom when you really see yourself in the mirror. I wasn’t the most present person growing up, so that was always a present time for me. When I’m partying, I always make the time to go check in with myself. And it’s when I go to the bathroom and look myself in the eye that I feel human and alive. That’s what I try to show in songs like “All the Love,” which I’m so sad couldn’t be on Starrgirl .
There’s such a varied, decidedly global approach to dance music on this album. What brought you to the bouyon space with “Ms. Paper?”
We were in the studio with Theodora in Los Angeles, and I’d gotten a Congolese chef. We don’t really get a lot of artists to come to the studio, so I wanted my guest to feel at home. When she came, we already had a song for her, but something about it just felt too busy. And we were having too much fun, so I had us do another song.
I played The Elements some bouyon songs and told them I wanted to shake a—. And, by the way, these are two white boys! They usually sit down to produce, but they were standing and sweating this time; it was the most in sync I’ve ever seen them. Then I went to the piano and pressed something; it made sense, and they left it in the beat. I felt like a producer! Then Teodora started writing her chorus, and it became a big group project. It was so fun to make that song.
Can we expect a music video?
Yes. It’s ready. It’s coming soon. Go in with a clean heart and clean eyes and turn up.
What was your biggest takeaway from The Year I Turned 21 ? How did that album cycle influence your approach for Starrgirl ?
With The Year I Turned 21 , as much as a lot of things worked in my favor, I was very lost as a person. I based my worth on the work and not on me as a person. I also started so young with 19 & Dangerous and the Ayra Starr EP that I was a bit unsure of myself. I definitely had a lot of imposter syndrome, because of how big “Rush” was.
When I found myself again, I was on tour every single day — and that was so intense. At the time, I thought I was just working hard, but I wasn’t taking care of myself mentally or physically. I became a zombie, just going wherever the wind took me.
Going into Starrgirl , I wanted to do what I wanted and remain present and aware of myself as an artist and human being. I will rest if I need to. It’s not going to be this or that; it’s going to be both. I can have it all, and I will have it all. And I will enjoy myself while I do this because The Year I Turned 21 wasn’t that.
Do you look to anyone to help you stay committed to this evolved approach?
It’s very hard, but if you look at other people for that support, you might not get it. Nobody knows what you need more than you, so you have to be responsible for yourself. I look to my inner self and my inner child. If you are looking at other people to give you permission to rest, it’s not going to come.
What was it like stepping into the acting world with Children of Blood & Bone ?
Acting really helped me frame how I see myself as a musician because I was able to be another person for three months, and I got to see myself from another point of view. I also got to be around a bunch of actors who made me understand how seriously they take their art. When you come from the music world, it’s very much about you and what you want. But with acting, everybody’s important. And it’s hard work waking up at 3:00 for the sunrise shots and all of that! I learned a lot.
If you could turn Starrgirl into a movie, what genre would it be?
It would definitely be sci-fi. Starrgirl has powers.
Are we thinking about a deluxe at all?
Yes, expect it! I’m not thinking about it now, because we just dropped… but I like the idea of a deluxe.
What was it like performing “Heaven Baby” for the first time?
It was so emotional for me. Everybody knows I hate performing “Last Heartbreak Song” because it goes to a really dark place, and getting myself there on stage is very difficult. “Heaven Baby” is more positive; it can mean different things for different people. And performing it on that stage [at All Points East 2026] got me into a really good headspace. I was able to focus my energy on the people I love and listen to the crowd sing it back to me.
I know you and Rihanna be partying up at Crop Over. What’s her favorite song on the album?
I don’t know yet! I can’t say too much.