Entertainment

Ayra Starr: The Amazing Rise of that Small Girl from Agbado Ijaiye

Published

4 weeks ago

February 24, 2023

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

From day one, she knew she was going to hit hardest and make it big within a very short period, and so it was not a mistake when she chose the alias, Celestial Being. A name depicting divinity and heavenly royalty. Her is Ayra Starr, born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe in 2002 in far away Cotonou, Republic of Benin, the talented songstress, who is better addressed as Sability or Miss Sabi, to buttress her intelligence, by fans, has become a household name in the music industry barely two years after she stumbled into the recording studio.

Unable to hold her gratitude to the Almighty God, the slim beauty, who is due to clock 21 on June 14, took to her social media handle to express her deep felt appreciation, saying “I really don’t even know what I’m gonna do when rush hits a 100 mil on YouTube, do I cry , do I jump ?? God, 2 years ago I was just a small girl from Agbado ijaiye.” That says so much about her personality, and not forgetting her upbringing, which has kept her on the right track till tomorrow.

Ayra Starr’s rise to stardom is meteoric, to say the least. Her boldness in posting her original song on Instagram in December 2019, was the straw that broke carmel’s back as well the strike that set the trend for a classy musical journey in a terrain where heavyweights in the guise of Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Tems, Niniola, Teni and many others held sway. The previously ‘small girl from Agbado Ijaiye’ was not intimidated. She took the bull by the horn, and rode it like meek and mild horse. Today, her superhit, Rush, has garnered 94 million views on Youtube, and counting, and it is just a matter of time before the ‘small girl’ hit 100 million. The feat is magnanimous, and of course celestial.

Ayra Starr started her career in the fashion world at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management before being divinely led to give full attention to musical career. Having been in the business of giving prominence to songs by popular artists on Instagram, she, in December 2019 posted her first original song. That was the icing she need as the attention of the one and only Don Jazzy was drawn. The long story ended with her berthing at the popular Mavin Records, reputed for raising stars. It was a new dawn for Miss Sabi.

Wondering why the songstress had an early musical start? The answer is not farfetched. She was raised in a music-loving family, and the fact that she found music as a leeway to drown frustrations that emanated from bullying and taunts as result of his small size and age while in high school. At the age of 10, she sang in a high school choir and began writing songs with her brother. That didn’t in any way stunt her academic pursuit. She attended Les Cours Sonou University and obtained a BA degree in International Relations and Political Science.

According to her, she had a wide range of musical influences, including 2Face Idibia, Wande Coal, Angélique Kidjo, Lijadu Sisters and Tope Alabi while growing up, and in college, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Sia and Tiwa Savage. She credited Shakira as her biggest influence vocally along with Beyoncé, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus.

In August 2018, Starr, who was born of Kwara parents modelled for companies such as Mazelle Studio, Complete Fashion Magazine and Esperanza Woman. In 2019, she began posting covers of songs by artists like Andra Day and 2Face Idibia online. She appeared in the music video for Eri Ife’s song “Dear Future Wife.” In December 2019, she uploaded an original song called “Damage” on her Instagram page. This was heard by thousands of people including label executive Don Jazzy and led to her first recording contract with Mavin Records.

In 2020, she started recording at Mavin Studios in Lagos with producers Louddaaa and Don Jazzy. Her self-titled debut extended play was released on 22 January, 2021 through Mavin Records. The album has been described as “a topsy-turvy chronicle of love or love-themed situations”. She said her intention with the record was to make music that would resonate with both young and old listeners, writing one of the songs on the EP alone, and co-wrote the remaining four with her brother Dami. Shortly after its release, the EP became the number-one album on Nigeria iTunes and Apple Music. By March 2021, it has reached the same position on Apple Music in 4 other countries, racking up over 15 million streams across Spotify, YouTube and Audio Mack. The project spawned the hit track “Away” which peaked at number four on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 50 and number 17 on US Billboard Top Triller Global. Its accompanying music video also debuted on MTV Base’s Official Naija Top 10. OkayAfrica included the song in their list of The 9 Best Nigerian Songs of January 2021. Ayra Starr released remix versions of “Ija” and “Away” featuring Tokimonsta and Lilo respectively between March and April. Around the same time, Crayon’s EP Twelve A.M was released with her vocals on the track “In Sync.” She performed at the UC Berkeley Nigerian Students Association virtual culture show titled The Olori Awards. On 28 April 2021, the official music video for her song “DITR” was released on YouTube via Mavin. In June 2021, the music video for another song titled “Sare”, was released.

Ayra 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 and went to number 17 on US Billboard Top Triller Global, paving the way for the release of her first full-length mixtape, 19 & Dangerous in August 2021. Categorized mainly as Afropop and R’nB, the album has been met with favorable critical reception. It 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, she ranked number two on Billboard‘s Next Big Sound.

Growing up in Cotonou, Benin, and Lagos, Nigeria, gave her access to diverse cultures and languages. Though her constant movement occasioned by her father’s business did not allow her make much of close friends, she nonetheless acquired untold experiences inhabiting several locations.

Starr has come a long way ever since, no only dishing out hits after hits, but also performing on high profile stages, On July 11, 2021, she performed for the season finale of Nigerian Idol and during a live eviction episode of Big Brother Naija. Her 19 & Dangerous marked her first time recording alongside guest artists such as Fousheé and CKay. It was met with favorable critical reception with most critics characterizing its sound as primarily Afropop and R&B. It spawned two top forty hits on the TurnTable Top 50, the highest being “Bloody Samaritan”, its lone single, which became Starr’s first number-one single on the chart. The song climbed the Top 50 for several weeks, and, on the chart dated 27 September 2021, it reached the number one spot, making Ayra Starr the first female artist to do so with a solo single. She debuted on Pandora Predictions chart, and on 28 August 2021, she ranked number two on the Billboard‘s Next Big Sound. She was featured on “in the light”, a track on Johnny Drille’s Before We Fall Asleep. On 4 September 2021, she was named brand ambassador for Pepsi Nigeria. She collaborated with Cheque on “Dangerous”, the second track on his album Bravo. At the 8th African Muzik Magazine Awards, she was nominated for Best Newcomer award. She featured in the October 2021 issue of Accelerate TV’s The Cover and in the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of ODDA. In 2021, she appeared in a Notion editorial.

With a voice described in the media as “silky”, “cozy”, “delicate”, “sturdy”, “arresting” and “soulful”, Ayra Starr has succeeded in serenading all calibre. The dynamic nature of her range and emotional delivery also lend credence to acceptability. She plays with a mixture of English, Nigerian Pidgin English and Yoruba, often exploring contemporary topics such as love, relationship, empowerment and freedom.

Starr has received so many rave reviews, and all have turned out positive. With hit songs like Blood Samaritan, Beggi Beggi with Ckay, Sability, and Rush, Ayra Starr has cleared the doubts of many who felt she may not enjoy the limelight for long.

The sabi girl, who is blessed with four siblings, has arrived, and has arrived to stay! All thanks to her brother, who assisted her write songs, her mum and aunt, who tutored her in the act of singing, her dad, who encouraged her to complete her education first and the Almighty God, without who, there is no her.

Entertainment

Why I Wore View-Obstructing Dress to 2023 Oscars – Tems

Published

1 week ago

March 15, 2023

Eric

Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi popularly known as Tems has given her reasons for wearing a view-obstructing dress to the 2023 Oscars.

The prestigious award event was held at the Dolby Centre, Los Angeles, on Sunday and was attended by Hollywood’s finest who stunned in different fashion pieces.

Tems was dressed in a custom white sculptural gown by Ukrainian brand, Lever Couture’s AW22, Leleka Couture collection. The gown which features a large headpiece drew backlash for obstructing the view of fellow audience members at the event.

Speaking with Harper’s Bazzar, Tems in a pre-Oscars interview gave behind-the-scenes details on the controversial gown.

According to the Grammys award winner, she decided to “go all out” and “make the most” of her first Oscars attendance.

“Two years ago, I would’ve said no to this dress,” she said. “But it’s my first Oscars — I am going to go all out. I really wanted to make the most of the day. The dress is also my way of celebrating my work and the people around me, celebrating my country, and celebrating the people that are rooting for me. This dress says ‘Yes, yes, I am here!’”

Speaking on her recent groundbreaking achievements on the international music scene, the ‘Crazy Tings’ singer said this was just the beginning for her. Tems mentioned that her collaboration with musical giants like Beyonce and Rihanna were indications she was on the “right path”.

“If the biggest women in the world love my work to such an extent that they are working with me, then that must say something. My work is actually reaching places, it’s making some type of impact.

“And that is insane! I really am just trying to keep my feet on the ground and continue running and doing things that are a hundred per cent authentic to me. Evolving, learning, growing. It’s just the beginning for me,” she said.

With her collaboration with singer Rihanna; music producer, Ludwig Göransson; and Black Panther’s director, Ryan Coogler, for the movie’s soundtrack, ‘Lift Me Up’, Tems was nominated for Best Original Song at this year’s Oscars

The category was however won by Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj for ‘Naatu Naatu’.

Entertainment

Winners Emerge at Oscars 2023 Awards (Full List)

Published

1 week ago

March 13, 2023

Eric

The 95th Oscars award ceremony held on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood with several stars claiming prizes in different categories.

Oscar statuettes were awarded for all 23 categories with ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ winning the new Best Picture.

See the full list of winners from the 95th Oscars below:

Best Picture

All Quiet on the Western Front
Malte Grunert, Producer

Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

The Banshees of Inisherin
Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers

Elvis
Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Producers

WINNER: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Producers

The Fabelmans
Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, Producers

Tár
Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, Producers

Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers

Triangle of Sadness
Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, Producers

Women Talking
Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Producers

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Austin Butler in Elvis

Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin

WINNER: Brendan Fraser in The Whale

Paul Mescal in Aftersun

Bill Nighy in Living

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Brendan Gleeson in The Banshees of Inisherin

Brian Tyree Henry in Causeway

Judd Hirsch in The Fabelmans

Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin

WINNER: Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett in Tár

Ana de Armas in Blonde

Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie

Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans

WIINNER: Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Angela Bassett in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Hong Chau in The Whale

Kerry Condon in The Banshees of Inisherin

WINNER: Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Animated Feature Film

WINNER: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Joel Crawford and Mark Swift

The Sea Beast
Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger

Turning Red
Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

Best Cinematography

WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
James Friend

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Darius Khondji

Elvis
Mandy Walker

Empire of Light
Roger Deakins

Tár
Florian Hoffmeister

Best Costume Design

Babylon
Mary Zophres

WINNER: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ruth Carter

Elvis
Catherine Martin

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Shirley Kurata

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Jenny Beavan

Best Directing

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

WINNER: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

Todd Field, Tár

Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

Best Documentary Feature Film

All That Breathes
Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov

Fire of Love
Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman

A House Made of Splinters
Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström

WINNER: Navalny
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

Best Documentary Short Film

WINNER: The Elephant Whisperers
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

Haulout
Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev

How Do You Measure a Year?
Jay Rosenblatt

The Martha Mitchell Effect
Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison

Stranger at the Gate
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

Best Film Editing
The Banshees of Inisherin
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Elvis
Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond

WINNER: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers

Tár
Monika Willi

Top Gun: Maverick
Eddie Hamilton

Best International Feature Film

WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
Germany

Argentina, 1985
Argentina

Close
Belgium

EO
Poland

The Quiet Girl
Ireland

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

All Quiet on the Western Front
Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová

The Batman
Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Camille Friend and Joel Harlow

Elvis
Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti

WINNER: The Whale
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Annemarie Bradley

Best Music (Original Score)

WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann

Babylon
Justin Hurwitz

The Banshees of Inisherin
Carter Burwell

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Son Lux

The Fabelmans
John Williams

Best Music (Original Song)

“Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop

“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler

WINNER: “Naatu Naatu” from RRR
Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose

“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne

Best Production Design

WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper

Avatar: The Way of Water
Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole

Babylon
Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino

Elvis
Production Design: Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; Set Decoration: Bev Dunn

The Fabelmans
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

Best Animated Short Film

WINNER: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud

The Flying Sailor
Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Ice Merchants
João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano

My Year of Dicks
Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon

An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Lachlan Pendragon

Best Live Action Short Film

WINNER: An Irish Goodbye
Tom Berkeley and Ross White

Ivalu
Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan

Le Pupille
Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón

Night Ride
Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen

The Red Suitcase
Cyrus Neshvad

Best Sound

All Quiet on the Western Front
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte

Avatar: The Way of Water
Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges

The Batman
Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson

Elvis
David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller

WINNER: Top Gun: Maverick
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

Best Visual Effects

All Quiet on the Western Front
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar

WINNER: Avatar: The Way of Water
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

The Batman
Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick

Top Gun: Maverick
Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

All Quiet on the Western Front
Screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Written by Rian Johnson

Living
Written by Kazuo Ishiguro

Top Gun: Maverick
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks

WINNER: Women Talking
Screenplay by Sarah Polley

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

The Banshees of Inisherin
Written by Martin McDonagh

WINNER: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

The Fabelmans
Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

Tár
Written by Todd Field

Triangle of Sadness
Written by Ruben Östlund

Entertainment

K1 Denies Marital Crisis with Wife, Emmanuella

Published

2 weeks ago

March 7, 2023

Eric

Popular singer K1 has denied news making the rounds that he was having a marital crisis with his wife, Emmanuella.

The fuji music crooner expressed his denial in a statement titled K1, Emmanuella, Shoot Down Rumour of Crisis in Their Marriage, and signed by Kunle Rasheed, and made available to news men.

This statement reads:

Our attention has been drawn yet again to another rounds of unofficial and unreliable piece of information that the Mayegun of Yorubaland, K1 de Ultimate is not in love with his darling wife hence the rejection of her kiss at his surprise birthday gig held at Radisson Blu over the weekend.

These rumour mongers have turned what ordinary was inconsequential to something they feel in their delusion, they should celebrate and spread for a gain we do not understand.

It is rather unfortunate that these rumour spinners who thrive only in negativity should be able to see through their hate that love indeed has found a place to stay permanently in the couple’s hearts.

It is so evident that K1 and his wife Emmanuella love each other dearly. This should be understood by many especially those who are waiting to rejoice at any bad news about the couple.

Many of these gossips believe that the union will not work are in perpetual agony when they see the marriage flourishing. It engulfs them with sadness and pain so much that their daily activities is to shop endlessly for ways to transfer their unhappy mode to a couple who is constantly enjoying the bliss of their union.

We wish to say it clearly for the umpteenth time, that “Ajike Okin” and her darling husband K1 de Ultimate have mastered the way to always keep their faces toward the sunshine, so that the shadows can fall behind them. They are still sailing on that love boat with no intention to halt the sail or sink it.