Entertainment

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

Published

3 years 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

All White Service of Songs As Celebrities Bid Alex Ekubo Farewell

Published

2 days ago

June 11, 2026

Eric

Members of Nigeria’s entertainment industry turned out in large numbers on Wednesday for the service of songs of late actor Alex Ekubo.

Ekubo died on May 11, 2026, after a battle with kidney cancer.

Colleagues, friends, and dignitaries filled The Monarch Event Centre for the ceremony, dressed strictly in white as requested by the Ekubo family.

Attendees included Funke Akindele, Kate Henshaw, Chioma Akpotha, Ebele Okaro, Nancy Isime, Ruth Kadiri, Nkechi Blessing, Stan Nze, Blessing Obasi, Ik Ogbonna, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, singer Chike, and socialite Cubana Chief Priest.

The evening featured worship led by gospel ministers Peterson Okopi and Ebuka Songs, with Pastor Jerry Eze, Nathaniel Bassey, and Kaestrings also ministering.

The Ekubo family had earlier released an obituary on the late actor’s Instagram page, asking the public to keep them in prayer.

Wednesday’s service of songs officially opened Alex Ekubo’s burial rites.

The funeral moves to Arochukwu, Abia State, for a wake-keep on June 17, with burial scheduled for June 18.

Entertainment

Davido to Perform at FIFA World Cup 2026 Concert in Los Angeles

Published

1 week ago

June 3, 2026

Eric

Award-winning artiste – Davido – is scheduled to perform at FIFA’s World Cup 2026 Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, adding another major global platform to his career.

Davido will perform alongside Major Lazer, the music project led by producer Diplo.

FIFA announced the lineup on Instagram, noting that more special guests will be unveiled in the coming days.

The concert is part of FIFA’s first synchronised live entertainment series across the tournament’s three host nations: the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Featuring Diplo’s Major Lazer and Davido, and more special guests to be announced soon,” FIFA wrote.

The Los Angeles show will open doors at 5:00pm PT, with the live broadcast beginning at 6:00pm PT.

The series is designed to link audiences across the host countries, with simultaneous live performances streamed from Mexico City and Toronto.

FIFA said the event will stream globally across its digital platforms, including an exclusive livestream on TikTok.

Full concert and behind-the-scenes footage will be available on VuMe Live the following day.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11, 2026.

Entertainment

Renowned Singer of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Peabo Bryson, Dies at 75

Published

1 week ago

June 3, 2026

Eric

Peabo Bryson has died at the age of 75. The singer was known for singing soul ballads, and particularly duets. In 1991, “Beauty and the Beast,” his duet of the title song from the Disney film with Céline Dion, became a massive hit. A year later, he and Regina Belle released “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, and it became the first song from an animated film to reach No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100.

Bryson died Tuesday, June 2 surrounded by family, just days after suffering a stroke.

“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world,” Bryson’s family said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit. His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”

Bryson was born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, S.C., in 1951. “And, as far back as I can remember, I’ve always been into music,” he told Soul magazine in 1978. “It’s all I ever wanted to really deal with, and of course, like everyone else, I had to make that decision — I guess when I was around 14 — as to what I was going to get into, career-wise. Well, I’d thought about being a doctor or something like that, but I really felt that music was my thing.”

His mother was concerned: “She figured I’d turn into a drug addict or something like that!” he told the outlet.

Bryson began performing professionally as a teenager, singing backup with a local group called Al Freeman and the Upsetters, an outfit he described as “terrible” in the Soul interview. Freeman had trouble pronouncing Peapo, and Bryson began using the name Peabo instead.

Later, Bryson toured the Chitlin’ Circuit with Moses Dillard and the Tex-Town Display. Bang Records heard them perform and was impressed with Bryson. He released one album, Peabo, with the label in 1976 before moving to Capitol Records.His first Top 10 hit on the R&B chart was 1978’s “Reaching for the Sky.” In 1979, “Gimme Some Time,” his duet with Natalie Cole, hit No. 8 on the chart, a preview of his duet success to come. They released “What You Won’t Do for Love” a year later, and it reached No. 16. Bryson also had a Top 20 hit with “Minute by Minute,” a cover of the Doobie Brothers song. In 1980, he released his first duet with Flack, “Make the World Stand Still.” It hit No. 13 on the R&B chart. They would also release the duets “Love Is a Waiting Game,” “You’re Lookin’ Like Love to Me,” “I Just Came Here to Dance” and their most successful, “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” which reached No. 16 on the Hot 100. They also released the 1983 duets album Born to Love.

“I think the secret to a really good duet is that you have to fall a little bit in love with your duet partner,” Bryson told Tatler Asia in 2015. “I was very fortunate in finding a duet partner in Roberta Flack who really knew what a duet was and knew how to play to a person’s strengths and weaknesses equally. I learned how to do a great duet from working with Roberta Flack because she’s that great.”

In 1984, “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” was Bryson’s first Top 10 single on the Hot 100. He released “Show & Tell” in 1989, and it hit No. 1 on the R&B chart; he scored another R&B chart-topper with 1991’s “Can You Stop the Rain.”

1991 also brought “Beauty and the Beast.” Initially, Dion had been chosen to sing the song solo, but execs worried that she was too new and wanted a more established artist. “When you’re a great singer like [Dion], oftentimes you find yourself in situations where you have to dial back,” Bryson told the CBC in 2017. “I learned that from doing duets. The key to it is to play to your duet partner’s strength and weaknesses equally. So essentially that renders into a situation where there are no weaknesses because you’re playing to them both equally.”

He said Dion was very tentative at first, but they slowly built a rapport in the studio.

He remembered: “I looked across at her, and she looked back at me and what went on from the point of becoming relaxed was extremely intimate. You can’t buy that. You can record it, though.”

Their duet became a massive success, reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 and winning them both a Grammy. Bryson told the CBC, “I never ever got tired of listening to it.”

Disney turned to Bryson again for 1992’s “A Whole New World,” which he sang with Belle. Bryson and Belle had also worked together on the song “Without You” for the 1988 movie Leonard Part 6, and she wanted Bryson to join her on the track because she knew they worked well together.

“That ‘Whole New World’ concept… that is what really took us over the top,” Belle told ABC Radio in 2019. “Because when you think about it, a ‘whole new world’ can be ascribed to most… everything… that has made a difference in your life.”

Bryson added: “It’s a song that represents every hope and every promise that you will ever have. I sang it in South Africa for the first time they allowed Black South Africans to enter into the Miss South Africa beauty pageant.”

Their version of the song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 and would remain the only song from an animated film to do so until “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto in 2022. Bryson and Belle also won a Grammy.

He returned to Disney again in 1997 and sang “As Long As There’s Christmas” with Flack during the end credits of Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, a direct-to-video sequel.

Bryson at times felt dissatisfied with how the music industry prized youth over experience. He and singers like Flack were never played by MTV, which he believed was “detrimental” to the industry.

“I don’t think there’s anything I can’t do,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. “I see myself as a true Renaissance man. I don’t like one-dimensional concepts of myself.”In total, Bryson released 20 studio albums. He was an eight-time Grammy nominee.

Bryson suffered a heart attack in 2019 but made a full recovery.

Bryson welcomed a daughter, Linda, in 1968. He wed Tanya Boniface, a member of the British girl group The 411, in 2010, and they welcomed a son, Robert, in 2018.