Ayra Starr

CTL-E-5261 · Person · musician · 2002–present

VERIFIED evidence grade of this record

Ayra Starr (born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe on June 14, 2002, in Cotonou, Benin) is a Beninese-born Nigerian singer and songwriter, and one of the defining voices of contemporary Afrobeats. Raised between Cotonou and Lagos, she came to the attention of Mavin Records founder Don Jazzy through the covers and original songs she posted online, signed with Mavin, and released her self-titled debut EP in early 2021. Her debut album, 19 & Dangerous (2021), made its lead single “Bloody Samaritan” the first solo song by a female artist to top Nigeria's TurnTable Top 50 chart. The 2022 single “Rush” broke her internationally, charting across Europe — it reached number 24 in the United Kingdom — and earning a nomination for Best African Music Performance at the 66th Grammy Awards. She followed with the albums The Year I Turned 21 (2024) and Starrgirl (2026).

The record

Also known as: Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe

Notes

Staged 2026-10-15 under CTL-GOV-006 (Next Slate C); Gate A clear; Gate B met (2 independent sources). Living artist: record confined to documented public-career facts per brief. CTL treatment: her album Starrgirl (spelled “Starrgirl” in CTL documents) is on the approved expansion list of CTL's Clear Ear Award album library (2026-10-05); named in 19 distinct CTL corpus files (38 mentions) per the 2026-10-15 corpus gap scan — the most-discussed Person among the scan's remaining verified candidates. Statistics carried: “Rush” UK Singles Chart peak No. 24 (Global African Times/Wikipedia); 66th Grammy Awards nomination, Best African Music Performance (both sources). Photo slot: CLEARED CANDIDATE — see packet §Photo Slots.

Sources

Wikipedia, “Ayra Starr” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayra_Starr (primary source)
Global African Times, “Knowing your African Music Stars – Ayra Starr (Nigeria)” — https://globalafricantimes.com/knowing-your-african-music-stars-ayra-starr-nigeria/

Record CTL-E-5261 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: VERIFIED · 2 sources (1 primary) · CTL research: PPL-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

Cite this record

Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Ayra Starr (CTL-E-5261),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-5261/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Ayra Starr (CTL-E-5261).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-5261/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Ayra Starr (CTL-E-5261) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-5261/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Ayra Starr (CTL-E-5261).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-5261/

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