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Nigerian Afrobeats artist Ayra Starr, known for her hits such as 'Rush', 'Sability', 'Rhythm & Blues', and more, takes the spotlight for Spotify's EQUAL Africa and EQUAL Global program for May 2024.
Spotify hosted 15 EQUAL activations and over 14.8 million artist discoveries stemmed from EQUAL playlists, and EQUAL artists received 11,800 editorial playlist ads, all in 2023, further demonstrating the program’s impact and reach.
Ayra Starr whose February release 'Commas' already has over 35 million streams on Spotify, spoke on the expressive musical style that has helped her craft a niche in the music industry, and what it means to her being selected as Spotify’s EQUAL artist.
“I am grateful to become a Spotify EQUAL Ambassador. It means so much to me to be able to represent women in Afrobeats and African women in general. There are so many women in music right now and the EQUAL program is doing a great job in highlighting their hard work.”
The Grammy-nominated singer is gearing up for the release of her second album titled 'The Year I Turned 21' which is expected to drop in May 2024.
Excerpts of Ayra Starr's interview with Spotify EQUAL program.
How is the Spotify EQUAL program significant, from your perspective?
There are so many women in music today, behind the scenes, in front of the camera, musicians, and sound engineers, all these women working hard and Spotify EQUAL is doing a great job in highlighting all their hard work.
What does this mean to you as a person, being Spotify’s EQUAL artist for the month both from an African and Global perspective?
It means everything to me because I am a girl and I have to support my gender and level the playing field.
To someone who has never heard your music, how would you describe the sound, tone, and style?
I would describe my sound as highly vibrational, eccentric, unique, and beautiful.
Are we expecting any music from you anytime soon?
Yes. I have a new single with Seyi Vibes called ‘Bad Vibes’ and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it. It’s amazing and it’s one of those songs that makes you feel good. The best part about it is that it is not just a regular Afrobeat record, it’s like genres intertwined.