Ayra Starr styled by Jahulie for 66 GREENE Magazine, featuring a spiky Y2K-inspired updo and statement earrings.
Afrobeats superstar Ayra Starr is opening up about growth, solitude, and finding her true voice on the latest cover of 66 GREENE.
From moving into her first solo apartment in New York City after filming Children of Blood and Bone in Cape Town to touring the globe with Coldplay, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter is charting a brand new chapter. In her feature interview, she reflects on the reality of living on her own terms, learning from her world tours, and crafting her album, Starrgirl.
Read excerpts from the interview below:
On Finding Home in New York
Living alone for the first time brought a complete shift in perspective for Ayra. After spending three months filming in Cape Town, she moved into her own New York City apartment, navigating her most significant period of solitude after growing up in a close-knit family.
“At the beginning, I was loving it, like yes, I’m in my big girl apartment, nobody can tell me what to do, period!” Ayra laughs.
Despite initial homesickness, surviving a freezing New York winter, and missing her mother’s cooking, she gradually built her own routine—befriending her local barista and enjoying late nights out in the city.
According to Ayra, “When you spend a lot of time on your own, you start to deconstruct everything you’ve been told to be. You start to find out what you really think, what you really want, what you really are and what you really want to be.”
Ayra Starr featured in 66 GREENE Magazine, wearing a silver sequin two-piece set styled by Jahulie and photographed by Fernando Tomaz.
On Touring with Coldplay and Redefining Performance
Joining Coldplay on their Music of the Spheres World Tour offered Ayra a profound lesson in what it truly means to take the stage. Performing for massive crowds shifted her perspective away from ego and towards service to her audience.
“What I grew up thinking that performing was—it’s about you as the artist, it’s about you being on stage, these people coming to see you,” she explains. “I love being on stage and I love people singing my songs back to me, but being a supporting act made me understand that every night you’re literally sacrificing yourself for these people that came to see you. It’s not about you. It’s about them.”
She continues, “It’s about how they lived that night. It’s about if you touched lives, it’s about if you made somebody smile or somebody feel better. That’s what you’re doing, that’s your job.”
Ayra Starr captured in electric blue motion lighting by Fernando Tomaz for 66 GREENE Magazine.
On Hearing Her Own Voice for ‘Starrgirl’
Stepping back from the pressure of constant album cycles allowed Ayra to reconnect with the joy of making music. That newfound freedom birthed a series of singles like “Hot Body,” “Gimme Dat” featuring Wizkid, and “Who’s Dat Girl” with Rema, ultimately paving the way for her album Starrgirl.
“Something about moving to New York took me from the outside point of view and put me back into my life,” she recalls. “And at that moment, I knew I was making an album. Not just because my label wanted me to make an album, or not just because everybody’s expecting an album. I knew that, I’m making an album now because I can hear my voice for the first time in a long time.”
According to Ayra, Starrgirl is an album born from “understanding myself and accepting being misunderstood, accepting myself for the multitude of experiences and personalities that I am”.
Ayra Starr displaying graphic eyeliner and metallic tinsel hair for 66 GREENE Magazine, photographed by Fernando Tomaz.
Her studio sessions reflected that exact spirit—including a memorable, high-tempo recording session in person with French-Congolese artist Theodora for “MS PAPER.”
“It was one of my favorite sessions ever, because the AC was not working in the studio. We’re recording a high tempo song, we’re drinking and jumping around, everything and everybody is sweating. After we finished making the song, we played it like five times back to back and everybody was so delirious. It was amazing.”
Ayra Starr in a metallic silver fringe cape dress for 66 GREENE Magazine, shot by Fernando Tomaz and styled by Jahulie.
Read the full article here: 66 Greene
Photo Credit: 66 Green/Instagram
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