Ayra Starr – ‘Starrgirl’ album review: the Afro-R&B superstar widens her orbit

When Ayra Starr first stepped onto the scene, she became a go-to for pristine, pretty music with her first two albums – ‘19 & Dangerous’ (2021) and ‘The Year I Turned 21’ (2024) – both powered by chart zingers. But on ‘Starrgirl’, the Beninese-Nigerian singer ascends, becoming an artist who knows her space in the music world and still pushes at the sides of the box to make more room. Bouncing between R&B, blues, Afropop and pure pop balladry, she is more confident, playful and sure in her own light – which shines brighter than ever on this record. READ MORE: Grimes’ Hatsune Miku collaboration is filled with love: “I feel really in awe of her, but also protective of her” Kicking off with the enthralling, amapiano-inflected ‘Dangerous’, ‘Starrgirl’ immediately feels heavier and more physical than her earlier work. But Starr constantly morphs: from the sultry R&B of smouldering ‘Amazing’ with Kwn into the suave sophistication of the Afropop-leaning ‘Gimme Dat’, where she goes toe-to-toe with Wizkid over heartstring-plucking guitar, before ‘Pressure’ brings in Leon Thomas for a sunnier, glossy pop sound. Yet, these songs flow seamlessly into one another, bound by the same s...