Moments from Ayra Starr’s Sophomore Album Listening Party

Iyke Bede

After a wildly successful debut album ‘19 and Dangerous,’ Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, is gearing up to release her sophomore studio effort ‘The Year I Turned 21,’ titled in the same fashion as the first to reflect her age and creative agency that comes with it.

The singer collaborated with Spotify to host a listening party at the Pavilion NightLife Lounge in Lagos, putting fans at the forefront. This event heralded the beginning of many historic nights for the album to come.

As this reporter arrived at the venue, it was precisely 7 p.m. There were a couple of guests who had arrived in anticipation of the big event, mostly to secure the best seats in the house. After a while, we were all issued tags and wristbands to gain entry to the glass-ceiling venue.

Neon lights illuminating the space, booming music filling the air, and complimentary rounds of cocktails flowing, every guest was either immersed in the rhythmic beats, primarily afrobeats and 2010s hip-hop, or engrossed in their phones, responding to messages or capturing selfies and videos for their social media feeds. I even spotted some influencers from my TikTok For You Page. An hour later, the venue was bustling with people.

Don Jazzy made it into the lounge some minutes before 9 pm. His entrance attracted a beehive of fans and admirers, each taking turns to greet him, ensuring they sealed the encounter with a firm handshake before he made it to a designated VIP section. Moments later, Starr emerged draped in a blue, free-flowing, but cleverly revealing outfit that turned heads instantly. As she strutted to the VIP section flipping her braids while balancing her frame on a pair of heels with spiral golden strap, the crowd showered her with a raucous welcome, with many leaving their seats to steal a photo or handshake with her. Starr responded with a very warm “thank you for being here for me.”

“TYIT 21” comprises 15 tracks. Among them, ‘Commas’ has been designated as the lead single, with ‘Rhythm and Blues’ and ‘Bad Vibes’ already receiving proper rollout as well. The remaining 13 tracks were screened as they appeared chronologically on the album.

With only three tracks played, the crowd cheered on enthusiastically, with each subsequent song garnering more and more praise from the audience. Explaining the creative process for the album opener ‘Bird Sings of Money,’ a hip-hop-inspired mid-tempo track, she said:

“It is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever made because it’s just perfect. It is a proper Ayra Starr song. It sounds different from anything you’ve ever heard. It was such a strong way to open an album, especially an afrobeats album. I felt it was such a strong presence — what my album is going to be.” The follow-up tracks featured some interesting collaborations. Asake featured on the fan-acclaimed certified club banger ‘Goodbye’, American singer GIVON lent his vocals on the self-love rousing  ‘Last Heartbreak Song,’ while Brazilian singer Anitta, and American singer Coco Jones both joined forces to deliver the ultimate girl power song, ‘Woman Commando,’ which received an encore. Starr described the song as having “Boss lady vibes.”

Although a listening party, Starr would occasionally leave the comfort of her seat to engage with the crowd, be it on the caressing grooves of the deeply sensual ‘Control,’ the head-bopping ‘Lagos Love Story’ sprinkled with sparkly piano notes, or the vibey ‘Jazzy,’ which serves as an ode to her boss.

Conversely, songs such as ‘21,’ which relays her journey up to this point, had the singer seated, reflecting as her soft vocals collided with thumping beats. The album also explored other genres in a limited capacity. For instance, ‘Orun’ experimented with highlife sounds.

From start to finish, the crowd’s energy never waned. They remained fully engaged, embracing the immersive experience that the rest of the world has yet to encounter on the “Global album.” In fact, it had them chanting “Ayra, we wanna party” as they progressed into the event’s after-party.