Ayra Starr speaks on creative, songwriting process

Afrobeats singer Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, popularly known as Ayra Starr, has opened up on her creative process, revealing that she prioritises sonic experimentation over emotion-driven songwriting.

While speaking on the Creatorium Podcast, Ayra disclosed that she tries out different ideas and sounds when working on a song, rather than wait for emotional inspiration.

“It depends on what I am going for. Lately for me, creating just starts with trying. Not emotion; just trying, then we see where it takes us. It may start with chords or sounds, or a specific sound I want to sample. Sometimes, I just want to do something fun or make something that sounds different,” she said.

Ayra also explained that her first album was built on emotional concepts, revealing that her song ‘Beggie Beggie’ was written during a bus ride.

“For my first album, it was more about trying something sad, something that matches emotion. But now, it’s more about experimenting sonically and indulging in different ideas to see where they lead. My first album has a song called Beggie Beggie. I literally wrote it in a bus. I was going back home and just wrote it there. Somebody was begging inside the bus, and a woman said, ‘See this one, beggie beggie’. You have to have a certain type of love and passion for what you do to be able to do this. The glamour is the glamour, but behind the scenes, it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of preparation. It’s a lot of not-so-amazing days. Sometimes, after rehearsing for two weeks, one sound can ruin the whole performance on stage,” she said.