- Ayra Starr has revealed how she coined her stage name.
- The singer also mentioned Don Jazzy was the one who gave her “Starr”.
- She said “Ayra” was derived from her first name, Oyinkansola.
Popular Nigerian singer, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, popularly known as Ayra Starr, has revealed the inspiration behind her stage name.
She said her stage name was partly her record label boss, Don Jazzy’s idea.
According to the singer, she coined “Ayra” while the Mavin Records boss added the suffix “Starr.”
She said before signing to Mavin, she was known as “Oyin,” a nick of her first name, Oyinkansola.
Speaking in a special Christmas interview with Arise TV, the music star said:
“There is this Yoruba name called Ira, I wanted people to pronounce it as ‘Aira.’ And I was like, the only way they can pronounce it is by spelling it ‘A Y R A.’ So, I was thinking about it and something just told me to go ‘A Y R A.’ And when I did, everything just came together: The meaning of the name, it felt like God was speaking to me.
“And ‘Starr’ was Don Jazzy’s idea. Ayra means ‘woke and open minded.’ And that’s what I want. I want to be honoured and respected.”
In other news, Veteran Nigerian comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, has recounted how his dad kept malice and disowned him for a decade, because he choose comedy over becoming a lawyer.
Featuring as a guest in the Christmas edition of The Honest Bunch Podcast, Alibaba recalled leaving the university to inform his dad about his intention to become a comedian and how his reaction forced him to abscond from home.
He said he became determined to be a successful comedian in a bid to prove his father wrong.
