Award-winning singer Ayra Starr has revealed her wish to collaborate with Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, describing him as her top choice.
In a recent interview with Billboard, Starr said, “Everybody knows Burna Boy is like my number one person I want to collaborate with. I’ve collaborated with a lot of people, and I still want to collaborate with many more people.”
Her comments come shortly after she earned two Grammy nominations, including Best African Music Performance for her collaboration with Wizkid on “Gimme Dat.” The nominations were announced in November 2025, ahead of the Grammy Awards ceremony set for February 1, 2026.
Reflecting on the recognition, Starr described the moment as a reassurance in her career. “I remember I was so excited. I was like, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God. I knew it. I knew it. Every day I feel happy. I’m very grateful. Every day it’s like a new feeling — ‘Oh, I’m actually a two-time Grammy nominee,’” she said.
Comparing her first and second nominations, the singer noted, “The first time I got nominated, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I got nominated. This is crazy.’ But the second time felt like reassurance and just like, ‘Oh, I’m good at this. I know what I’m doing.’” She added, “Maybe I need to trust God and myself a bit more.”
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“Gimme Dat,” which samples 911 by Wyclef Jean and Mary J. Blige, has been central to her growing international acclaim. Starr admitted she was initially unaware of the song’s origins.
“To be honest, I was born in 2002, so I didn’t really know exactly. I didn’t really know until I was recording the song and Don Jazzy was like, ‘Okay, this is a 911 sample.’ Then I went and did my research, and I was like, Wow,” she said.
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She described the experience as almost symbolic. “The crazy thing was that the studio I was recording in was also Wyclef’s studio, and I did not know that at the time. So it felt like everything was just meant to be,” Starr said.
The singer also spoke about struggling with her voice during the recording. “First of all, I sounded horrible… The engineer knew I sounded horrible. I sounded bad the first day,” she admitted. But her determination pushed her to return the next day.
“My voice was still all over the place, but I was very, very determined. I wanted to sound great. I gave my all, and we thank God for technology. It came out beautiful.”
Interestingly, “Gimme Dat” was originally intended to be a solo track. “I recorded this song maybe six or eight months before it actually came out. This was before Wizkid even jumped on it. It was supposed to be just my single,” she said.
“When we got Wizkid on the track, I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time.’ It came together perfectly at the right time.”
On the global rise of African music, Starr said, “I feel like it’s Africa’s time music-wise. We’ve always made amazing music, and the world is just catching up.”
Looking ahead, the singer said shes’s focused on is both music and other creative ventures. “One thing I’m doing this year is creating whatever I want to exist,” she said. “I’m working on an album. I’m not done. By God’s grace — a book.”
