Afrobeats singer Ayra Starr has already broken numerous records, and her NFL half-time performance this weekend is set to level up her list again.
The Nigerian star will become the first African artist to headline one of the American football league’s international games when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.
Ahead of the performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Starr told BBC Newsbeat her history-making performance “itself is a message”.
Earlier this year, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny used his Super Bowl half-time show to celebrate Latin American culture.
The 32-year-old also made history by becoming the first musician to perform entirely in Spanish at the sporting event, normally the most-watched each year on US TV.
Starr said it’s “very important” for singers to seize opportunities like this.
“At the end of the day, as artists, we speak for the culture and we speak for the people that listen to us,” she added.
“And we have to represent any way that seems fit, that they need.”
She didn’t want to give away too much about her performance, but confirmed it would feature tracks from her new studio album, Starrgirl, which was released in August.
“Sunday is gonna be amazing,” she said.
“I’m still in rehearsals. It’s a lot of work we’re putting in so I’m really excited.”
The 24-year-old has been making waves in recent years, becoming the first African woman to win best international act at the Mobo Awards and the first Nigerian woman to surpass one billion video views on YouTube.
But before she became a superstar, the singer studied for a degree in political sciences and international relations – and said this has influenced her work.
“When it comes to matters of women and equality and the girl child and even just children – I’m very outspoken on any platform that sees fit.
“Even with my music, my music is very much like ‘I will do what I want’ and freedom.”
The Afrobeats genre, which originates from West Africa, has massively grown in recent years – dominating playlists and seeing artists, including Starr, featuring at major festivals such as Glastonbury.
She said the rest of the world is just “catching up” to a style that’s been “popping in Africa for the longest time”.
The singer added that becoming one of the dominant faces of the music she grew up listening to, alongside artists such as Wizkid and Burna Boy, is “crazy”.
Starr acknowledged it’s a male-dominated field and would like female artists to have more “space in the genre” and be “allowed the same privileges”.
But she also feels this is just the beginning.
“Afrobeats just keeps evolving, it keeps growing and it just keeps getting better… I want it to be one of the top genres in the world.”
By BBC News
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
