Fast-rising Afrobeats star and two-time Grammy nominee, Ayra Starr, has revealed that Burna Boy remains her number one choice for a future music collaboration.
The singer, whose real name is Sarah Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, made this known during a recent interview with Billboard. The interview, shared on Thursday, featured a conversation between Ayra Starr and Love Island USA star, Chelley Bissainthe, where the Nigerian singer spoke about her career, her Grammy journey and her plans for the future.
“Everybody knows Burna Boy is like my number one person I want to collaborate with,” Ayra Starr said.
“I’ve collaborated with a lot of people, and I still want to collaborate with many more people,” she added.
Ayra Starr’s statement has excited fans, especially as Burna Boy is one of Africa’s biggest music exports and a Grammy winner himself. Many see a possible collaboration between the two stars as a major moment for Afrobeats.
Ayra Starr is currently enjoying another major milestone in her career after earning a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance. The nomination came from her collaboration with Wizkid on the song Gimme Dat, which was released on April 25, 2025.
The Grammy nominations were announced in November 2025, ahead of the award ceremony scheduled to hold on February 1, 2026.
This nomination makes Ayra Starr a two-time Grammy nominee, a rare achievement for an artist still early in her career.
Reacting to the recognition, the singer described the nomination as a moment that gave her confidence and reassurance.
“I remember I was so excited. I was like, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God. I knew it. I knew it,’” she said.
“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,’” Ayra Starr said.
Ayra Starr also spoke about how different her emotions were between her first and second Grammy nominations.
According to her, the first nomination felt shocking and unreal, while the second one felt like confirmation that she is on the right path.
“The first time I got nominated, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I got nominated. This is crazy,’” she said.
“But the second time felt like reassurance and just like, ‘Oh, I’m good at this. I know what I’m doing,’” she added.
The singer said the experience has helped her grow in confidence.
“Maybe I need to trust God and myself a bit more,” she said.
Speaking on how Gimme Dat came together, Ayra Starr revealed interesting details about the song’s inspiration and production.
The track samples 911, a popular song by Wyclef Jean and Mary J. Blige. However, Ayra Starr said she did not immediately know the origin of the sample.
“To be honest, I was born in 2002, so I didn’t really know exactly,” she said.
“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 also shared what she described as a surprising coincidence during the recording process.
“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,” she said.
“So it felt like everything was just meant to be.”
Despite the success of Gimme Dat, Ayra Starr revealed that recording the song was not easy for her.
She said she struggled with her voice during the initial recording sessions.
“First of all, I sounded horrible,” she admitted. “The engineer knew I sounded horrible. I sounded bad the first day.”
According to her, she did not give up even though her voice was not at its best.
She returned to the studio the following day, determined to get it right.
“My voice was still all over the place, but I was very, very determined,” she said.
“I wanted to sound great. I gave my all, and we thank God for technology. It came out beautiful.”
Ayra Starr also disclosed that Gimme Dat was originally meant to be a solo project before Wizkid became part of it.
“I recorded this song maybe six or eight months before it actually came out,” she said.
“This was before Wizkid even jumped on it. It was supposed to be just my single.”
She explained that once Wizkid joined the project, everything fell into place.
“When we got Wizkid on the track, I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time,’” she said.
“It came together perfectly at the right time.”
The collaboration between Ayra Starr and Wizkid has been widely praised and is seen as another strong example of Nigerian artists supporting one another on the global stage.
Ayra Starr also spoke about the growing global attention African music is receiving, saying the moment has been a long time coming.
“I feel like it’s Africa’s time music-wise,” she said.
“We’ve always made amazing music, and the world is just catching up.”
Over the past few years, Afrobeats and other African sounds have gained massive international recognition, with Nigerian artists topping global charts and winning major awards.
Artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido and Tems have helped push African music into the global spotlight, creating more opportunities for younger acts like Ayra Starr.
Looking to the future, Ayra Starr revealed that she is far from done and has many plans ahead.
She said she is currently working on new music, including an album.
“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.”
She also surprised fans by revealing plans to write a book.
“By God’s grace — a book,” she added.
As her career continues to grow, Ayra Starr remains one of Nigeria’s most promising music stars. With Grammy recognition, major collaborations and big dreams ahead, many fans believe her best days are still to come.
And with her clear desire to work with Burna Boy, music lovers will be watching closely to see if Africa’s top stars will soon share the same track.