At the age of 14, Nigerian singer, Oyinkansola Aderibigbe professionally known as Ayra Starr shared that she gained admission to university, her decision to pursue music was initially influenced by her mother, who insisted she completes her degree before embarking on a music career.
She disclosed this in a recent interview with American media giant Billboard News.
Starr recounted:
I got into the university at 14. I feel like my mum has been using music to blackmail me since I was a child. She was like, ‘If you want to do music, you have to do this.’ When she suggested we relocate to Lagos from Benin Republic, I declined initially, but she convinced me that Lagos is the land of music. She insisted that if I want to do music, I would have to finish school first.
Ayra starr – Nigerian Singer
Despite relocating from Benin Republic to Lagos, Ayra Starr was determined to be a teenage pop star and strategically completed her studies early to achieve that goal.
Usually, a lot of people in Nigeria finish secondary school at 15, 16. I knew that if I waited till I’m 15 [before completing my secondary school], I won’t be able to be a teenage pop star. And I wanted to be a teenage pop star. So, I joined my elder brother and wrote JAMB, what you guys called SAT here. To be honest, the result wasn’t crazy to get me onto all these Ivy League schools but it was enough to pass by. It was enough for my mum. I got admitted into a good school. My course was for three years. It was International Relations. And immediately after my graduation, I started doing music covers online and that same year I got signed [to Mavin Records label].
Ayra starr
After graduating with a degree in International Relations, she delved into music and soon secured a contract with Mavin Records.
Story: Christy Dung