Ayra Starr Releases New Dare to Dream Documentary
On August 1, Ayra Starr partnered with Amazon Music for Dare to Dream, a documentary in which she discusses her upbringing, the future of Afrobeats, and her goals.
The Dare to Dream premiere happened at The Culver Theater in California on July 30.
The film’s press screening also included a Q&A portion. The singer revealed that she would want her first film “to be in a high school movie, like the ones we grew up watching, like a Euphoria type. I feel like I would play that so well — the main mean girl.”
Directed and produced by HOMECOMING, Dare to Dream is a 23-minute short film that explores how Starr followed her dreams of becoming a famous singer. The documentary travels between her birthplaces in Cotonou, Lagos, London, and Los Angeles. Through intimate confessional scenes, the film also shows Oyinkansola (Starr’s real name), the Nigerian-Beninese girl behind the music.
After the premiere, the pop star told Billboard, “I’ve always wanted to do this to inspire African girls all over [the world], Black girls, girls in general to keep going and do what they believe they were born to do. I’m just a regular African girl, you understand. And I’ve come this far, and I want them to feel like, ‘Oh, I can relate to that.'”
The “Rush” singer is the first Afrobeats artist named Amazon’s Music Breakthrough Artist. The program champions artists early in their careers with playlist support, social media campaigns, an Amazon Music Original song, and other marketing opportunities. Other artists who have benefitted from the program are Chappell Roan and Benson Boone.
Ayra Starr Stars in "Dare to Dream" Documentary & Becomes Amazon Music's First Afrobeats Breakthrough Artist pic.twitter.com/GbZYzNNCwN
— Joy8 (@Atolagbejoy23) August 1, 2024
Alexis Cueva, the artist relations for Amazon Music, states, “Ayra Starr was an obvious choice for our latest Breakthrough artist. A one-of-a-kind talent leading the exhilarating world of Afrobeats, her early successes have already been thrilling. With Ayra joining the Breakthrough family, we’re excited to support her as she continues to garner worldwide acclaim and represent Nigeria’s music scene on the global stage.”
The star introduces herself during the documentary: “My name is Ayra Starr. I am a Global superstar from Nigeria. I am the manifestation of the dreams, hopes, and prayers of my mother. I am water. I am fire. I am Earth. I am air. I am all the elements combined. I am a Celestial Being but I am also just a girl.”
The Nigerian musician is not “just a girl.” She is a singer, songwriter, fashionista, aspiring actress, and a role model to many. However, the star often refers to herself as a “celestial being,” stating, “When I first started calling myself a celestial being, it just came to me. It was something I would just say to myself, I didn’t know where the word came from…”
Throughout Dare to Dream, there is a theme for the singer to stay authentic to herself through her family and her native language. The “Woman Commando” singer explains, “English is my first language, but I am not English. I’m a Nigerian girl. And the whole world is trying to sing in English. And I get what the mission is, but at the same time, I want to become a global superstar from Africa and it is very important, it is very key for me to show off my culture to the world and if that means mixing English with some of my language in a way that even white people are singing in Pidgin then I’ve done something great.”
So proud of Ayra Starr and her first GRAMMY debut ! So stunning!
—DRESS LIKE AYRA STAR(@dresslikeayra) February 5, 2024
There's many more to come by God's grace.
Everything you have accomplished and will continue to your Mobstarrs are here for you.pic.twitter.com/sPdsIS3699
While reflecting on her nomination at the 2024 Grammy Awards, Starr expresses, “What Afrobeats and African music [have] done, it shows that we’re unstoppable. We’re literally the best genre in the world. I want to become a global superstar from Africa, and it’s very important and very key for me to show up for my culture to the world.”
The artist continues, “I want people to look back and be like, ‘She was very proud of where she was from.’ From the songs I sampled, from the songs I make, my beats… I feel like some people don’t get it now, but you’re going to get it in the future.”
You can watch Dare to Dream down below.
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