{"id":2099053,"date":"2026-08-18T09:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T06:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2099053"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:00:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T06:00:40","slug":"ayra-starr-starrgirl-album-review-the-afro-rb-superstar-widens-her-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2099053","title":{"rendered":"Ayra Starr \u2013 \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 album review: the Afro-R&amp;B superstar widens her orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ayra-Starr-Credit-Press.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ayra-Starr-Credit-Press-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Ayra Starr Stargirl Review\" title=\"Ayra Starr Stargirl Review\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Ayra Starr. Credit: Press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Ayra Starr \u2013 \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 album review: the Afro-R&amp;B superstar widens her orbit<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The Beninese-Nigerian singer steps into a bigger, bolder world on her most adventurous album yet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">4.5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Kyann-Sian Williams<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-18T10:00:40+01:00\">18th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>When Ayra Starr first stepped onto the scene, she became a go-to for pristine, pretty music with her first two albums \u2013 \u201819 &amp; Dangerous\u2019 (2021) and \u2018The Year I Turned 21\u2019 (2024) \u2013 both powered by chart zingers. But on \u2018Starrgirl\u2019, the Beninese-Nigerian singer ascends, becoming an artist who knows her space in the music world and still pushes at the sides of the box to make more room. Bouncing between R&amp;B, blues, Afropop and pure pop balladry, she is more confident, playful and sure in her own light \u2013 which shines brighter than ever on this record.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Grimes\u2019 Hatsune Miku collaboration is filled with love: \u201cI feel really in awe of her, but also protective of her\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Kicking off with the enthralling, amapiano-inflected \u2018Dangerous\u2019, \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 immediately feels heavier and more physical than her earlier work. But Starr constantly morphs: from the sultry R&amp;B of smouldering \u2018Amazing\u2019 with Kwn into the suave sophistication of the Afropop-leaning \u2018Gimme Dat\u2019, where she goes toe-to-toe with Wizkid over heartstring-plucking guitar, before \u2018Pressure\u2019 brings in Leon Thomas for a sunnier, glossy pop sound. Yet, these songs flow seamlessly into one another, bound by the same sense of uninhibited freedom \u2013 Starr finally letting herself roam, and that\u2019s what makes \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 feel like such a step forward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>While the singer\u2019s previous records were charming, they often remained in a polite, palatable space \u2013 but \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 gives her room to experiment. \u2018Ms. Paper\u2019 with Theodora brings a frenzied Francophone dancefloor energy that\u2019s built to shell down a f\u00eate. That evolution is just as apparent in her songwriting, where she moves beyond the broad strokes of romance and empowerment to allow in more specificity, vulnerability and personality. \u2018Letter To God\u2019 is a moving ballad where Starr\u2019s bluesy vocals play around on the doo-wop-y beat as she sings, <i>\u201cI wrote a letter to God \u2019bout you\u201d<\/i>. \u2018Heaven Baby\u2019, meanwhile, takes a more direct route; rather than relying on heavy imagery or abstraction, Starr and Zayn Malik\u00a0shoot straight: <i> \u201cYou could be my heaven, baby \/ Die for you if you let me, baby.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ayra Starr - Tornado (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/90jy5Jgzb-Y?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Though, Starr doesn\u2019t always hit it out of the park with her newfound penchant for pushing boundaries. \u2018Where Do We Go\u2019 is a thrilling showcase for her voice, even if her huge belts occasionally struggle to find somewhere comfortable to sit inside its fast-moving riddim: <i>\u201cWhere do we go from here? \/ After I dried my tear, After I say goodbye \/ You never made it clear\u201d<\/i>. Meanwhile, \u2018Misunderstood\u2019 is a perfectly enjoyable dance-pop empowerment song with a 2010s sheen, but could belong to almost anyone. It works; it just doesn\u2019t feel particularly like her.<\/p>\n<p>Those rare stumbles aside, considering the polished crossover moments, \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 never loses sight of the musical ecosystem that made Starr. She doesn\u2019t abandon the Afrobeats foundation that made her compelling nor reinvent herself with some new popstar gimmick; instead, she pushes the parameters of her style to make room for more of what\u2019s already in her arsenal. The result is an album that feels bigger without losing who she is \u2013 Ayra\u2019s been a star for years, but now she\u2019s finally got room to go supernova.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ayra-Starr-Starrgirl-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"ayra starr starrgirl review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Mavin Records \/ Republic Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 14, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Ayra Starr<\/li>\n<li>R&amp;B<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Matthew McConaughey says he stopped smoking weed because of a Janet Jackson song<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Festivals Blog<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Skrillex and Jorja Smith wrap up Sziget 2026 on the dancefloor<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Lionel Richie hits out at Usher and Chris Brown\u2019s joint tour: \u201cWe didn\u2019t go to jail\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Erykah Badu and The Alchemist announce long-awaited joint album with soothing single \u2018Witch Doctor\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Album Reviews<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Jorja Smith \u2013 \u2018What Are The Odds\u2019 review: embracing catharsis on the dancefloor<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Festivals Blog<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Sombr and Dijon ripped up the rulebook on day one at Sziget Festival 2026<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>When Ayra Starr first stepped onto the scene, she became a go-to for pristine, pretty music with her first two albums \u2013 \u201819 &amp; Dangerous\u2019 (2021) and \u2018The Year I Turned 21\u2019 (2024) \u2013 both powered by chart zingers. But on \u2018Starrgirl\u2019, the Beninese-Nigerian singer ascends, becoming an artist who knows her space in the music world and still pushes at the sides of the box to make more room. Bouncing between R&amp;B, blues, Afropop and pure pop balladry, she is more confident, playful and sure in her own light \u2013 which shines brighter than ever on this record.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Grimes\u2019 Hatsune Miku collaboration is filled with love: \u201cI feel really in awe of her, but also protective of her\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Kicking off with the enthralling, amapiano-inflected \u2018Dangerous\u2019, \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 immediately feels heavier and more physical than her earlier work. But Starr constantly morphs: from the sultry R&amp;B of smouldering \u2018Amazing\u2019 with Kwn into the suave sophistication of the Afropop-leaning \u2018Gimme Dat\u2019, where she goes toe-to-toe with Wizkid over heartstring-plucking guitar, before \u2018Pressure\u2019 brings in Leon Thomas for a sunnier, glossy pop sound. Yet, these songs flow seamlessly into one another, bound by the same sense of uninhibited freedom \u2013 Starr finally letting herself roam, and that\u2019s what makes \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 feel like such a step forward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>While the singer\u2019s previous records were charming, they often remained in a polite, palatable space \u2013 but \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 gives her room to experiment. \u2018Ms. Paper\u2019 with Theodora brings a frenzied Francophone dancefloor energy that\u2019s built to shell down a f\u00eate. That evolution is just as apparent in her songwriting, where she moves beyond the broad strokes of romance and empowerment to allow in more specificity, vulnerability and personality. \u2018Letter To God\u2019 is a moving ballad where Starr\u2019s bluesy vocals play around on the doo-wop-y beat as she sings, <i>\u201cI wrote a letter to God \u2019bout you\u201d<\/i>. \u2018Heaven Baby\u2019, meanwhile, takes a more direct route; rather than relying on heavy imagery or abstraction, Starr and Zayn Malik\u00a0shoot straight: <i> \u201cYou could be my heaven, baby \/ Die for you if you let me, baby.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ayra Starr - Tornado (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/90jy5Jgzb-Y?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Though, Starr doesn\u2019t always hit it out of the park with her newfound penchant for pushing boundaries. \u2018Where Do We Go\u2019 is a thrilling showcase for her voice, even if her huge belts occasionally struggle to find somewhere comfortable to sit inside its fast-moving riddim: <i>\u201cWhere do we go from here? \/ After I dried my tear, After I say goodbye \/ You never made it clear\u201d<\/i>. Meanwhile, \u2018Misunderstood\u2019 is a perfectly enjoyable dance-pop empowerment song with a 2010s sheen, but could belong to almost anyone. It works; it just doesn\u2019t feel particularly like her.<\/p>\n<p>Those rare stumbles aside, considering the polished crossover moments, \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 never loses sight of the musical ecosystem that made Starr. She doesn\u2019t abandon the Afrobeats foundation that made her compelling nor reinvent herself with some new popstar gimmick; instead, she pushes the parameters of her style to make room for more of what\u2019s already in her arsenal. The result is an album that feels bigger without losing who she is \u2013 Ayra\u2019s been a star for years, but now she\u2019s finally got room to go supernova.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ayra-Starr-Starrgirl-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"ayra starr starrgirl review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Mavin Records \/ Republic Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 14, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/ayra-starr-starrgirl-album-review-3963335&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ayra-Starr-Credit-Press.jpg&#8221;] Ayra Starr. Credit: Press ReviewsAlbum Reviews Ayra Starr \u2013 \u2018Starrgirl\u2019 album review: the Afro-R&amp;B superstar widens her orbit The Beninese-Nigerian singer steps into a bigger, bolder world on her most adventurous album yet 4.5 By Kyann-Sian Williams 18th August 2026 When Ayra Starr first stepped onto the scene, she became a go-to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2099053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2099053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2099053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2099053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2099053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2099053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2099053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}