Why I Signed Ayra Starr To Mavin Records – Don Jazzy

SOURCE: guardian.ng

Mavin Records founder, Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has explained why he signed Afrobeats star Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, better known as Ayra Starr, to his record label.

The producer, in an interview on Echo Room, said he first discovered the 23-year-old singer on Instagram and was struck by her youthful energy and originality.

According to him, Ayra filled a gap in the industry as a teenage Afrobeats act with global potential.

He said, “I don’t know whether it’s a genius idea or not. It just felt like the industry needed it… For someone like Ayra, there is a space for a young teenage Afrobeat superstar from Nigeria that we want to ensure becomes global. So it was very intentional.”

Don Jazzy noted that before signing her, he had asked a Gen Z follower to share the handles of young talents in their school. The fan sent him several Instagram pages, including Ayra’s.

He said, “She sent a couple of Instagram pages of some people, who, oh, look at them, and you say, ‘I look at them.’ I said, Okay, fine. They’re not bad; I’ll keep watching them to see how they move on in the social media space. And luckily for me, one of those days, she saw a video where I was freestyling and sent it to me.”

The Mavin boss added that he contacted Ayra through a direct message, but when she did not reply, he reached out to her brother instead.

“She didn’t answer me first. I saw her brother. I saw a post that she posted with her brother as well. I sent a message as well to her brother,” he explained.

Ayra Starr signed to Mavin Records in 2020. Her self-titled debut EP was released in January 2021 and produced the hit single “Away”, which topped charts across Africa.

Since then, Ayra has grown into one of Nigeria’s biggest Afrobeats stars, earning international recognition with hits like “Rush” and a Grammy nomination.