Ayra Starr has entered the billion-stream stratosphere with a milestone that cements her place among the global greats.
Her sophomore album, “The Year I Turned 21,” has officially crossed 1.2 billion streams on Spotify, marking a defining moment for Afrobeats and African music as a whole.
She now becomes only the 4th Nigerian project and 5th African project in history to reach this benchmark—an achievement reserved for the continent’s most dominant musical exports.
Released in May 2024, the album exploded far beyond its Afrobeats roots. It became a soundtrack for Gen Z confidence and heartbreak, pairing Ayra’s celestial vocals with genre-fluid production that resonated from Nigeria to the world. Hits like “Comma,” “Santa,” and “Bad Vibes” shaped trends, fed dance challenges, and filled stadiums worldwide.
With this feat, Ayra Starr joins a small circle occupied by Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Rema. However, her rise is uniquely groundbreaking: achieving this with her second studio album at just 22 places her in a league of her own. For a young woman in a male-dominated industry, this milestone marks a significant turning point.
More than numbers, it confirms the unstoppable “Ayra Starr effect”—a fusion of powerhouse vocals, fearless fashion, and a global fanbase that grows louder by the day.
