Ayra Starr just gave New York something to talk about. The Afropop star shared a photo with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the two are locked in a playful mutual point-off.
Mamdani, on the left, wears a dark navy suit, white shirt, and blue-grey tie. His eyes are shut mid-laugh as he aims his right hand at her. Ayra fires back with her left hand, mouth open in a grin.
She’s dressed in a Black-and-white vertically striped off-the-shoulder mini dress, trimmed with Black lace at the top and hem. Silver necklace, bracelets, ring—long Black hair.
The setting looks official. The pair stand before a white marble fireplace with brass tools and a gold fireguard. A small orange model of the Staten Island Ferry sits on the mantel behind them.
The link-up caps a massive New York run for Ayra, who was recently unveiled as 66 GREENE’s Cycle 07 profile story cover star for September 2026, anchoring a cosmic editorial that mirrors her transition into an era of deep independence and self-discovery.
The full-blooded Nigerian singer moved into her own New York City apartment last fall after a three-month film shoot in Cape Town for Children of Blood and Bone. Raised in a tight-knit Nigerian family, she has experienced the most solitude yet since then. She survived the coldest New York winter in a decade, befriended her local barista, and eventually found her rhythm.
“I’m getting the hang of how to balance myself, not just being on autopilot,” she says.
The cover story drops on the heels of StarrGirl, a 16-track project featuring collaborations with ZAYN, Wizkid, Rema, Leon Thomas, and Theodora. The album was born from “understanding myself and accepting being misunderstood,” Ayra explains.
As for Mamdani — sworn in January 2026- he rapped for years under the name Young Cardamom.
