History Made: Ayra Starr Headlines the NFL Halftime Show
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| Ayra Starr (Nigerian singer-songwriter) |
Afrobeats star Ayra Starr, already a record-breaker many times over, is set to add to her list of achievements with her NFL halftime performance this weekend.
The Nigerian singer will become the first African artist to headline one of the league's international games when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat ahead of the show, Starr said her history-making performance "itself is a message".
Starr also became the first musician to perform entirely in Spanish at the event, which is typically the most-watched broadcast on US television each year.
Starr described it as "very important" for artists to seize opportunities like this.
"At the end of the day, as artists, we speak for the culture and we speak for the people that listen to us," she added.
"And we have to represent any way that seems fit, that they need."
While she was careful not to reveal too much about the show, she confirmed it will include songs from her new studio album, Starrgirl, released in August.
"Sunday is gonna be amazing," she said.
"I'm still in rehearsals. It's a lot of work we're putting in so I'm really excited."
The 24-year-old has made waves in recent years. She became the first African woman to win best international act at the Mobo Awards and the first Nigerian woman to pass one billion YouTube video views.
Before her rise to stardom, Starr studied political science and international relations, a background she says continues to shape her work.
"When it comes to matters of women and equality and the girl child and even just children - I'm very outspoken on any platform that sees fit.
"Even with my music, my music is very much like 'I will do what I want' and freedom."
Afrobeats, which originated in West Africa, has grown enormously in recent years, dominating playlists and earning a place at major festivals such as Glastonbury, where Starr has also performed.
She said the rest of the world is simply "catching up" to a sound that's been "popping in Africa for the longest time".
Starr called becoming one of the leading faces of the music she grew up listening to, alongside artists such as Wizkid and Burna Boy, "crazy".
She acknowledged that the genre is male-dominated and said she would like female artists to have more "space in the genre" and be "allowed the same privileges".
Still, she believes this is only the beginning.
"Afrobeats just keeps evolving, it keeps growing and it just keeps getting better... I want it to be one of the top genres in the world."
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