A ‘’Starr’’ In All Her Glory.

[Image Source: Instagram]

Writer: Toriola Olawale

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Her return to Nigeria for concerts in Abuja and Lagos is a testament to her victories both at home and abroad, celebrating one of her best years yet. 

Coca-Cola Rhythm Unplugged, the flagship event of Flytime Fest 2024 just concluded the celebration of their 20th anniversary in Lagos, hosting fans and attendees to a thrilling 4-day event featuring various artists including American Rapper ‘Gunna’ Nigeria’s very own ‘Olamide’, Davido and Ayra Starr. With each artist headlining as headliners for different days of the music festival. The first Rhythm Unplugged concert was held in 2004 at Fantasyland in Ikoyi, Lagos, following the success of the first Rhythm Unplugged concert, Flytime Promotions announced that it would host the concert annually at a larger venue in order to accommodate the growing fan base and 20 years later they’re still cruising. The choice of headliners for this year’s Rhythm Unplugged seem to be very well informed with Gunna making his African debut, Olamide hosting his first OLIC in years, Davido’s heroic appearance. It feels only right to have Ayra Starr close the celebration. 

2024 is the year Ayra Starr grew from a continental star to the global pop star that she’s always been poised to be. Ayra has had a phenomenal year. She was nominated for the 2024 Grammys, attended Paris Fashion Week, and wowed everyone with her looks while connecting with celebrities like Rihanna. Additionally, she has graced the covers of numerous magazines. Her album, *The Year I Turned 2021*, has surpassed 700 million streams on Spotify. She has performed in various countries, opened for Chris Brown on the 11:11 Tour, and made history as the first Afrobeats artist to perform on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage. 

Recently, she concluded her tour with Coldplay and received several other award nominations, solidifying her status as one of the most successful artists on the continent this year. Her return to Nigeria for concerts in Abuja and Lagos is a testament to her victories both at home and abroad, celebrating one of her best years yet. Given this success, it made perfect sense that she was chosen to headline the final day of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Rhythm Unplugged Flytime Fest in 2024.

At the EKO Convention Center, where the concert was held, there were peaks and valleys of mood and texture throughout Ayra Starr’s 90-minute set. The stage was designed with symbols and elements reminiscent of her album cover, featuring DJ KO sitting behind a red car on stage. A road sign displayed the songs from the album as depicted on the cover.

The night began with the energetic host and hypewoman, MIA, introducing herself as the event’s host. She welcomed various opening acts, predominantly emerging female artists, including DELA, AMAEYA, JUNO, ENAKY, and BLNDE. They all brought incredible energy to the stage, thrilling the audience and setting the tone for an exciting night. Fun games ensued, including a raffle draw sponsored by Baba Ijbeu, which saw one lucky attendee win 1,250,000 naira.

Once the opening acts concluded, it was time for the supporting performances. Lifesize Teddy, KOLD AF, and Solis took the stage, with MIA revealing her infectious energy before DJ KO began his set, hinting at Ayra's upcoming early arrival.

Ayra Starr finally arrived backstage around 9:30 PM but didn’t perform until around 1 AM, following DJ KO’s hour-long set. He delighted the crowd with gifts, and attendees, some dressed in their best Ayra outfits, were simply thrilled to be there. When Ayra finally appeared, the energy was electric. Flashlights flooded the hall as her presence sparked excitement in the crowd and among the VIPs backstage.

She opened with the violin-guided track “Birds Sing of Money,” rapping, “I don’t watch my tone ’cause I like how it sounds, bitch.” This seamlessly led into her smash hit record, ‘Bloody Samaritan.’ Ayra then brought out street pop sensation Ayo Maff to preview their upcoming collaboration, ‘Are You There’ remix, which further heightened the crowd’s enthusiasm. 

Lagos was treated to a performance of Ayra’s timeless feature with Asake, ‘Goodbye Warm Up,’ accompanied by eclectic choreography from her original dancers, familiar to her from previous tours. The performance continued with more hits, including 'Away' from her debut EP, which was a showstopper that captivated the audience. When she performed ‘Ngozi’ with Crayon, fans expressed disappointment when ‘Won Da Mo’ was performed without any appearances from Rema or other featured Mavin artists. However, she and Maggix delivered an electrifying rendition of their hit ‘Love Don’t Cost A Dime Re-up,’ reigniting the crowd’s excitement.

While CKAY was present backstage, he missed the opportunity to perform their hit song ‘Beggie Beggie,’ likely due to issues with his in-ears—a problem that seemed to happen repeatedly throughout the show, even when Darkoo came up.

Lucky attendees in Lagos got to see Ayra Starr in not one but two outfits for her Christmas Day concert. Before performing trust Tiwa to hype her when she came on stage, they performed ‘Stamina’ together. Before Ayra sang ‘Last Heart Break Song,’ she mentioned that her voice wasn’t at its best, but she had comfortably covered this with her energy all night. The provocative energy of ‘Lagos Love Story’ saw Ayra serenading a couple of fans in the crowd. When she asked one for his age and he said 14, she jokingly moved on to the next, while the audience sang along to every line of her songs.

A highlight for me was Rema’s arrival on stage to perform ‘AZAMAN’ and ‘OZEBA.’ The crowd's energy skyrocketed, changing the previously cutesy atmosphere. Ayra even commented, “So you people can shout like this, huh?” Then came ‘Sability,’ the universal anthem for the 'sabi' boys and girls. As Ayra performed ‘Rhythm and Blues’ and ‘Commas,’ it became evident that the show was nearing its conclusion. At 2 AM, she left the stage, and MIA and Dope Caesar took over for the after-party, closing out the concert as people began to leave.

Props must be given to MAVIN and the Rhythm Unplugged team for organizing such a beautiful show—from the stage setup and design to the lighting and selection of opening DJs and artists that set the stage for Ayra. It was the perfect Christmas gift to watch Ayra shine in all her glory and serenade the crowd in such a captivating way. It was truly an incredible experience that I will cherish forever. Witnessing Ayra’s growth from a 19-year-old artist who took the industry by storm to the global star she is today gives me great anticipation for the heights she is yet to reach. I personally cannot wait for her to achieve even greater success because she is a celestial being, destined to soar high among the stars.