Singer Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, popularly knowñ as Ayra Starr, has said moving to New York City has been harder than she expected and is affecting her motivation.
The 23‑year‑old relocated from Nigeria to New York last month, as part of her plan to grow her career internationally.
Ayra Starr shared her thoughts in a post on Substack titled “I’m not scared, I promise.”
She wrote about how the cold weather in New York has made it difficult for her to stay driven. She described the city as “a walk‑in freezer with rent,” adding that the cold sometimes feels like it is “actively trying to unalive my motivation.”
She also spoke about feeling tired and questioning herself as she adjusts to life far from home. “It’s the kind of cold that makes you realize happiness was just a summer hallucination,” she said in the post.
Ayra Starr first confirmed her relocation in an interview on Hot 93.7FM in November. She said she moved to New York less than two months ago and explained that the city reminds her of Lagos, where she grew up. She mentioned the large Nigerian and African community in New York, saying it makes the city feel familiar.
“New York reminds me so much of Lagos. There are a lot of Nigerians. There is a huge African diaspora here. So it feels like home,” she said.
Ayra Starr has been building her global music profile in recent years. She gained wide attention with hits like ‘Bloody Samaritan’ and ‘Hot Body’ and has worked with international artistes.
In 2024, she released her second studio album and continued to perform around the world, which explains her decision to make New York her base for collaborations and planning her next projects.
