At 21 years old, Ayra Starr is marking her transition into adulthood with her aptly titled sophomore album ‘The Year I Turned 21.’ Though she’ll be celebrating her 22nd birthday on Friday, this week, the project is something similar to an artistic snapshot of her 21st year.
The Nigerian artist views the album as “a coming-of-age story”. To her, it chronicles the emotions and experiences she had during that period. She states,
“This album is my story, my growth, and my heart. I hope everyone feels it, too.”
While her acclaimed debut three years ago, “19 & Dangerous,” captured the youthful angst. This new record finds Starr talking about the insecurities and pressures of young adulthood with newfound maturity. Her second album gives us a taste of her expanded musical palette. She mixes up Afrobeats with alt-R&B, soul, and hip-hop influences.
The star-studded guest list includes Coco Jones, Asake, Anitta, and Rauw Alejandro across the 15 tracks released. Production credits also goes to big names like London, Lauda, Redmolla and her mentor Don Jazzy. Now thematically, Ayra explores love, heartbreak, self-discovery and growing pains in this new album.
She makes an assertive opening statement on “Birds Sing of Money” rapping “I don’t watch my tone ’cause I like how it sounds.” The confessional “21” and empowerment anthem “Woman Commando” highlight her introspective songwriting.
The collaborations she had on certain tracks were really well done. Like Asake’s warm vocals complementing Ayra on the breezy “Goodbye (Warm Up),” and Giveon’s soulful crooning on the “Last Heartbreak Song.”
Ayra Starr also pays tribute to her heritage on the spiritual Juju fusion “Orun”. She also gets personal reminiscing on hard work’s rewards with brother Milar on “1942.” But the centerpiece is “The Kids Are Alright,” which is a poignant remembrance of her late father featuring voicemails from her family.
Polished production strengthens the album’s sonic cohesion, which sails smoothly between live instrumentation, electronic textures and layered vocals. Tracks like the sultry “Control” and nostalgic “Jazzy’s Song” display the crisp sound quality.
While a few songs like “Commas” didn’t fully resonate with me, Ayra still drew me in on standouts like the “Lagos Love Story”.
Overall, ‘The Year I Turned 21‘ moves beyond pure feel-good anthems. It delves into the artist’s reflections on fame, money, relationships, and self-definition when she turned 21. With this album, Ayra Starr seems to conclude that holding onto a touch of teen spirit during adulthood isn’t so bad.
What do you think about the album? Let us know in the comments section below.
