A while back, Ayra Starr attended the Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty Earth Tone launch party in London, where she got to meet none other than Rihanna. Being international icons from two generations, the pair’s link-up went viral on social media.
On Thursday (May 30), the “Bloody Samaritan” singer detailed the entire interaction during an interview with Billboard. “You can see my face. I was like, ‘Wow! Rihanna!’ But I was really calm because she made me feel very calm and comfortable,” the 21-year-old artist shared.
“We got to hang out after the event. Just spending time with my idol, the person that inspired me to do all of this, was the most amazing thing. She gave me so many pointers and advice,” Starr continued. “I love my voice, but I know I have a very deep voice like, ‘Is that a man?! Is that a boy?!’ Rihanna was like, ‘You have the type of voice that can take over the males and take over the girls. You are here to take over both sides of the industry.’”
“She just put everything into perspective for me,” the musician concluded.
Friday (May 31) saw the release of Starr’s sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21. It spanned 15 songs, including surefire tracks like “Bad Vibes” with Seyi Vibez and “Goodbye (Warm Up).” Additional features included Asake, Giveon, Anitta and Coco Jones, the latter two of which lent their vocals to “Woman Commando.”
“I’ve been listening to Coco Jones since Let It Shine. I’m a Disney girl, I told you!” the Nigerian songstress said of the collaboration. “Anitta’s a no-brainer. [My choreographer and I] work out to her music [and] twerk to her music, so I was like, ‘Can we ask her for a verse?’”
Earlier this week, the “ICU” hitmaker sparked a debate among Starr’s fans after saying, “She’s going to be a star.”