BET AND NISSAN JOIN FORCES FOR POPULAR EMERGING ARTIST INITIATIVE, BET AMPLIFIED  

GLOBAL MUSIC SENSATION AYRA STARR NAMED
‘BET AMPLIFIED’ ARTIST FOR SEPTEMBER 2024

Photo Credit: Mozes Polak

New York, NY, September 09, 2024 – BET and Nissan have teamed up to spotlight rising artists in music for the esteemed BET Amplified initiative. Launched in 2020, BET Amplified is recognized as BET's seal of endorsement for the next big thing in music, and spotlights artists poised for major impact in the industry. With over 10 years of support for this emerging artist platform, Nissan joins BET again this month to spotlight a new artist with its original one-on-one docu-style interview, “Road to Stardom,” set to air on BET.com and the official BET YouTube Channel. This month’s BET Amplified artist is none other than burgeoning Nigerian singer and songwriter Ayra Starr.

Born in the vibrant city of Cotonou, Benin Republic, and raised in the cultural melting pot of Lagos, Nigeria, Ayra Starr is set to blaze new trails with her unique sound and captivating presence. Since her debut in 2021, Ayra Starr has emerged as one of the most electrifying voices in music today, quickly capturing hearts and playlists with her anthemic Afrobeats tracks and fearless style, amassing over 4 billion global streams and earning critical acclaim across the globe.

Ayra Starr’s groundbreaking debut album, 19 & Dangerous, set the stage for her rise, and her 2022 hit “Rush” took her to the next level, racking up over 1.2 billion streams and even inspiring a high-energy remix with R&B legend Kelly Rowland. This track not only solidified her as a global sensation but also led to major accolades, including a GRAMMY nomination for Best African Music Performance—making her the youngest Nigerian female artist to achieve this honor. Ayra Starr was also the first female and Afrobeats artist to perform on the Glastonbury pyramid stage. Her 2024 has been equally impressive, with nominations for Best New Artist, Best International Act, and the BET Her Award at Culture’s Biggest Night, “BET Awards” 2024. She recently released her second studio album The Year I turned 21. The album serves as a coming of age album for the global superstar and is currently the most streamed Afrobeats album of 2024 so far on Spotify.

Ayra Starr can now add BET Amplified Artists to her list of accolades. As a BET Amplified artist, Ayra Starr will receive BET Music and Nissan’s support across multiple BET campaigns and platforms, including BET, BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET.com, BET Socials, and BET’s Official YouTube Page.

Previous BET Amplified artists include 41, Ambré, Armani White, Asake, Big Boss Vette, BossMan Dlow, Coco Jones, Connie Diiamond, Fridayy, HDBeenDope, Kaliii, Lady London, Lakeyah, Larry June, Lola Brooke, Maiya The Don, October London, Skilla Baby, Tanner Adell, That Mexican OT and more! 

About Ayra Starr
Since debuting in 2021, Ayra Starr has quickly become one of this generation’s most undeniable new voices in music. Renowned for her anthemic Afrobeats tracks and unapologetic style; the Beninese-Nigerian artist has amassed critical acclaim from tastemaker press, a huge international following and over 3 billion global streams. Following the release of her defining debut album 19 & Dangerous; her position as Africa’s hottest rising star has seen Ayra Starr tapped for collaborations with some of music’s biggest names including Wizkid, Stormzy, Tiwa Savage and Leigh-Anne, to name just a few. Ayra Starr has gained major traction over the last few years, but vaulted to the forefront of Afrobeats with 2022’s “Rush,” which garnered over 800 million global streams and attracted R&B icon Kelly Rowland on a high-powered remix. Recognized as a phenomenon in 2023, she notably garnered a nomination for “Best International Act” at the BET Awards as well as two MTV VMA nominations in the category of “Best Afrobeats Song” for both “Rush” and WizKid’s “2 Sugar” [feat. Ayra Starr]. Additionally, she received a GRAMMY nomination for Best African Music Performance for “Rush,” which marked her as the first and youngest Nigerian female artist to be nominated in that category. She also garnered a Soul Train Award nomination in the Best New Artist category and a Billboard Music Award for Top Afrobeats Song. So far in 2024, Ayra Starr has been nominated for three BET Awardsincluding Best New Artist, Best International Act and BET Her for “Commas.” Beyond praise from UPROXX, Variety, Conde Nast Traveler and more, she has also graced the covers of Teen Vogue, FAULT Magazine and Euphoria Magazine.

Stay tuned for more from Ayra Starr who will continue to bring Afrobeats to the forefront here in the U.S. and around the world. 

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MEDIA CONTACTS:
For BET
Johnny Cooper
Johnny.Cooper@bet.net

For Ayra Starr

Tomisin Afolabi

tomisin@mavinrecords.com 

Amaiya Davis
amaiya.davis@umusic.com