Ayra Starr Is Patiently Waiting for You to Bring Up Anime and K-Drama
Welcome to mixed feelings’ Hyperspecific, a profile series of increasingly intimate questions in which we ask our favorite artists, scientists, musicians, and the like to unveil their innermost selves — their weird existential musings.
Imagine a young Ayra Starr sneaking out of her bedroom in the middle of the night to watch K-drama, bathed only in the light of the television set, careful not to wake her grandparents. It’s an experience I think a lot of us can relate to — being so obsessed with something you’re tempted to break the rules — whether you grew up in Lagos, Nigeria like she did, or in the Bay Area like I did.
I was first introduced to Ayra through her 2023 Teen Vogue cover, and soon after, her 2022 single “Rush” became one of my songs of the summer (albeit one year late). It is also the song for which she became the youngest African woman to surpass 100 million views for a single video on YouTube. No small feat for a then-20-year-old Starr.
Since then she’s picked up a host of accolades including award show wins and nominations, charting on both the Billboard Global and Nigerian Albums Chart making her acting debut, and collaborating with artists like Coldplay and Wizkid. And most recently, she released the highly vibrational new single “Hot Body.”
Wild success aside, deep down she’s a girl after our own hearts. Her interests are far and wide, and extremely online — from early love for Justin Bieber, Hannah Montana, and Nicki Minaj, to a fervent desire to bring up K-drama and anime at any given moment (...same).
To our delight, she came to our studio to do our Hyperspecific interview. Read it now, below.
LEVEL I
Something you’re always hoping people bring up in conversation.
Something about K-Drama or anime. I lowkey want to be like, “Do you watch K-Drama?” But I'm just like, “Lemme just be cool.” Right now When Life Gives You Tangerines is my personal favorite. I first got into K-Drama when I was probably, like, 12. And where I used to live there was no electricity during the day, only midnight. So, I would wait for when there's lights and I'll just go watch quickly, like, with the volume turned down. My grandparents would be like, “Go to bed. You have school tomorrow.”
Maybe the second time I meet [someone] I'll ask. I always want people to also bring up politics for some reason. I like to see who you are in your heart?
A positive trait people always tell you that you have?
People always say I have good energy and I think it's one of the best compliments I get.
What is one destructive trait you know you possess and wish you didn’t?
One other thing I'm learning to stop doing is to stop gaslighting myself. I gaslight myself a lot and sometimes I need to feel validated by the people around me. Not people I don't know, but people around me. But sometimes I just need to validate myself.
If a bodega were to name a dish after you, what would it be?
It would probably be the “Star Girl”. Bacon and egg sandwich with tomato and onions, thinly sliced, no cheese. No cheese, babe. And a vanilla latte with two extra shots of espresso and oat milk. Straight to the point.
I'm anti-cheese. I don't understand the point of cheese. I'm not going to lie. I'm Nigerian and it wasn't really in my diet. It doesn't taste like anything. I feel like I'm being lied to when people tell me “It tastes so good.” You guys are tricking me. Where are the cameras?
What’s one song that makes you feel understood?
Right now, it’s “Wait Your Turn” by Rihanna, on Rated R. It's just my song.
“The wait is over. The wait is over, the wait is over. The wait is over!” That's why I'm always late, guys, because I'm always vibing in my room.
What is something that you think is wildly underrated?
The pixie and the mullets are widely underrated for no reason, like, can you see what I'm working with? Hello? Hello. And there's something about the mullet that just makes you cool. If you've done a mullet once in your life, you automatically have my respect. Because, for you to be able to not care about societal standards and what hair should look like and you craft your hair in a way that [makes] you feel confident and it's not about other people, I respect you. You're that girl and that boy and that man.
LEVEL II
A movie/tv show you watch when you want to self-soothe.
Love After Lockup. It's a reality show about people in prison. People talk to people that are in prison through this app called “Meet An Inmate,” and they wait for the inmates to come out, and they kind of try to live life together. It's hilarious, but it's also very educational. I love it.
Who is your favorite chronically online personality?
Her name is Cherish (@harrietpotter_). She's hilarious. Every video. Funny.
I love Alex Consani too. I have her post notifications on because I need to watch it first. I don't want to watch it on someone else's TikTok. I need to watch it straight from the source.
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What is the first fandom you lost yourself in?
The first fandom I lost myself in [was] Nicki Minaj. I was in love with Nicki Minaj. I am in love with Nicki Minaj. I used to get into arguments because of Nicki Minaj at nine years old. Also, Justin Bieber. I was a big “Belieber.” I genuinely thought I was going to marry him. I was one of those girls, literally. One time, me and my siblings googled Justin Bieber's number and we found this random number. And this is us calling from Nigeria, by the way. So, we took my mom's phone and I was like, “Hello, is this Justin?” And the guy was like, “What?” “Justin Bieber? Is this Justin Bieber?” And he was like, “No.” And I ended the call like, “[That was] Justin Bieber.” I told everybody in school I spoke to Justin Bieber.
I did the same thing for Hannah Montana, for Miley Cyrus. When we called, it was just a random girl, and she was definitely not Miley. She was just like, no. She blocked us after, because we kept trying the number, for like, days after days and we're like, “Yo, Miley, just tell me the truth. I'll keep your secret, Miley.”
What is something you bought recently after LOTS of research?
Probably just a bunch of makeup. If a product just comes on my screen, I'm just like, “I need to try that”, and I buy it. So, I just bought the Patrick Ta Glow thing. So good.
What fictional world would you want to live in and why?
I really want to be in Princess and the Frog for some reason. Because the food looked so good. I don't want to be Princess Tiana, but if Prince [Naveen] had a brother, give me a shout, okay? Let me meet your brother quickly.
What is the most random thing you have in your home that requires explanation?
I have stained glass that you have, like, in Catholic churches in my living room. I also have a green couch, so the way the light hits it is just very beautiful, and people just don't get it. But if you know, you know.
LEVEL III
What’s an anecdote you usually tell to describe how you were as a kid?
I would always think I could just argue my way out of anything. And it worked most of the time. And every time I would get in trouble, I'd just be like, “Wait till I become a superstar. You won't be able to tell me this anymore.” I would get in trouble all the time, literally.
What is your lowkey hell and actual heaven?
My lowkey hell is probably not having my hair done. I don't know. I know it sounds crazy, but, when I don't have my hair done, I don't feel like I can do anything. I automatically become depressed. I automatically don't want to go out. I don't want to talk to anybody. Or, if I don't like my hair? That's the worst one. If I actually do have my hair done and it's not nice, I just want everything to just end. Like, pause the world. Pause, world. Stop.
My actual heaven is being around family or being around my friends. Any people that I can laugh around and make me happy, that is heaven. I want to crack jokes. I want them to roast me. I want to roast you back. Let's go band for band. Let's see who wins.
What is your most unhinged coping mechanism?
My most unhinged coping mechanism is probably sleeping. When it gets a bit too much for me I just want to hibernate. I just sleep my problems away.
What is one random thing you hate so much for no apparent reason?
Chocolate bars with peanuts in it. I know it's very weird because it's a very American thing. Well, it just doesn't mix. I can't [with] the textures, I can't. What is the peanut doing inside there? What is the peanut doing inside that chocolate bar? I don't even like chocolate in general, to be honest.
How do you exit a party?
I’m not telling anybody I'm leaving. I like to be a myth. I make sure it's at the height [of the party]. So, everybody's having the best time. I'm gone. Gone. Can't find me. I like people to feel like, “Was she actually here? Did she actually come to this party?” They have to check videos.
How you wanna go (either un-seriously or seriously).
First of all, I don't want to die in Jesus’ name until I'm old, old, old, very, very old. I definitely want a pink casket. I want people to celebrate because of how long I lived. I want it to be a week celebration where I'm dividing my will. Bring the cameras.
i’d love to know what else is on her K-drama list! i loved When Life Gives You Tangerines