Popular singer and songwriter, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe professionally called Ayra Starr has revealed that she was 14 years old when she gained admission into the university.
The Mavin Records princess said she had bagged her bachelor’s degree early because her mother said she must graduate before pursuing her music career and she wanted to be a teenage pop star.
Ayra Starr made the revelation during a recent interview with Billboard, noting that her mum was the person who suggested that she moves to Lagos.
The ‘Rush’ hit-maker further said she sat for JAMB exam together with her elder brother and with her result, she got admitted into a good school.
Starr recounted: “I got into the university at 14. I feel like my mum has been using music to blackmail me since I was a child. She was like, ‘If you want to do music, you have to do this.’ When she suggested we relocate to Lagos from Benin Republic, I declined initially, but she convinced me that Lagos is the land of music.
“She insisted that if I want to do music, I would have to finish school first. Usually, a lot of people in Nigeria finish secondary school at 15, 16. I knew that if I waited till I’m 15 [before completing my secondary school], I won’t be able to be a teenage pop star. And I wanted to be a teenage pop star. So, I joined my elder brother and wrote JAMB, what you guys called SAT here.
“To be honest, the result wasn’t craazy to get me onto all these Ivy League schools but it was enough to pass by. It was enough for my mum. I got admitted into a good school. My course was for three years. It was International Relations. And immediately after my graduation, I started doing music covers online and that same year I got signed [to Mavin Records label].”
Watch the interview:
"I got into uni at 14"
– Ayra Starr pic.twitter.com/i51gJrVbNY
— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) February 22, 2024