Born in 4 June 2002, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe is a Beninese-born Nigerian singer, who began a fashion career at the age of 16 with Quove Model Management based in Lagos. From there, she modelled for companies such as Mazelle Studio, Complete Fashion Magazine and Esperanza Woman. Having been raised in a music-loving family, her interest in singing comes mostly from her family. At the age of 10, she sang in a high school choir and began writing songs with her brother. She attended "Les Cours Sonou University" and received a BA degree in international relations and political science, before deciding to pursue a career in music.
After covering several songs by popular artists on Instagram, she posted her first original song on her page in December 2019. This brought her to the attention of record executive Don Jazzy, who signed her to his record label Mavin Records. She chose her stage name because, in her words, "it means woke and eye-opening and that's what I stand for”. In 2020, she started recording at Mavin Studios in Lagos with producers Louddaaa and Don Jazzy. Her self-titled debut extended play was released on 22 January 2021 through Mavin Records. Shortly after its release, the EP became the number-one album on Nigeria iTunes and Apple Music.
On 6 August 2021, her debut studio album, titled 19 & Dangerous was released. For the album, she worked with her previous collaborators Louddaaa and Don Jazzy, both of whom contributed production on her EP Ayra Starr, and new collaborators, London and Andre Vibez. In September 2021, Ayra Starr became a brand ambassador for Pepsi Nigeria.