Ayra Starr released her sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21, on Friday, along with its lead single, “Last Heartbreak Song,” featuring Giveon.
The Nigerian Grammy nominee tells People having Giveon on the track was “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
“He brought everything he needed to bring to this record,” she tells the mag. “I’ve had ‘Last Heartbreak Song’ since I was making my first album, but I just didn’t feel like it was the right time to put it out.”
“I’m very good at making and recording, really sad songs,” she adds. “It is just something that comes very easily to me, and I love being able to make people feel. And when we sent it to Giveon and he sent his verse back, I remember crying in the car. I called my A&R and was just like, ‘I can’t believe this is real.'”
The Year I Turned 21, which Ayra calls a “coming-of-age” album, follows her first album, 19 & Dangerous, which featured the Grammy-nominated song “Rush.”
“I want people of different age brackets to listen to this album and be able to relate to every single story there,” she says.
This summer, Ayra has gigs lined up at Essence Festival and Glastonbury. She’s also up for three BET Awards, for Best New Artist, Best International Act and BET Her, for “Commas.”
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