Popular Nigerian singer Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, widely recognised as Ayra Starr has disclosed that she was 14 years old at the time she gained admission to the university.
The Mavin Records princess claimed to have received her bachelor’s degree early because her mother had insisted that she complete her education before following her dream of being a teenage pop star.
In a recent interview with Billboard, Ayra Starr revealed the information, stating that her mother was the one who recommended that she moves to Lagos.
The “Rush” hitmaker went on to say that she took the JAMB exam with her older brother and was accepted into a reputable university based on her score.
In her words,
“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 her speak below.
