Ayra Starr, a Nigerian Afrobeats artist, recently moved to New York from Lagos after signing a management deal with Roc Nation
In her Substack post titled “I’m not scared, I promise,” she discusses her experiences in the new city.
She expresses feelings of loneliness and describes the cold weather as challenging, comparing her apartment to “almost-empty” and New York to “a walk-in freezer.”
Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Ayra Starr has shared insights into her life in New York, weeks after moving from Lagos following a management deal with Roc Nation.
In a recent Substack post titled “I’m not scared, I promise,” the singer opened up about the challenges of loneliness and freezing temperatures in her new city, describing her apartment as “almost-empty” and likening New York to “a walk-in freezer.”
She admitted that at times, she questions her decision to relocate.
“It’s so cold that it feels like the city is deliberately draining my motivation. The kind of cold that makes you think happiness was just a fleeting summer illusion, while a tiny voice in my head keeps sarcastically asking, ‘Who sent you work?’” Starr wrote.
The singer noted that she would have been enjoying the festive vibes of Detty December back home in Nigeria, but instead, she finds herself navigating isolation and harsh weather in New York, a consequence of taking a bold, unconventional step.
Ayra Starr also revealed that she is entering what she calls her “nobody gets me era,” emphasizing that she is no longer concerned with proving herself to anyone.

