Afrobeats pop star Ayra Starr has revealed the secret to being a “sabi girl”, a phrase she popularised.

In an interview on MTV’s “Touching Base”, Ayra Starr opened up about her life in the spotlight, her latest album “The Year I Turned 21” and the inspiration behind her music.

When asked about the essence of being a “sabi girl”, Ayra Starr defined it as embodying confidence, kindness, and intelligence. 

She said: “To be a sabi girl is to be confident, kind, and smart. You have to have sense.”

However, Ayra Starr also shared the downsides of fame, revealing a recent encounter at the airport where she was asked for a selfie while her bag was being checked. 

“My first reality check when I became famous was realising that there is no privacy, even when you want it to be private.

She added: “Something happened the other day, I was at the airport and they stopped me to check my bag and as they were checking one of the people there was like, ‘Can I take a selfie?’, and I looked at him with so much disappointment. I was like ‘Really? Sorry I just woke up’ and he was like ‘It doesn’t matter’ and I was like ‘please please please ‘ and he said ‘Why are you shouting Ayra Starr?'”

Despite the challenges, Ayra Starr said her 21st year has been a game-changer.

“The year I turned 21 was the year that I accepted that I’m just going to be me and I’m going to be audacious and I’m going to be that girl,” Ayra Starr said.

[TheNation]