Afrobeats artist Burna Boy continues to be Ayra Starr’s top pick for a duet, according to the two-time Grammy nominee.
In a Billboard interview released on Thursday, the singer, whose real name is Sarah Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, revealed the information when discussing her 2026 Grammy nominations with Love Island USA star Chelley Bissainthe.
Everyone is aware that Burna Boy is the person I would most like to work with. Ayra Starr remarked, “I’ve worked with a lot of people, and I still want to work with a lot more people.”
For her work with Wizkid on Gimme Dat, which was released on April 25, 2025, Ayra Starr was recently nominated for a Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
Prior to the Grammy Awards presentation on February 1, 2026, the nominations were revealed in November 2025.
The “Sabi Girl” singer responded to the acknowledgment by calling the second nomination “reassurance” for her career.
“I recall being ecstatic.” “Oh my God,” I thought. God, oh God. I was aware of it. I was aware of it. Every day I feel delighted. I’m really appreciative. “Oh, I’m actually a two-time Grammy nominee,” she remarked. “It’s like a new feeling every day.”
“The first time I got nominated, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I got nominated,'” she continued, contrasting the two nominations. This is absurd. However, the second time was reassuring and made me feel like, “Oh, I’m good at this.” I know what I’m doing.’ Perhaps I should have a little more faith in both God and myself.
Regarding the source of inspiration for Gimme Dat, which features a sample of 911 by Wyclef Jean and Mary J. Blige, Ayra Starr stated that she didn’t realize the sample’s origin until the recording process.
Since I was born in 2002, I was honestly unsure. Until Don Jazzy said, “Okay, this is a 911 sample,” while I was recording the song, I had no idea. Then I went and did my research, and I was like, wow,” she said.
She also disclosed that, although she only found out later, Wyclef Jean owned the studio where the song was recorded.
The absurd thing was that, at the time, I was unaware that the studio where I was recording was also Wyclef’s studio. Therefore, everything seemed to have been meant to be,” she remarked.
Ayra Starr also revealed that she had vocal difficulties during the first recording sessions.
“I sounded terrible, to start. The engineer was aware of how awful I sounded. “I sounded bad the first day,” she recalled, adding that she went back the next day with the intention of making it right.
“I was really, really dedicated, even though my voice was still erratic. I wanted to sound fantastic. I did my best, and we are grateful for technology. It turned out beautifully.
Gimme Dat was first recorded as a solo song before Wizkid joined the project, she continued.
“I think I recorded this song six or eight months before it was released. This was before to Wizkid taking notice of it. It was meant to be just me by myself.
