Ayra Starr Announces ‘The Year I Turned 21’ World Tour and New Single – Nigeria

Ayra Starr Announces ‘The Year I Turned 21’ World Tour and New Single – Nigeria

Ayra Starr is taking her global run to the next level. On June 1, 2026, the Mavin Records star announced The Year I Turned 21 World Tour, a 28-date run kicking off August 15, 2026, in Paris and hitting cities across Europe, North America, and Africa before wrapping in Lagos on December 20. The announcement came with a colorful tour poster and a 15-second clip teasing new music, confirming a single titled Santa Maria drops June 7.

The tour title references her 2024 album The Year I Turned 21, which earned her a Grammy nomination and broke streaming records for a Nigerian female artist. This will be her first full headline tour since 2024, and the setlist is expected to pull heavily from that album plus unreleased tracks. Venues include O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, Brooklyn Paramount in New York, and The Fillmore in San Francisco. Lagos will host the finale at Eko Convention Centre, billed as a homecoming show with surprise guests.

Santa Maria is described by Mavin as a fusion of Afrobeats, R&B, and amapiano, produced by Magicsticks and London’s P2J. Early previews on TikTok show Ayra in a retro, Y2K-inspired visual, and fans are already using the sound for dance challenges. The single is positioned as the lead track for a deluxe edition of The Year I Turned 21, slated for July 2026.

Ayra has had a quieter first half of 2026 compared to her explosive 2024-2025 run, focusing on studio work and fashion collaborations. She walked for Off-White at Paris Fashion Week in March and fronted a Puma campaign in April. The tour announcement signals her return to music as the main focus ahead of a rumored sophomore album in early 2027.

Her rise remains one of Afrobeats’ biggest female success stories. At 23, she’s already played Coachella, Glastonbury, and opened for Coldplay on their African leg. Industry insiders say the tour is a test of her ability to headline without relying on features or male co-signs, and early ticket sales suggest she’s passing it. London and New York dates are over 70% sold out a week after going live.

For Ayra, the message is clear: she’s not slowing down. The Year I Turned 21 era isn’t over yet, and Santa Maria is just the start of what’s next.