A week ago, Nigerian Afrobeat star Ayra Starr released her third album, “Starrgirl,” which has been well received. Prior to the release, her marketing campaign had already won us over, and it successfully captured the attention of thousands of Nigerians who followed and amplified the trend she initiated, resulting in the 21.34 million streams that it garnered on Spotify.
But what is it about her album marketing that was so unique and exciting? Here’s what we know.
All The Marketing Tips Ayra Starr Deployed For Her Starrgirl Album
Ayra Starr employed a diverse range of marketing strategies for her album, some of which have never been used in the Nigerian music scene, and others we believe will start a new trend. Let us break these down.
- A Visual Cohesion
Ayra Starr has long been associated with the color purple as part of her style. On the Starrgirl album, she emphasized this identity by incorporating purple into her promotional outfits, stage appearances at listening parties, red-carpet events, and even her makeup looks. By consistently sticking to the purple theme, she kept her audience curious about her album.
- Leaning Into Creative And Afrofuturistic Promotion
A major part of the album’s rollout was its cover, which featured her in a latex body-hugging halter-neck dress with a Nigerian gele and laser-beam motifs, fitting her name as a “celestial being.” The cover announced her versatility and hinted at the album’s content. Most importantly, it started a trend: artists worldwide created inspired art, and fans mimicked her outfit. Her team quickly launched an app for fans to include the “gele” in their photos, boosting album visibility and fan engagement.
- Strategic Announcements
She announced major album news and performed popular singles such as “Where Do We Go” on prominent platforms like The Jennifer Hudson Show. She also made her debut at NPR’s Tiny Desk and showcased teasers of songs like “Ms Paper” and “Misunderstood” at various events. These performances successfully drew more listeners who became interested in hearing the full tracks once they were released.
- Strategic Collaboration Announcements
To announce the collaboration on her album, Ayra began changing her profile pictures across all social platforms to those of her collaborators, starting with Zayn Malik on Instagram, which was reciprocated, and then moving to other platforms with Leon Thomas, Kwn, Wizkid, and Rema. These strategic collaborations also guaranteed her attention from diverse demographics across standard Afropop, R&B, and global pop.
- Grassroots Campaigns
In a show of support, Ayra’s family, led by her mother, took to the streets of Lagos to market the album, wearing what had now become the Starrgirl signature, a purple “gele.” This method allowed her to gain the attention of locals in Nigeria, who would relate more to the traditional approach than to the modern, global one. It was a unique way to blend her local market with her ever-growing international fanbase.
- Consistent Engagement With Fans
Ayra Starr has always been an artist who keeps constant communication with her fans, and for this album, she took it up a notch. She engaged with content created by fans to market her album, promoted their art that was made in reference to her album cover, encouraged them by making use of applications created by them for her album, and planned several fan meets and listening parties with her fans, all of which kept fans hyped up and ready to support her more when the album dropped.
- Use of Landmarks And Fireworks
Ayra and her team did not stop their marketing even when the album was released. In one of her promotional posts, she put a gele on the Statue of Liberty, and when the album was released, the Empire State Building was lit up in purple in celebration. On the night of the album release, Mavins Records lit purple fireworks on the streets of Lagos.
What do we think?
Ayra Starr turned her album rollout into a full-scale visual, a cultural phenomenon, and a global pop era, rather than following the traditional rollout common in the Afrobeat industry. Her album rollout reflected her hunger for a stable career as a global Afrobeat pop star and reminded us that our Sabi girl is indeed artistically gifted.
Listen to Ayra Starr’s “Starrgirl” below.
