Afrobeats star, Ayra Starr, has recalled her humble beginnings.
According to her, her grandmother used to sell tomatoes and pepper.
She recalled how the woman used to face added pressure occasioned by electricity issues due to the perishable nature of the produce.
She thus advocated stable electricity supply in Nigeria, saying unstable power supply negatively affected her childhood development.
The singer made the remarks at the Global Citizen NOW event held in New York, a video of which she shared on her social media platforms on Friday.
She said her life would have been different if she had grown up in a country with steady electricity supply.
According to her, every Nigerian child has experienced electricity challenges, adding that the hardship contributed to shaping who she is today.
She recalled that erratic power supply affected her education, career development and her family’s means of livelihood.
“Every Nigerian child has faced some type of electricity issues. My grandma used to sell tomatoes and pepper.
“I used to assist her. We had to sell it quickly because we didn’t have electricity to store them.
“The harsh experience made me who I am today. Because I had to find ways to do what I had to do without the comfort of electricity,” she added.
She said that access to steady electricity, even something as simple as a fan or air conditioning while studying, would have made a significant difference in her upbringing.
Ayra Starr called on African leaders to address electricity challenges across the continent, emphasising that every child deserved reliable power and basic social amenities for proper development.
The singer has since risen to global prominence, becoming one of Afrobeats’ leading stars with multiple awards and record-breaking streaming success.
