In a recent interview, Nigerian artist Ayra Starr revealed that she was accepted to a university at the age of 14.
She added that although she aspired to be a teenage pop sensation, her mother insisted that she complete her education before pursuing her music career, so she earned her first degree early.
In a recent interview, she revealed this to American media behemoth Billboard News.
“I got into the university at 14,” Starr recalled. I feel like ever since I was a kid, my mother has been blackmailing me with music. “You have to do this if you want to do music,” she said. I initially said no when she proposed that we move from the Benin Republic to Lagos, but she persuaded me that Lagos is the land of music.
She stressed that I must complete my education before I may pursue a career in music. Many Nigerians typically complete their secondary education at the age of fifteen or sixteen. I realized that I would never be able to pursue a career as a teenage pop star if I waited until I was 15 [before finishing my secondary school]. I also aspired to be a teenage pop sensation. So, I wrote JAMB, or what you guys called SAT here, and I joined my older brother.
“To be honest, I didn’t get into all these Ivy League colleges with this result, but it was good enough to get by. It satisfied my mother’s needs. I was accepted to a reputable university. I took the course for three years. International Relations was the subject. And right away I also began performing music covers online the year after I graduated, and I was signed to the Mavin Records label in the same year.