‘Growing up in Nigeria, we didn’t always have electricity’ — Ayra Starr’s comments on upbringing split opinion

• Ayra Starr spoke about growing up with unstable electricity in Nigeria during the Global Citizen NOW summit in New York.

• Her comments sparked mixed reactions online, with some accusing her of reinforcing hardship narratives about Africa.

• Others defended her remarks, arguing that electricity problems remain a real and widespread issue in Nigeria.

Ayra Starr appeared at the Global Citizen NOW summit in New York City on Thursday, May 14, where a conversation on equitable energy access prompted her to reflect on growing up without stable electricity in Nigeria. 

Her comments, candid and personal, have since divided opinion online, reigniting a familiar debate about how African artists are expected to represent the continent on global stages.

Speaking during the session, which was moderated by journalist Zain Asher, the singer said the experience of living without reliable power shaped her fundamentally. 

"Growing up in Nigeria, we didn't always have power. I'd have to wait till 6 pm for the power to come on so I could watch Hannah Montana. But even I, I was lucky. Some children in Africa don't have access to power at all. No child should be left in the dark," she said in a recorded message played at the summit.

During the live panel, she went further. "Every Nigerian child has faced some kind of electricity issue. My grandma used to sell tomatoes and peppers, and we had to sell it quick because we didn't have electricity to store them. Growing up, having electricity would have made a big difference."

She also acknowledged that her participation in the summit had broadened her understanding of global energy solutions.

"Before this, I didn't really know much about global energy solutions, I'm not going to lie. But I'm learning so much, and it's so inspiring," she said, adding that she hoped younger Africans would be inspired to develop renewable energy solutions for their communities.

The reaction online, however, was not uniformly warm. A section of commenters argued that her remarks fit a pattern they find troubling: the expectation that African artists, particularly when speaking to Western audiences and institutions, must lead with narratives of hardship to be taken seriously.

Critics suggested that Global Citizen, as a platform, has historically benefited from this framing.

Others pushed back firmly, pointing out that electricity instability is not a poverty narrative but a documented infrastructure failure affecting the majority of Nigerians regardless of class. To sanitise that reality, they argued, would be the greater dishonesty.

Global Citizen NOW, now in its fifth year, brought together government leaders, business executives, and entertainers at Spring Studios in Tribeca to address global development challenges, including education, food security, clean energy, and global health. 

Ayra Starr was the only Nigerian artist on the confirmed participant list.

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