Ayra Starr has opened up about the pressure of maintaining a confident image, revealing that pretending everything was fine was once “killing me inside”.
The Nigerian singer made the comments during an appearance on Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie, where she discussed confidence, vulnerability and learning to be honest about how she feels.
The conversation began when Shayna asked how she stays confident on days when she does not feel her best, referencing lyrics from her music about becoming the person you want to be.
Ayra explained that confidence now comes from being truthful with herself and those around her.
“I’m honest with myself, even when I don’t feel like it,” she said.
She added that being a confident person does not mean putting on a brave face all the time.
“Being that girl and being a confident person is knowing not to act bravado all the time,” she said. “Life is a balance, and being a complete human being is balance, and its vulnerability, and its tiredness and its anxiety.”
Ayra also spoke about the realities many women face, saying there are times when feeling confident can be more difficult than others. She said accepting those ups and downs has helped her become more comfortable with herself.
The singer revealed that earlier in her career she felt pressure to live up to people’s expectations of her public image every day.
“I used to spend lots of time having to, like, perform. Because I know everybody knows I’m this confident girl, so I have to be confident every single day,” she said.
The pressure eventually took its toll.
“And it was killing me inside, like, so much. And now it’s like I have less anxiety knowing that I don’t have to put up a facade.”
Ayra said she now feels more comfortable showing different sides of her personality and no longer feels the need to hide difficult emotions.
Summing up her approach, she added: “What you see is what you get.”
Listen to Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie weekdays from 6.30am – 10am across the UK and on YouTube