Ayra Starr has been named among the artistes billed to perform at the 2027 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, extending an unbroken run of Nigerian acts on one of the world’s most closely watched stages. The organisers listed the Mavin Records singer on the Sunday programme for both weekends, alongside Jorja Smith, Victoria Monét, Remi Wolf, Tove Lo and EsDeeKid. Reacting to the news, Ayra Starr wrote simply, “Let’s gooo.”
The festival will run across two weekends, from 9 to 11 April and 16 to 18 April, at the Empire Polo Club. Its headline slots are expected to go to Dua Lipa, SZA and Tame Impala, with Madonna, Phoebe Bridgers, Weezer, Don Toliver, Mariah the Scientist, Kygo and Daddy Yankee also on the bill. Passes go on sale on 13 November.
For Ayra Starr, the booking caps the strongest stretch of a career that has moved quickly from a social media discovery to international touring. Born Sarah Aderibigbe and raised partly in Cotonou, Benin, she broke through in 2021 and earned her first Grammy nomination in 2024 for “Rush” in the Best African Music Performance category, becoming the youngest Nigerian woman nominated in that field. A second nomination followed at the 2026 ceremony for “Gimme Dat,” her collaboration with Wizkid.
Her momentum has not been limited to the Grammys. In 2025 she became the first woman in 16 years to win the MOBO Award for Best African Music Act and was named Best International Act at the BET Awards. In August 2026 she released the album “Starrgirl,” breaking the numbered-title pattern of her earlier projects, and she now balances her Mavin contract with management under Roc Nation. Her 2024 album had earlier made history as the first by a Nigerian woman to debut on the Billboard 200.
Her inclusion continues a Nigerian presence at Coachella that stretches back more than a decade. Seun Kuti and his Egypt 80 band became the first Nigerian act to perform, in 2012, and still hold the record for the most appearances by a Nigerian. Mr Eazi and Burna Boy followed in 2019, with Burna Boy turning his debut into a talking point after he objected publicly to the small print used for his name on the lineup poster. CKay performed in 2022 and Burna Boy returned in 2023.
The festival’s 2024 edition carried the largest Nigerian contingent yet, with Tems, Wizkid, DJ Spinall, Fireboy DML and Teni all performing. Tems became the first Nigerian woman to take the stage and drew one of the festival’s defining recent moments when she brought out Wizkid and Justin Bieber for “Essence.” Rema followed with his own set in 2025, and Davido made his debut in 2026.
That 2026 showing also exposed how uneven the representation can be. Davido was the only Nigerian-based artiste officially billed, even as Wizkid and Tems appeared as guests during Bieber’s set. Ayra Starr’s place on the 2027 bill, as a dedicated act rather than a guest, restores that visibility and puts a Nigerian woman back among the named performers for the first time since Tems.
The booking also reflects how far Afrobeats has travelled on the global festival circuit, where its leading figures now command their own slots rather than appearing only as features. What remains to be confirmed is the finer detail of her set, including the stage and running time, which the organisers have yet to publish. For now, her name on the poster signals another year in which Nigerian music will be heard in the California desert.