Tornado (Ayra Starr song)
Ayra Starr's afrobeats single from Starr Girl.
"Tornado" is a song by Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr, released as the only single from her third studio album, Starr Girl, on 12 June 2026 by Mavin and Republic Records. The track blends afrobeats and afropop, with lyrics centered on self-worth, social status, and personal presence. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, who highlighted its direct songwriting, rhythmic arrangement, and confident vocal delivery.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Ayra Starr
- Album
- Starr Girl
- Released
- 12 June 2026
- Recorded
- 2026
- Label
- Mavin; Republic
- Genre
- Afrobeats; Afropop
- Length
- 2:54
- Writer
- Ephrem Lopez Jr.
- Kofi Amponsah
- Donel Mangena
- Afolarin Temiloluwa Odunlami
- Oluwaseyi Akerele
Facts from the source article.
Background and release
Ayra Starr put out several singles in 2025 after her second album, The Year I Turned 21, came out in May 2024. Those tracks included "All the Love", "Hot Body", and "Who's Dat Girl" with Rema. By January 2026, she had started work on her third studio album, telling Spotify's Our Frequency zine it was due later that year. The first single, "Where Do We Go", arrived on 6 March. Ten days after that, "Tornado" got its first public tease during a Twitch livestream hosted by PlaqueBoyMax. On 27 March, Starr performed the song live for the first time at the 28th Africa Business Conference Soirée in Boston. She then held a listening party for her fanbase, the Mobstarrs, at Tape Lagos in Victoria Island, where attendees heard unreleased album material including "Tornado". On 16 April, she appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show and announced the album title Starr Girl, with a July 2026 release date that later shifted to 14 August. Promotion for "Tornado" picked up again in mid-May 2026, when she posted photos and short videos on Instagram that included audio snippets of the track. On 1 June, she revealed the cover art, set 12 June 2026 as the release date, and made the song available for pre-save; a 29-second preview also went up on her official YouTube channel. In the days leading up to the release, Starr performed "Tornado" at the opening night of the Zsongo World Tour at Koko in Camden, on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts for Black Music Month, and at a one-off Boiler Room show in London called STARRGIRL.
Production and composition
"Tornado" is a song by Ayra Starr, written by Ephrem Lopez Jr., Kofi Amponsah, Donel Mangena, Afolarin Temiloluwa Odunlami, and Oluwaseyi Akerele. Skillies and Shizzi produced the track, with additional production from The Elements and RiotUSA. The Elements and Fermin Suero Jr. handled recording, with Suero also acting as vocal producer; Jean-Marie Horvat mixed the song, and Colin Leonard mastered it. Odunlami, known as Fola, contributed vocals. The song is in D minor, moves at 126 beats per minute, and lasts two minutes and fifty-four seconds. It blends afrobeats and afropop, built on rhythmic percussion and melodic textures, with drum kit, bass, guitar, and synthesizer played by Skillies, Shizzi, and The Elements. The lyrics, mostly in English with Nigerian slang and a little Yoruba, focus on self-worth, social status, and personal presence. Alex Harris of Neon Music described the writing as having "blunt physicality," while BellaNaija called it a "confident anthem," noting wordplay on economic value in lines like "Inflation, I'm the price they wanna beat." Starr discussed the song's meaning and her studio mindset in an interview with EE72.
Critical reception
Gift Davies of Pulse.ng felt the afrobeats and afropop blend was characteristic of Starr's sound but executed more sharply, with confident vocals from Starr and Fola. Robin Murray of Clash Music called it an "afro-pop sizzler" suited to summer, describing it as "a song of carnal desire and untapped emotion." Peter Okhide of NotjustOk observed futuristic synth-pop elements, a driving syncopated bassline, and airy atmospheric pads, giving it a "stadium-ready feel." Nmesoma Okechukwu of Euphoria compared the production to Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, noting the rhythmic beat encourages dancing. Tšeliso Monaheng of OkayAfrica described the track as "in-your-face, boisterous, high-grade pop music" with a "pure, pulsating attitude," dubbing it "expressway-type music." Collins Badewa of StyleRave remarked on Starr's vocals shifting between emotional vulnerability and commanding confidence, praising an "immersive listening experience." Julie Dam of The Honey Pop called it the "perfect party song" for summer. Quincy Dominic of Ratings Game Music gave it four out of five stars, noting its natural flow. Jeric Macaraan of Rolling Out thought the production reinforced the energy without apology, pushing Starr's sound into something more assertive.
Music video
The music video for the track was helmed by Melchior Leroux, who also took on visual effects duties, with production by DÉPENDANT and Fayssal Naït Moussa serving as executive producer. Théo Gély handled cinematography, supported by first and second assistant directors Mathieu Perez and Amandine Patout. Creative direction came from the London-based ScaryTown team, with Michael Junioro as creative director and Oyinkanza producing. Chroma key backdrops were used during filming, alongside sets designed by Sabrina Jill. Post-production work included editing by Eugène Signoret and color grading by Nicolas Gautier. Anna Trevelyan led the styling department, aided by Devante Rollins and others, while Marie Van Wynsberghe and Kiyane Guitton managed hair and makeup. Casting was a joint effort between Sonny Donne and Eva Ayari, with Gabrielle Benkemoun coordinating production and Nina Perquis as line producer. The visual narrative begins at night in a tiny city, where Starr rests on grass before darkened apartment blocks with lit windows. The camera then zooms out to reveal her curled inside a luminous globe that becomes Earth. It cuts to a blue studio set where paparazzi cameras, microphones, and flashes surround her. A black cat appears from an alley between two buildings as Starr lounges nearby. Later, she is seen above rooftops near a hotel sign, then crossing a painted crosswalk while a line of formally dressed men stands behind a blank octagonal sign watching her. The video next shows her relaxing in a city park bordered by a palm tree and chain-link fence, before shifting to dancers on nearby rooftops.
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