Ayra Starr, the award-winning Nigerian singer, has revealed her personal ‘big three’ in Afrobeats.
In a recent interview with HOT 97, the ‘Rush’ hitmaker was asked to name her top three acts in Afrobeats. In her response, she mentioned Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, and Rema.
“My big three, I would say Tiwa Savage obviously, Wiz and Rema,” she said. “My solid big three.”
Nigerian fans often debate the so-called ‘big three’ — typically Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy.
The debate over who is the best among the ‘big three’ has long been controversial, with some fans and colleagues supporting it while others dismiss it as unnecessary.
In September 2025, Tiwa Savage said that Afrobeats goes beyond the ‘big three’ and that the concept downplays the achievements of other successful artistes in the industry.
“Not ‘f*ck them’ but the narrative of the big three. F that narrative, because this is a continent with so many artistes, and we keep reducing it to just three every time,” she said.
“We have Yemi Alade, Flavour, Asake, Tems, Rema, why are they not included in the top three?”
She added that the ‘big three’ narrative persists largely because of the artistes’ “active fan bases”.
“They have a very really strong fan base. Their fan bases are active, I guess that’s why,” she added.
Credit: Cable lifestyle
