Afrobeats sensation Ayra Starr has stepped into the world of acting, as she joins the cast of Children of Blood and Bone, a highly anticipated adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s best-selling fantasy novel.
The Grammy-nominated singer, known for her hits such as Rush and Bloody Samaritan, stars alongside Idris Elba, Viola Davis, and Cynthia Erivo in the big-screen adaptation of a story steeped in West African mythology. The novel, part of Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, follows Zélie Adebola, a young girl on a quest to restore magic to her people in the face of oppression.
In a recent interview with CBS Morning, Starr admitted she had long harboured dreams of acting but had been held back by nerves. I’ve always been shy when it comes to acting, but this is the first time in my life that I’ve been on camera and I’m not singing, she said. I learned so much from everybody on set, not even just the greats—even like just the actors on set, the 16-year-olds, the 14-year-olds on set—it was so inspiring just watching them.
She praised her co-stars, calling the experience a masterclass in discipline and stamina. Working with actors of that calibre taught me so much. It wasn’t just fun—it was transformational.
The cinematic debut comes as Starr continues to ride high in her music career. She was recently nominated for the inaugural Best African Music Performance category at the Grammy Awards, a milestone she sees as part of Afrobeats’ global renaissance. Afrobeats has been bubbling in Africa for years, she noted. Now the world’s just catching up—and it needs that high vibrational frequency.
Adding to her string of accomplishments, she’s set to join Coldplay on their summer tour—marking another breakthrough for the 22-year-old.
Children of Blood and Bone, often likened to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games for its immersive world-building and social allegory, is expected to bring African fantasy to a new global audience.
