Nigerian music executive Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, praised Afrobeats singer Ayra Starr on Thursday, August 20, 2026, saying the 24-year-old artiste had changed his life after he discovered her through an Instagram freestyle.
Don Jazzy, the founder of Mavin Records, made the personal admission on X while responding to a fan who praised his contribution to Ayra Starr’s rise in the music industry.
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Rather than presenting himself solely as the executive who helped launch her career, Don Jazzy reflected on the impact the singer has had on him as well.
“She has most definitely changed my own life too,” Don Jazzy wrote.
“I bless the day I was shown her Instagram freestyle o. And she has been nothing but a dream Starrgirl.”
The remark offered a warm glimpse into the relationship between the record executive and the artiste whose career became closely associated with Mavin Records after her discovery.
Ayra Starr was signed to the label after Don Jazzy encountered her social media performances.
Her early rise at Mavin was followed by a series of successful releases that helped establish her as one of Nigeria’s prominent young Afrobeats voices.
Her progress has also taken her beyond Nigeria, with international collaborations and performances broadening her audience and strengthening her position in a rapidly expanding global Afrobeats scene.
That journey has made the relationship particularly significant for Don Jazzy, who has spent years developing new talent through Mavin and has often spoken about the importance of identifying artistes with distinctive voices and strong potential.
Ayra Starr has continued to build on that foundation with the release of her third studio album, Starrgirl, on August 14, 2026.
The 16-track project includes collaborations with Nigerian artistes Wizkid and Rema, alongside international names such as ZAYN, Leon Thomas, kwn, Theodora and Danny Ocean.
Wizkid appears on “Gimme Dat”, while Rema features on “Who’s Dat Girl”, giving the album a broad collaborative reach.
The album arrives at an important point in Ayra Starr’s career, following the international attention generated by her earlier music and her emergence as one of the younger Nigerian artistes capable of connecting strongly with audiences outside Africa.
For Don Jazzy, however, the latest chapter appears to have a more personal meaning.
His comments suggest that the discovery of a young artiste through a simple social media freestyle ultimately became a powerful turning point for both sides, with Ayra Starr gaining a platform and Mavin Records gaining one of its most recognisable contemporary stars.
The exchange also underlines the less visible side of the music business.
Behind a successful artiste’s public career can be a chain of unexpected encounters, decisions and relationships that shape both the performer and the people who help develop that career.
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For Ayra Starr, the journey that began with an Instagram freestyle has grown into an international career. For Don Jazzy, the discovery has become something more than a successful signing.
It is, by his own account, a moment that changed his life too.
Maryam Idris is a reporter and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
