Ayra Starr has cemented her place among Africa’s most decorated artists on the global stage, winning Best International Act at the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards for the second consecutive year.
The 2026 ceremony, marking the awards’ 30th anniversary, was held on March 26 at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, the first time the city has hosted the event. The night celebrated the breadth of Black culture, spanning Afrobeats, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, and grime.
The victory follows her landmark 2025 win, establishing her as the first African artist to claim the prestigious international category back-to-back, bringing the 23-year-old singer’s career MOBO tally to three.
In the international category, the Mavin Records star triumphed over a formidable global lineup including Cardi B, Tyla, Gunna, Kehlani, Vybz Kartel, Mariah the Scientist, Clipse, Leon Thomas, and Moliy. Notably, she was the sole Nigerian representative in the category this year.
The back-to-back victory places Ayra Starr in an elite group alongside Wizkid and Burna Boy as the only Nigerian artists to win the international category more than once, and makes her the only female artist in that group.
While she was also nominated for Best African Music Act, she lost that category to fellow Nigerian Wizkid, who emerged victorious against a shortlist featuring Davido, Rema, Tiwa Savage, and Adekunle Gold.
The broader ceremony featured Olivia Dean as its dominant winner, taking home Best Female Act, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Special honours went to Pharrell Williams, who received the MOBO Global Songwriter Award, while Slick Rick was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ayra Starr’s international trajectory has been driven largely by the sustained global impact of her 2022 hit Rush, which earned a Grammy nomination, and is further supported by the partnership between Mavin Records and Roc Nation.
