2025 MOBO Awards: Ayra Starr wins Best International Act, Best African Act
Nigerian and Afrobeats superstar Ayra Starr was a double winner at the 2025 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) award on Tuesday night in Newcastle, where she won the awards for Best African Act and Best International Act.
She is also the first woman to win the MOBO Best African Act award in 16 years after Nneka Egbuna had won it in 2009.
The Mavin superstar clinched the award ahead of South Africa’s Tyla and fellow Nigerian music stars Asake and two-time Grammy winner, Tems. She also beat American superstars Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion in the Best International Act category.
Starr follows in the footsteps of Nigerians Afrobeats stars who have won the MOBO award Award for Best International Act. They include Wizkid (2017, 2021) and Burna Boy (2020, 2022).
Other Nigerians who have won MOBO Awards include Tuface Idibia, who was the first Nigerian to ever win the Best African Act category in 2007; 9ice (Abolore Akande) in 2008, and Limoblaze (2024) was the first Nigerian gospel artiste to win the award for Best Gospel Act award.
Like Starr, British-Nigerian Afrobeats star Darkoo also won two awards at the glittering ceremony -Best Female Act and Song of the Year, for Favourite Girl. It was the first MOBO awards for the 23-year-old.
The MOBO Awards is an annual British awards ceremony founded in 1996 to celebrate black culture and music in the UK and internationally.
This year’s award ceremony was hosted by comedian Eddie Kadi and Love Island star Indiyah Polack.
