"Away" is the debut single by Nigerian singer-songwriterAyra Starr for hereponymous debut EP. It is the first song on the EP, released in January 2021 byMavin Records. It was written by Ayra Starr and her brother Dami and was produced by Louddaaa.

Characterized as anR&B song with elements of alté, "Away" is aboutbreaking up and moving on from a past lover. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number four on Nigeria'sTurnTable Top 50 chart.^[1] Its accompanyingmusic video, directed by Kewa Oni and Seun Opabisi, debuted onMTV Base's Official Naija Top 10.OkayAfrica included the song in their list ofThe 9 Best Nigerian Songs of January 2021.^[2]

After signing a record deal withMavin Records in 2019, Ayra Starr began working on a debut project. "Away" was one of the songs she co-wrote with her brother Dami, credited as Oluwadamilare Aderibigbe. The production was handled by Louddaaa.^[3] Thenmixing andmastering was completed by Ikon at Mavin Studios inLekki,Lagos. Ayra Starr discussed the song's creation during an interview. She said: "I freestyled half of Away at a time I was feeling down. It was like therapy. Singing the song out loud was like freeing myself from my burden." She added that it "is not just a heartbreak song, it's a song that empowers you to stand up to that thing or person that is causing you sadness."^[4]

In a review published inClash magazine in January 2021, Robin Murray described "Away" as "Mellifluous," "potent," and "dynamic," stating that "the vocal touches onR&B while retaining elements of that alté sound."^[4]Pulse Nigeria described the song as R&B.^[5]NME's Timi Sotire felt that it encapsulated Ayra Starr's "journey through her formative years; growing from being a child who doubted her ability, to a young woman with an unbridled level of confidence."^[6]The Native Mag's Tami Makinde described the track as a "mid-tempo and rhythmic anti-love anthem about finding the strength to move on from an undeserving lover."^[7]

During its debut week, "Away" reached number one oniTunes in Nigeria. It also charted at number one onApple Music in 3 countries including Nigeria,Sierra Leone andLiberia.^[8] On 1 February 2021, it debuted at number ten on theTurnTable Top 50 chart and eventually peaked at number four for two consecutive weeks beginning on 22 February 2021.^[1] "Away" went on to become Ayra Starr's most popular record with over 1 millionSpotify streams as of April 2021.OkayAfrica included the song in their list ofThe 9 Best Nigerian Songs of January 2021.^[2]

The music video of "Away" was directed by Kewa Oni and Seun Opabisi, both of whom had previously directed music videos for artists likeRema,Johnny Drille,Ladipoe, andLady Donli. It was choreographed by Elfrida Grey. Released on the same day as the EP, the clip debuted onMTV Base's Official Naija Top 10. As of April 2021, it has surpassed over 3 million views onYouTube, making Ayra Starr the youngest Nigerian female artist to accomplish that.^[9] The music video is three minutes long and features scenes inspired by iconic women warriorsJoan of Arc andDahomey Amazons.^[6] In it, Ayra Starr is shown assaulting a shirtless man lying on the ground bound in chains (played by fashion model Davou Pwajok). She is dressed from head to toe in a black leather ensemble and has asword in her right hand. She said of the video, “I wanted to tap into my new-found independence and power. I’m breaking free. I’m a strong warrior, fighting against anything that doesn’t give me peace.”^[6]

• 2021 songs
• Nigerian contemporary R&B songs
• Breakup songs
• Ayra Starr songs

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• Short description matches Wikidata
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