Following the release of her second studio album The Year I Turned 21 in May 2024, Starr shifted her approach to music creation. In a March 2025 interview with the Evening Standard, she explained she was moving away from being "obsessed with being an album artist" to focus on making music with less pressure.[1] She released a series of singles throughout 2025, beginning with "All the Love" in February and "Gimme Dat" featuring Wizkid in April. During July 2025, she landed a management deal with Roc Nation while remaining signed to Mavin Records for recording,[2] releasing "Hot Body" that same month and her first official collaboration with Rema, "Who's Dat Girl," in October.
By January 2026, Starr confirmed her third studio album was in progress, telling Spotify's Our Frequency zine it was expected later in the year.[3] In March 2026, during an Apple Music Radio takeover, she described the album as a reflection of her maturation, stating, "I'm literally becoming a woman and you can hear that in my music now. I'm growing sonically and I want to try different things." She explained the project represented a return to enjoying the creative process, saying she had "forgot to have fun" and had taken the industry "a bit too seriously," adding, "now I brought the fun back."[4] On 16 April 2026, during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, she officially announced the album's title as Starr Girl and confirmed it would be released in July 2026.[5]
