Where Do We Go (Ayra Starr song)
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| "Where Do We Go" | ||||
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| Single by Ayra Starr | ||||
| from the album Starr Girl | ||||
| Released | 6 March 2026 | |||
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| Length | 2:56 | |||
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| Songwriters |
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| Producer | ILYA | |||
| Ayra Starr singles chronology | ||||
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"Where Do We Go" is a song by Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr. Starr wrote the song with producer ILYA, Amanda Ibanez, Mason Tanner, and Malika Hamza; ILYA produced and arranged the recording. Mavin Records and Republic Records released "Where Do We Go" on 6 March 2026, coinciding with Women's History Month, as Starr's first solo single of 2026, following "Who's Dat Girl," her collaboration with Rema released in October 2025.
"Where Do We Go" is an Afropop and electronic track built on an Afrobeats backbone, featuring crisp snaps and claps over a deep, pulsing bassline. The lyrics depict a hidden romantic relationship, with Starr uncertain of where it is headed. Upon release, the single received positive acclaim for Starr's confident storytelling and her continued artistic growth.
Following the release of her second studio album, The Year I Turned 21, in May 2024, Ayra Starr shifted her approach to releasing music. In a March 2025 interview with the Evening Standard, she explained, "I used to be obsessed with being an album artist. Now I'm trying to give myself a bit less pressure and just make music for the sake of making music, and we'll see where that takes me."[1] She issued a series of singles throughout 2025, beginning with "All the Love" in February, followed by "Gimme Dat" featuring Wizkid in April.
In July 2025, she landed a management deal with Roc Nation while remaining signed to Mavin Records, releasing "Hot Body" that same month and her first official collaboration with Rema, "Who's Dat Girl", in October.[2]
By January 2026, Starr had returned to album production. Featured in Spotify's Our Frequency zine Issue 033, she confirmed her third studio album was expected later in the year.[3] On 10 February, she posted a video of herself dancing to an instrumental on Instagram with the caption "💜 where does this beat take you."[2] On 24 February, she shared a 35-second teaser featuring her vocals over the beat, revealing the track's title as "Where Do We Go" and a pre-save link.[2]
In an interview with Apple Music's Africa Now Radio, Starr described the song as a personal favourite she and her friends had been playing while getting ready for nights out, stating it was inspired by "a very funny situation."[4] On Way Up with Angela Yee, she elaborated that it was based on a secret relationship she had experienced, saying it was a situationship in which she developed genuine feelings despite knowing it was unhealthy and unlikely to progress.[5] The single was released on 6 March 2026, coinciding with Women's History Month.[4]
Production and composition
"Where Do We Go" was written by Ayra Starr, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Amanda Ibanez, Mason Tanner, and Malika Hamza.[7] Swedish producer and songwriter ILYA, working with Starr for the first time, produced and arranged the track. Starr told Essence the session was organic, stating they were "just vibing in the studio" and that he "really understood where [she] wanted to go sonically."[8] ILYA handled vocal production and recording engineering, and performed all instrumentation himself, including drum kit, bass, keyboard, and synthesizer. Additional vocal production and recording was handled by Fermin Suero Jr, with Juan Arguello serving as recording engineer and Bryce Bordone as engineer. Serban Ghenea mixed the song, and Randy Merrill mastered it. Background vocals were contributed by Maesu and Hamzaa, alongside ILYA himself.[7]
Running two minutes and fifty-six seconds at 107 beats per minute, "Where Do We Go" is set in C♯ major[9] and blends Afropop rhythms with electronic textures.[10] The arrangement features crisp snaps and claps over a deep, pulsing bassline;[11] writing for Clash, Shahzaib Hussain described the overall sound as a "dark, narcotic Afro-electronic brew" and labelled the track an "after-hours" record.[2] Hussain praised Starr's "expressive, deepened vocal flows" as mellifluous.[2] Nylon's Jillian Giandurco called the production "darkly sexy" and anticipated the track would be placed in DJ sets over the summer.[12]
In his review for NotJustOk, Peter Okhide held that the song "retains the rhythmic essence that made her a household name but layers it with a newfound sobriety," and said that it "demands active listening."[13] Lyrically, the song depicts a clandestine affair. Starr sings of a love interest whose visits she conceals from friends — "I told my friends you are out of town" — with the chorus posing a direct question: "Where do we go from here, after I dry my tears, after we say goodbye, you never made it clear."[14] Okhide framed the song as a "philosophical inquiry" into Starr's romantic life.[13]
Critical reception
"Where Do We Go" was met with mostly positive reviews. Ameenah Laquita, for Shatter the Standards, praised the song's emotional duality, describing it as one that "splits its weight between swagger and disappointment." She noted how Starr "barks the pre-chorus like she's running point on a dare" before the confidence "drops clean off," and commended the singer for not begging but simply "clock[ing] the situation and mov[ing]."[15]
The Native's Boluwatife Adeyemi positioned the single as evidence of Starr's "compelling evolution" and said it represented "a decisive bid for world domination."[16] The Sound Cafe's Anne Connor similarly called it "electrifying," lauding Starr for "flipping the narrative" rather than drifting into vulnerability, delivering the story "with the swagger of an artist fully aware of her power."[17] Sam Armstrong of uDiscover Music described the track as "a sultry ode to an after-hours relationship" that "asserts Starr as, well, a star."[18]
"Where Do We Go" was featured in Rolling Stone's "Songs You Need to Know" for the week of March 6,[19] and appeared on multiple "Best New Music" editorial lists, including Essence,[20] The Native,[16] and Daily Illini's "Buzz Weekly."[21] Style Rave ranked it number one on their weekly list of "New and Trending Songs."[22] Euphoria Zine's Nmesoma Okechukwu remarked that Starr "shines bright in the latest club smash," though noted fan discourse surrounding whether the track represents her signature sound. Okechukwu observed that while some fans questioned if her label wanted "a complete makeover of the superstar's sound," others argued Starr "has always had a broad style of music" reflected in her earlier work.[23]
Live performances
Starr first performed "Where Do We Go" on 7 March 2026 during a surprise appearance at the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays program in New York City. She delivered the song under purple-blue lighting in front of a tightly packed audience, dressed in a sleeveless, high-necked cheetah-print peplum top with a front keyhole cutout, and a skirt extension, paired with black high-waisted briefs and sheer black tights, while sporting an updo.[24]
On 10 April 2026, she performed at Tape Lagos in Victoria Island as part of the Mavin Popup series in a Brielle Eau De Nuit bodysuit, joined by fellow Nigerian artist Shallipopi.[25] The song later received a televised live performance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on April 16, 2026, where Starr performed on a purple-lit studio set in a blue fishnet midi dress layered over a pink bikini brief.[26]
