"All the Love" is a song by Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, released on 11 February 2025 through Mavin Records under exclusive license to Republic Records. Starr co-wrote the track with producer Johnny Drille, alongside Prince Omoferi and Dada Femi Ayoola. An Afropop, R&B, and soulballad, the song is built on natural percussion and features lyrics that centre on themes of self love and self appreciation. Starr has said she wrote it the day after her first headline concert in Nigeria, wanting to create something uplifting during an unsettled period. Although marketed as a Valentine's Day release, she described the song as a personal affirmation rather than a conventional love song. Music critics praised "All the Love" for its warm, intimate production and emotive tone. In Nigeria, the song peaked at number 10 on the TurnTable Top 100 and spent 21 weeks on the chart. In the United Kingdom, it reached number six on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart.
The accompanying music video, directed by Ella Ezeike and filmed in Cape Town, premiered on 16 April 2025. It depicts Starr in a South African township, interacting with locals and riding in a vintage turquoise convertible before concluding on a beach at dusk. Starr debuted the song live at a New Balance x JD Sports event in London and subsequently performed it at Hot 97's Summer Jam and as part of her opening sets on Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour. At the 2025 Global Citizen Festival in New York City, she closed her set with a mashup of "All the Love" and Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing." In December, she performed an acoustic piano rendition at a Grammy Museum event celebrating her second nomination for Best African Music Performance.
Lyrically, the second verse references public scrutiny ("dem go wan know") and personal sincerity, leading into a pre-chorus in which Starr promises care and loyalty.
Ayra Starr released her second studio album, The Year I Turned 21, in May 2024. The project received critical acclaim and became the first album by a Nigerian female artist to enter the US Billboard 200. Starr spent the latter half of the year on the road, serving as a supporting act for Chris Brown's 11:11 tour across North America and joining Coldplay on their Music of the Spheres world tour in Australia and New Zealand.[1] On 25 December 2024, she headlined the final night of Flytime Fest at Eko Convention Center in Lagos, her first headline concert in Nigeria, performing before 30,000 fans with surprise appearances from Rema and Tiwa Savage.[2]
Speaking to Pop Crave at the MOBO Awards the following February, Starr revealed that she had written "All the Love" the day after the concert. She recalled that she was in an unsettled state of mind at the time and wanted to create something uplifting for herself. She initially intended to release the track in January but pushed it to February, describing it as a way of closing out The Year I Turned 21 era. In the period leading up to the single, Starr had shifted away from an album-focused approach, telling The London Standard that she wanted to ease the pressure on herself and simply create music without a predetermined format in mind.[3]
"All The Love" was produced by Teemode and Johnny Drille, who also co-wrote the song with Starr, Prince Omoferi and Dada Femi Ayoola. It was seen as a continuation of Starr's established sound, maintaining her fusion of elements from multiple genres of popular music.[4][5] Musically, "All The Love" is an Afropop, R&B and soul song. It has a length of 3:08 and is composed in common time and the key of A major, with a tempo of 90–91 beats per minute and a chord progression of A–D–E–B♭m.[6] The song features natural percussion that establishes the tempo, layered over soft rhythmic motifs and a bassline that underpins it throughout. Guitar work is provided by Protunez and Prosper Udu.[7] Starr delivers the verses with a fluid cadence, alternating between leaning into the beat and extending her range during the anthemic chorus.[8] The song follows a verse–pre-chorus–chorus structure, with the outro repeating the chorus refrain.[9]
Artwork and release
Starr unveiled the cover art for the single on 10 February 2025, one day before its release.[10] The artwork was produced by creative house Scary Town, with visual direction from Starr herself alongside Peter Famosa, Michael Junioro, and Richie Igunma. Rana Fadavi served as art director, while Jude Amponsah executed the final artwork. Axle Jozeph shot the cover photography with assistance from Eric Sakai. Styling was handled by El-shaddai Nyagodzi, with hair by Keesha Coombs and makeup by Chelsea Uchenna; Jonah Dali oversaw the production.[11]
The artwork depicts Starr against a gradient backdrop shifting from warm orange to soft pink, resembling a sunset haze. She wears a pair of dangling silver chain earrings along with a black leather cropped jacket fastened with a carabiner-style decorative clasp at the chest. Her auburn hair is styled in voluminous waves. In the lower right corner of the image, the song title and artist name appear in white handwritten script. BellaNaija remarked that the "bold cropped leather jacket adds just the right amount of edge," praising her styling as "laid and flawless."[12]
Prior to "All The Love"'s official release, Starr shared a short acoustic teaser on her Instagram account, presenting a stripped-back, keyboard-led performance of the song.[13][14] The clip gained traction on social media and surpassed one million global views.[15] It also drew reactions from fellow artists, including SZA.[15] On 11 February 2025, Mavin Records released "All the Love" to digital music stores and streaming services under exclusive license to Republic Records, ahead of Valentine’s Day. It was marketed as a Valentine’s-themed release, although Starr described the song as being about self-love and self-appreciation.[16]
Critical reception
"All the Love" received positive reviews from music critics. Robin Murray of Clash described it as "draped in feeling," noting its "sun-kissed afrobeats production" and "atmosphere of intimacy." Murray added that the track offered a "skin-to-skin feeling" with Starr "leaving all of her emotions on display."[17] Writing for OkayAfrica, Hannah Uguru called it a "warm and uplifting track" and complimented Starr's "signature ability to blend catchy yet resonant lyricism with rich, textured vocals."[4]Euphoria Magazine's Nmesoma Okechukwu regarded the song as "well written and wonderfully produced," remarking that the track explored both self-love and healthy romantic love. Okechukwu praised Starr's delivery in the pre-chorus.[18]GenZ Hip-Hop awarded the single an 8.5 out of 10, deeming it "a gorgeous anthem of love and empowerment" and finding the song "empowering, affectionate, and performed beautifully."[19]HotNewHipHop's Zachary Horvath similarly appreciated the "highly applicable lyrics," stating that Starr could be encouraging listeners "to give yourself some grace if you having doubts about your self-worth."[20]
New Wave Magazine welcomed the release as a "soul-stirring" and "sumptuous love song," highlighting Starr's "layers of honeyed vocal harmonies."[13] Poppy Taylor from Verge echoed this sentiment, commending the track's "distinct soulful tones."[21] In his review for Culture Custodian, Chibuzo Emmanuel observed that the single "evidently departs from the soundscape of its predecessor," comparing its aesthetic to "the flavor of alternative R&B that undergirds SZA's Ctrl."[22] Music journalist Eric Alper opined that the track "illuminates her impressive penchant for genre fusion," merging "afrobeats, pop, and R&B all spiked with a sultry sense of soul."[8] Quincy of Ratings Game Music gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as "built on a gentle, soothing afrobeats beat" with "intoxicating and infectious" melodies.[23] Nadia Mumuni of That Grape Juice called it a "vibrant" release, while BellaNaija considered the song "a tender ode to unconditional love."[24]
Commercial performance
In Nigeria, "All The Love" debuted at number 46 on the TurnTable Top 100 during the tracking week of 7–13 February 2025, with only four days of availability, tallying 24.3 million in radio reach. In its first full week on the chart, the song rose 36 positions to number 10, marking a new peak. The song spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart.[25] In the United Kingdom, "All The Love" debuted at number six on the Official Afrobeats Chart on 1 March 2025, marking its peak position. The song spent 13 weeks on the chart, with positions fluctuating between numbers six and 19 before dropping off the chart in mid-May. It re-entered the chart at number 20 on 31 May 2025.[26] Beyond Nigeria and the UK, it saw limited chart activity.
Music video
Release
Starr in a Cape Town township, wearing a yellow cropped top and gold earrings.
Upon its release on 11 February 2025, "All The Love" was accompanied by a performance video which features Starr wearing a tan cropped jacket with a matching ruffled mini skirt and leopard print boots, performing surrounded by girlfriends in a dressing room decorated with persian-style mosaic wallpaper, gold crown molding, and turquoise doors. As they prepare in front of gold-framed vanity mirrors, lyrics appear on screen in cursive script throughout.[18]That Grape Juice's Nadia Mumuni commented that the video depicted Starr "embracing sisterhood" in "a stunning display of solidarity".[15] The official music video for the song premiered online on her YouTube channel on 16 April 2025. The video was directed by Ella Ezeike and shot by cinematographer Karol Jurga in Cape Town.[27][28] Creative direction was handled by Michael Onafowokan Jr. while Leon Carlton edited it.[29]
Synopsis
The video opens with a young girl in a pink top and denim skirt running past blue-painted walls marked with the number 13 as the title card appears. Starr, sporting a short cropped hairstyle, appears in a yellow tie-front top and tie-dye wrap skirt with gold drop earrings, strolling along a residential township lined with colourful houses and blue boundary walls. Intercut scenes show a man in a houndstooth blazer reading a newspaper with the headline "Gimme Dat", referencing Starr's collaboration with Wizkid. The young girl listens to headphones against a cloudy sky, while young men play football on a dusty pitch nearby. Starr rides on the back of a motorcycle driven by a shirtless male companion, and later appears inside a beauty supply shop stocked with wigs and hair extensions, now wearing a red and white striped cropped top. She embraces a woman with long braided hair and an animal print hat, then sits on the shop counter. Additional scenes show Starr perched in the back of a vintage turquoise convertible as it travels down an empty road. At dusk, she leans against the car on a beach, having changed into a white tank top and denim cut-off shorts. The video concludes with Starr dancing beside the convertible before wading barefoot through shallow water as the credits roll.
Reception
BellaNaija welcomed the clip as "feel-good" viewing and framed Starr’s on-screen persona as a source of reassurance, describing the visuals as a tender, sincerity-forward counterpart to the song’s message.[24] In another post, focused on behind-the-scenes stills, the publication observed that the video had a "dreamy, vintage vibe."[27] A reviewer for Zambian Music Blog praised its use of "soft lighting, minimalistic scenery, and powerful close-ups,"[30] while David Reviews' Andrew MacGregor was less enthusiastic about it, remarking that "not a lot happens" in the video and felt it was "more of a chill ride than a thrill ride."[28]
Live performances
"All The Love" received its live debut on 20 February 2025 at an intimate launch event for the New Balance 740 x JD Sports collaboration at Kachette in London, where Starr headlined alongside DJ Skyla Tylaa and other local artists.[31][32] The track subsequently became a regular fixture in her setlists throughout the year. On 20 June, Starr performed the song as a headliner at Hot 97's Summer Jam at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, sharing the bill with acts including A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Gunna, and GloRilla.[8] "All The Love" was also included in her opening sets on the North American and European legs of Coldplay's Music of the Spheres world tour, where she served as a support act at venues including Rogers Stadium in Toronto on 11 July, Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on 19 July, Nissan Stadium in Nashville on 22 July, and Wembley Stadium in London on 23 August.[33]
On 27 September 2025, Starr performed "All The Love" at the Global Citizen Festival on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City, before an audience of over 60,000 people.[34] She closed her solo set with a mashup of the track and Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing", described by Music-News.com as "a tender dedication" to the festival's mission of promoting energy access in Africa. Later in the set, she brought out Rema for surprise performances of "Rush", "Calm Down", and "Baby (Is It a Crime)".[35] In November 2025, Starr headlined the Tidal Rave Festival at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, becoming the first major non-Ghanaian artist to headline the event in its thirteen-year history.[36][37] On 16 December, she performed an acoustic piano version of the song at A New York Evening with Ayra Starr, a Grammy Museum event held at National Sawdust in Brooklyn celebrating her second Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance.[38][39]
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