Away

"Away" is a song recorded by Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr for her eponymous debut EP. It is the first song on the EP, released in January 2021 by Mavin Records. It was written by Ayra Starr and her brother Dami and was produced by Louddaaa. Characterized as an R&B song with elements of alté, "Away" is about breaking up and moving on from a past lover. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number four on Nigeria's TurnTable Top 50 chart. Its accompanying music video, directed by Kewa Oni and Seun Opabisi, debuted on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10. OkayAfrica included the song in their list of The 9 Best Nigerian Songs of January 2021. Background and reception After signing a record deal with Mavin 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. Then mixing and mastering was completed by Ikon at Mavin Studios in Lekki, 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." In a review published in Clash magazine in January 2021, Robin Murray described "Away" as "Mellifluous," "potent," and "dynamic," stating that "the vocal touches on R&B while retaining elements of that alté sound." Pulse Nigeria described the song as R&B. NMEs 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." 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."