Ayra Starr and ZAYN release the Heaven Baby video: the chart run so far

Ayra Starr and ZAYN have released the Heaven Baby video, eight weeks after the song arrived on her album Starrgirl. The official video landed on 5 October 2026, at a point when the duet is climbing again on the UK’s Official Afrobeats Chart. Here is what is confirmed, how the song has performed so far, and why the timing matters for Ayra Starr’s busy October.

By Editorial Team

What we know

• The video is out (FACT). The official music video for “Heaven Baby” by Ayra Starr featuring ZAYN was released on Monday 5 October 2026 on Ayra Starr’s official YouTube (Vevo) channel, as reported by BellaNaija, HypeTribe and A Slice of Naija.
• It comes from Starrgirl (REPORTED). “Heaven Baby” is track 14 of 16 on Starrgirl, Ayra Starr’s third studio album, which was released on 14 August 2026.
• It is a top-three hit on the UK Afrobeats chart (FACT). On the Official Afrobeats Chart for 4 to 10 October 2026, “Heaven Baby” is No. 3, up from No. 6, in its seventh week. Its peak so far is No. 2, according to the Official Charts Company.
• A streaming milestone (CLAIM). Ayra Starr has said on social media that the song passed 20 million Spotify streams. That figure comes from the artist and we have not checked it independently.

What the Heaven Baby video shows

The video splits its time between the two singers before bringing them together. Reviews from BellaNaija and HypeTribe describe Ayra Starr in a royal blue satin dress, moving through a pale, domed space, while ZAYN appears in a darker hall of concrete and glass with a lit floor. In the closing scenes they share the same room. There is no big storyline. The visuals stay close to the song, which is written almost as a conversation, with ZAYN’s verse answering lines from Ayra’s opening verse.

For readers new to the pairing: ZAYN is the British singer who first found fame as a member of One Direction before leaving the group in 2015 to go solo. Ayra Starr, born in Benin Republic and raised in Nigeria, is signed to Mavin Records and has built one of the strongest international followings of any young Afrobeats star. She has said in interviews that she grew up listening to One Direction, which gives the collaboration an extra layer for her own fans.

How the song has performed in the UK

The Official Afrobeats Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company, the same body that runs the main UK singles chart, using UK streams and sales of Afrobeats records. “Heaven Baby” has never been lower than No. 6 since it arrived. That is a steady run for a song that had no official video for its first seven weeks.

Its biggest obstacle has been Victony’s “Slick”, which has been No. 1 every week since it debuted. This week “Slick” took a 12th straight week at the top, as we reported in Victony Slick: 12 straight weeks at No. 1 on the Official Afrobeats Chart. “Heaven Baby” is one of several songs to stall at No. 2 behind it.

A new video can help a song’s chart position in two ways. YouTube plays of official videos count towards UK streaming totals, and a video gives playlists, radio and social media something fresh to share. That does not guarantee a rise, and we are not predicting one. If you want to know how the UK and US Afrobeats charts are counted, our guide to how the Afrobeats charts work explains the rules, and our Afrobeats chart tracker keeps a running list of No. 1s.

Why the timing matters

The video lands six days before one of the biggest live moments of Ayra Starr’s year. NFL.com confirmed in August that she will headline the halftime show at the NFL London game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 11 October 2026. That is a stadium audience in the UK, the country where “Heaven Baby” has been doing best on the charts, plus the television audience for the game.

She is part of a wider run of African artists on the NFL’s 2026 international games, which also includes Burna Boy at the Paris game on 25 October. We covered that booking in Burna Boy’s Apple Music Hall London show and NFL Paris halftime. If you are wondering how halftime acts are picked in the first place, our explainer on how the Super Bowl halftime performer is chosen covers the process.

What we cannot say yet is whether she will perform “Heaven Baby” in London, or whether ZAYN will appear. Neither artist nor the NFL has announced a set list, and we will not guess at one.

Starrgirl in context

Starrgirl follows Ayra Starr’s debut album 19 & Dangerous (2021) and The Year I Turned 21 (2024). Her breakout single “Rush” earned her a Grammy nomination for Best African Music Performance. The new album leans on international collaborations, and “Heaven Baby” is the first of them to get a full video treatment.

For an artist with a strong UK following, the order of the campaign is worth noting. The song found its audience through streaming first and got its video second. That is the opposite of the usual plan, where a video arrives on release day to drive early plays.

What happens next

• The next Official Afrobeats Chart, covering 11 to 17 October, will show whether the video gives “Heaven Baby” a push towards No. 1 or whether “Slick” holds on for a 13th week.
• Ayra Starr headlines the NFL London halftime show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 11 October.
• We will update the streaming figure if Spotify’s public counter or the artist’s team confirms a new milestone.

More Afrobeats coverage: Afrobeats.

Photo credits: Featured image: Ayra Starr at Ultima Studios, Lagos, in 2024. Photo: Ultima Studios Nigeria, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Source. In-article image: ZAYN in 2015. Photo: First Access Entertainment, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Source.

Sources

• BellaNaija: Ayra Starr and Zayn release the Heaven Baby music video (5 Oct 2026)
• HypeTribe: Heaven Baby gets its video (5 Oct 2026)
• A Slice of Naija: Ayra Starr and ZAYN release Heaven Baby video (6 Oct 2026)
• Official Charts Company: Official Afrobeats Chart
• NFL.com: Ayra Starr to headline NFL London halftime show