Everything You Wanted to Know About Singer-Songwriter and Highest 2 Lowest Star Aiyana-Lee
Singer-songwriter and actress Aiyana-Lee is having a major moment in 2025, but the path to success hasn't been an easy one.
She grew up in London to a political refugee mom (multi-Platinum songwriter Daciana-Nicole Anderson) and an abusive father, losing her childhood home before relocating to Los Angeles. There, she and her mother became nearly homeless before her stirring and vocally expressive original song, "My Idols Lied to Me," went viral on TikTok. The song reached its audience, including award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee.
It was a turning point for Aiyana-Lee. Earlier this year, she supported Lil Wayne on tour and released her latest soulful single, "City of Lies," tackling the silencing of women in the entertainment industry. Last week also saw the release of Spike Lee's latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, with Aiyana-Lee appearing in a breakout role opposite Denzel Washington. She truly is the definition of a multi-hyphenate, overcoming her struggles to find triumph, and channeling the emotion of all of those experiences into her art. Below, discover everything she shared with us about herself as our Woman Crush Wednesday.
(Photo credit: Mateo Barragan)
Name: Aiyana-Lee
Hometown: London, England
Birthday: December 7
Fun Facts:
1. The one life lesson Aiyana-Lee wishes she'd learned earlier on is about putting less stock in other people's opinions.
"You can be the nicest person on the planet and people will still have something to say about you, whether out of jealousy, envy or you putting up a personal boundary, and that's okay. You have to love you and know how to navigate the world without the perceptions that other people (who don't even know you) have of you ultimately destroy you. Especially now with social media. And the truth will always come out in the end, even if it takes time.."
-Aiyana-Lee
2. Her most-used emojis are black hearts 🖤 and sparkles ✨.
(Photo credit: Aiyana-Lee)
Also read about: DARUMAS Reflect on DARUMAS+, the Latin GRAMMYs and Their Creative Direction
3. Her favorite dessert in the world is buttercake.
"And most Romanian desserts! Like Papanași!"
-Aiyana-Lee
4. You might not expect it, but some of her favorite artists are Aurora, The Cab and MK.Gee.
5. Vanilla is her all-time favorite scent.
"Vanilla will always be that girl for me 💋"
-Aiyana-Lee
Also read about: The Voices of Rumi, Mira and Zoey From KPop Demon Hunters on Becoming K-Pop Superheroes
6. Her favorite tarot cards are The High Priestess (representing intuition and the divine feminine) and The Star (symbolizing inspiration, creativity and healing).
7. She'd love to get better at being more physically active.
"Imma be honest, my room is my sanctuary. I'll write, I'll read, I'll get lost in escapism. Running and jogging around? Not my forte ðŸ˜"
-Aiyana-Lee
(Photo credit: Mateo Barragan)
8. If she weren't a singer-songwriter and actress, she thinks she'd like to pursue being an author.
"[It's] something I've always wanted to be."
-Aiyana-Lee
Also read about: Japanese Girl Group cosmosy Discuss Breaking Through Toxic Love in New Single
9. At the moment, she's obsessed with any fashion pieces that are off-the-shoulder and comfortable.
"If you see me on a regular day, nine out of 10 I'm wearing something baggy and comfy!"
-Aiyana-Lee
10. She's an only child.
"For me it worked out amazing because ya girl was like 10 kids in one, lol. Not in a bad way, but in a way where I was always so creative and loud. It made me very independent."
-Aiyana-Lee
11. Aiyana-Lee is on an important mission, bringing people together and reminding them to follow their instincts.
"At my core, all I wanna do is create a community where people are empowered to feel like they can be who they are to their fullest. Secondly, i want them to know that nobody knows what they're doing. I think growing up I looked up to people and thought they must know something I don't to be where they are, but truthfully though some people might think I know what I'm doing, at my core I just follow my intuition. There's no guidebook to life. Nobody hands you a manual and maybe that's a good thing, because rules are meant to be broken."
-Aiyana-Lee
For more on the artists who inspire us, click HERE to learn all about singer-songwriter Moonchild Sanelly.