When Aiyana-Lee describes her life, it often sounds like the kind of script Hollywood loves. She has experienced everything from loss, to survival and grit, and ultimately triumph. Born in London, Aiyana-Lee left school at 10 and moved to Los Angeles at 15 with her mother, 17x multi-Platinum songwriter Daciana-Nicole Anderson. The two scraped by, at times nearly homeless, while Aiyana-Lee chased her music dreams. Despite being told she was “too pretty” to be taken seriously, or that her voice was “too big,” she persisted.
A DM that Changed Everything
Her breakthrough came when her self-written track, “My Idols Lie to Me,” went viral on TikTok. The song’s raw honesty caught the attention of someone she never expected, Spike Lee.
“So he DM’ed me on Instagram, which is, I can’t even… just that sentence alone without even the film, nothing else, just to say Spike Lee DM’ed me on Instagram and found me on Instagram is just such a unique, unique experience,” she explaiend to 21Ninety. “I had written this song called ‘My Idols Lie to Me.’ I put it out, it went super, super viral, and he found me from that and sent me a long DM. It was like, ‘Hi, I’m the real Spike Lee.’ I saw the little check mark and I was like, wait, I really believe it’s him. I woke my mom up. It was 6 a.m., I said, ‘I think Spike Lee DMed me.’”
That unexpected message quickly led to a meeting the very same day in Los Angeles.
“We met up and man, what an inspirational guy,” she gushed. “We got to talk about music and film, and the correlation and how he’s been so inspired by music and the culmination of both together. And, you know, he became really like a big brother to me.”
Aiyana-Lee Making Her Silver Screen Debut
Fast forward, and Aiyana-Lee has now made her cinematic debut in the latest Spike Lee joint, ‘Highest 2 Lowest,’ acting alongside none other than Denzel Washington. Her performance as Sula, particularly in the final scene, was singled out by critics as one of the strongest moments in the film.
“Yeah, man, just completely a surreal experience,” she said of working with Washington. “I mean, I’ve watched his movies since I was a kid and he’s literally one of the greatest of all time. It’s just such a blessing to be in that man’s presence because he genuinely is just like that, and just a humble, humble human being. And I think Spike really does do such a great job of surrounding himself with genuine people.”
Even with such legends on set, Aiyana-Lee says she felt supported and empowered rather than intimidated.
“He and Spike made me feel so comfortable and so confident and so supported that it wasn’t an environment where I felt intimidated. It was more like we’re working together, it feels like a family in a home, and we’re all just trying to get the best work out of it,” she recalled.
For her, the role was deeply personal, which helped her deliver such a critically acclaimed performance.
“It feels like a full circle moment ’cause I’ve been in the position of an artist in front of a [music mogul], who is auditioning and trying to get the approval of an executive,” she began to explain. “The same year I met Spike, I was almost homeless and I remember at one point a music video paying my rent. So being through all of these different things, it felt like this moment where I really got to be myself and just express myself to the fullest.”
A Legacy of Music
While Aiyana-Lee’s star is on the rise, her story is also deeply connected to her musical lineage. She is the niece of Temptations legend David Ruffin and granddaughter of Motown great Jimmy Ruffin. Still, she’s quick to point out that her path was far from privileged.
“Unfortunately, David died before I was born and I was not close with my father’s side of the family and unfortunately had a bad experience with my father,” she shared. “I was raised by a single mother in the UK. It was a beautiful thing because I did get to talk to Jimmy a lot and he did support. He was like, ‘You’re the legacy of the family.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s a heavy title over there.’”
That sense of legacy, combined with her own drive for success, shapes how she moves forward as both a musician and an actress. She prioritizes authenticity and hard work from herself and others in the industry,
“I’d rather be hated for who I am than an idea of someone else,” she explained. “If you’re talented, you’re talented. My bottom line is if you’re genuinely passionate, then to each his own. I don’t care how you got there, but be passionate and let me see the work.”
With her new single “City of Lies” opening a fresh chapter, and plans to release more music later this year, Aiyana-Lee has a clear vision. Her path has never been easy, but her talent continues to cut through the noise and she’s ready for the world to see her true power.