I have always been a sucker for a good origin story. Like Wiley Wiggins, who was hanging out at a local café when Richard Linklater’s co-producer handed him a flier for a casting call and shortly thereafter, he was playing Mitch Kramer in ’90s cult classic Dazed and Confused. Or Jennifer Lawrence, who was walking through Union Square on a family vacation and was approached by a talent scout who had her signed with an agent and doing screen tests within days.
It’s not often that we hear about artists being discovered in such a manner anymore—in fact, it’s really quite rare. Which is why, for an artist to boast an origin story like that of Jennifer Lawrence, it simply must be assumed that they are wildly talented. Aiyana-Lee fits that bill to a tee, discovered via Instagram by none other than legendary filmmaker, Spike Lee. Her enthusiasm was contagious when we sat down for this interview.
“He DMed me on Instagram, and he left me a very long message that’s still sitting in my inbox. It is insane,” she says with a glow. “It’s a very long paragraph that basically is like, ‘Yo, I’m the real Spike Lee. Are you a cousin of mine? You know, Lee and Lee,’ and he had said something like he had listened to my entire discography that night, all night, and he was a fan. And we met that very same day in LA.”
Fast-forward, and Spike not only cast her in his latest film, Highest2Lowest, but actually named the film after a song she wrote of the same name. I had the pleasure of speaking with Aiyana-Lee about her experience acting in a Spike Lee joint, her relationship with the iconic filmmaker, and her up-and-coming career as a musician.
Spike Lee gave me the history of film, and how he’s bridged the gap between film and music.
From Instagram DM To The Big Screen
I spoke with Aiyana-Lee over morning coffee (afternoon kombucha in my case, due to the time difference), and she told me a story which, had I not seen her perform “Highest2Lowest” in the last scene of the Spike Lee film, I might not have believed. After Spike had DM’ed her, she went on to tell me about their instant connection.
“We immediately just had incredible conversations. He gave me the history of film, and how he’s bridged the gap between film and music, and also how he’s given so many people their first film,” not even realizing at the time that she was to become one of those very people. She went on, “[He was] kind of giving me the background, and I didn’t know that day, that he’d already had something in mind. So it’s kind of like the modern version of going to the grocery store and bumping into somebody, you know what I mean?”
Before meeting Spike, Aiyana was struggling. Given the state of the world, we commiserated—it’s hard to stay positive and not let yourself get too down. But at seemingly her lowest point, she was given the opportunity of a lifetime. “I was almost homeless one year, and then I met Spike Lee, and then I was in a film, and all those kind of trajectories have taken place. I feel like anyone can. So there’s still hope.”
The film’s namesake song, then, felt very fitting, both for Aiyana’s character in the film, and for herself in the real world. “I think by writing from my own POV, it felt simultaneously resonant with what the character would be feeling as well. And so, writing that song, Spike really wanted me to come from that perspective and just be honest and truthful.”
I asked her how much input Spike had in the songwriting process, to which she explained, “[He had] a lot. A lot. I think his kind of way of being is really to inspire the artist, the writer, the actor to just dig into who they already are, instead of, so often in this industry, people try to put their own ideas onto you that don’t enhance what’s already there. And in this case, it just felt like he was just drawing out reality.”
Through the screen, Aiyana’s connection to the song and her professional journey as a musician can truly be felt on a visceral level, and knowing that Spike’s direction played a part in that emotion, even beyond what we see in the film, just speaks to his talents as an artist, and their collective knack for collaboration. She spoke of him from such an admirable, caring perspective, it made me feel almost as if I knew him myself.
“Spike has become my older brother… we have such a similar energy when it comes to approaching art, and that’s why we get along so well. There’s a sense of passion that I feel like has been lost in the art of creation when it comes to anything mainstream, I think.”
So often, I had felt like my voice and my writing was taken away from me, and I wasn’t given credit for what I’ve done. And he was someone that wanted to amplify me.
As far as her songwriting’s evolution since the film, she has grown on many levels. “I walk into it with more confidence. My entire career, I’ve really been put down by the music industry for wanting to write or write on my own projects. It would be like, ‘You’re a pretty face, you’ve got a good voice.’ That’s it.
“And that’s where the ceiling has been hit. We’re not going to be a producer and writer and all that other stuff. So when Spike came in, he really pushed me to actually be myself and gave me a platform to write. So often, I had felt like my voice and my writing was taken away from me, and I wasn’t given credit for what I’ve done. And he was someone that wanted to amplify me.”
She explained that even beyond their professional relationship, Aiyana has been a fan of Spike. “I have [always] been a huge fan. Just what he’s been able to do for culture and film, and he’s brought so many new ideas and thoughts. He’s really been a force in the film industry, and he’s equally such a brilliant human.”
The Feat Of Performing On Set For Denzel Washington
As with any Spike Lee joint, Highest2Lowest had a legend as its star in Oscar winner Denzel Washington. Being on set with him, Aiyana noted, “He is just a superstar when he walks on set. His presence is so powerful, and we don’t have many of those forces right now, and he’s definitely one of them.”
Washington plays a big-time music executive for whom Aiyana’s character gets to perform her song, “Highest2Lowest,” at the end of the film. Just like his character, Washington seems to not only have ears for talent, but wants to make sure that talent is shared. “He ended up being such a sweet, humble human being who was nothing but encouraging. During one of the breaks, he FaceTimed a really big producer and was like, ‘Go and get on the phone with him, just sing live to him! Just sing live to him!’ It [was] just like, this is really a movie moment.”
In fact, the whole experience was an all-encompassing welcome to Hollywood moment. “My mom was on set, she got to meet everyone, and it was just such a surreal energy. I think [Denzel] just tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible as I was acting for the first time, and he was nothing but lovely to work with. He was actually incredibly shocked that this was my first time acting, he was like, ‘Wait, you’re a natural.’ I was like, you know what? I’m not stressed anymore, Denzel. He’s a real type of guy. I said, you know what? Hold on. We’re good.”
Things moved so quickly, Aiyana hardly had time to digest the fact that she’d be performing live on set in front of Denzel Washington. When I asked Aiyana when she knew she’d be performing her song in the film, she said, “I feel like I knew maybe a month out, or a few weeks before I got on set. Spike called in Spike Fashion and was just like, ‘So you got the role, you’re going to be on set with Denzel. I’m going to fly you to New York, and [we] gotta write the song.’ And we spent a whole week going back and forth on making sure the song was right.”
It was intense, to say the least. “I probably wrote 10 songs in the process, I’ve got an album. At this point, I have a folder of Spike Lee joints. But it did feel full circle. I think the scene as well felt very full circle, just because the character goes through a situation that I’ve been through pretty much to the T.”
Washington wasn’t the only star with whom Aiyana got to work on Highest2Lowest; the film’s antagonist was played by fellow musician, A$AP Rocky. “Honestly, he really impressed me, and I think Denzel had said the same thing. I met him at the premiere, and we got to talk quite a bit. He was just a really sweet, kind-hearted guy. I think, beyond what people even realize. He’s there bringing his mom and his family to the premieres and taking care of them, [he’s a] really a cool human being.”
We joked about a potential collaboration in the future, and we agreed to manifest, but as of now, there is nothing planned between Aiyana and A$AP. That said, she did inform me that there is another Spike Lee collaboration on the horizon. “I have something coming with Spike soon. It’s a bit of a short film, if you will, that ties into the movie situation.”
Spike Knows Talent When He Sees It—Music Runs In Aiyana’s Veins
Being from the suburbs of Detroit, it was hard for me not to fangirl just a bit. Aiyana comes from Motown royalty, the niece of David Ruffin of The Temptations, and the granddaughter of soul legend Jimmy Ruffin. “I feel endlessly inspired by what they were able to do and pioneer and pave the way for.
“Unfortunately, my uncle died before I was born, so I didn’t get to meet David, but just watching and experiencing the music that he was able to be a part of, his voice, his tone, his performance—it’s definitely been inspiring.”
She was able to have a relationship with her grandfather, Jimmy, before he passed, “Jimmy, he was like, ‘You’re going to be the next one to do it in this family.’ All this [was] over the phone, because he became a bit of a recluse later on in life, so he would call from time to time and check in before he died.”
It’s clear that her musical talent is a split between nature and nurture; Aiyana’s vocal quality is just as arresting as her uncle’s. When she starts to sing, she commands attention. Spike’s portrayal of her discovery scene and how her voice inspires Washington’s character so completely could not possibly be more accurate.
Aiyana further explained, referencing the hardships she was experiencing not long before Spike reached out to her, that it has been a unique experience, specific to her, toeing the line between family legacy but still having to build from the ground up.
“It’s a very interesting thing to have that legacy kind of built into the family, but at the same time, kind of have to start from zero. It’s a very strange place to come from just because you’re not the nepo baby, but you do have a legacy.” She joked, “Honey, if I didn’t have to start from zero, and I could have just been an icon at age 10, I would’ve been, I was ready. I was doing shows, a girl was trying. But [all this has] definitely been inspiring, like it’s possible, and I can do it.”
And do it she can—Aiyana-Lee stole the hearts (and ears) of audiences everywhere with her show-stopping scene in Highest2Lowest. It’s clear that this film will not be the last we see of Aiyana-Lee, neither as an actor or a singer. She boasts the kind of talent that transcends genre and medium, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what her future may hold.
