Ryan Destiny

Ryan Destiny Irons (born January 8, 1995) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Destiny is best known for her roles in the Fox TV musical drama Star, the Freeform sitcom Grown-ish, and as the two-time Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Claressa Shields in the Claressa Shields biopic, The Fire Inside directed by Rachel Morrison.

Early life and education Destiny was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her father is a member of the 1990s R&B group Guesss. Destiny attended West Bloomfield High School. In January 2011, Destiny won a singing contest to attend the red carpet premiere of Justin Bieber's Never Say Never.

Career Music In junior high school, 12-year-old Destiny formed a musical trio group called New Limit. Managed by her mother Dawn, the trio auditioned for America's Got Talent in 2010, and they made it to the finals until they decided it was not for them. By 2011, Destiny had signed with Universal Republic.

In 2016 and later again in 2018, Destiny announced plans for a solo debut EP titled "On One's Own." She released its lead single "The Same" in 2018, with a remix featuring rapper Tobi Lou the following year. Her second single "Do You" was released in 2020. Her other songs include "How Many" (2022), "Lie Like That," (2023), a cover of Khamari's 2021 song, "Doctor, My Eyes" in 2024, and "How Your Hands Feel" (2024).

On July 6, 2026, Destiny performed in an Aaliyah tribute, curated by Missy Elliott, for the finale at that year's Essence Festival of Culture.

Acting In 2010, Destiny appeared in an episode of the web series The Wannabes Starring Savvy. In 2011, she traveled to Los Angeles with her mother to start auditioning for projects.

Destiny initially booked the role of Tiana on Lee Daniels's hit musical drama Empire but due to her contract with All Def Music, she could not accept the role. The series premiered on Fox on December 14, 2016, and was canceled after 3 seasons in 2019.

In November 2019, it was announced that Destiny was cast to play Claressa Shields in Flint Strong, a sports biopic written by Barry Jenkins and directed by Rachel Morrison. Originally, it was in development at Universal Pictures. However, the film was put in a turnaround in October 2021. It was then picked up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in May 2022 and later renamed The Fire Inside.

Destiny also had a recurring role on season 3 of Grown-ish as Jillian, a transfer student from Spelman College.

Influences Destiny cites entertainers Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Prince and Aaliyah as her primary influences. Destiny has also expressed admiration for singers such as Lauryn Hill, Brandy, India Arie, and Beyoncé. The couple are now currently engaged since October 5, 2025.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2015 A Girl Like Grace Grace Lead role 2023 Oracle Shay 2024 The Fire Inside Claressa Shields

Television Year Title Role Notes 2010 The Wannabes-Starring Savvy Customer 2013 Low Winter Sun April Geddes Recurring role (6 episodes) 2016–2019 Star Alexandra Crane Lead role 2020–2021 Grown-ish Jillian Recurring role 2021 The Lower Bottoms Rebecca Cooper Main role

Music videos Big Sean – "Paradise" (2014) Big Sean – "Single Again" (2019) Halsey — "Nightmare" (2019) Justin Bieber ft. Chance the Rapper – "Holy" (2020) Doja Cat – "Need to Know" (2021)

Awards and nominations