That Girl Lay Lay

Alaya High (born January 28, 2007), known professionally as That Girl Lay Lay, is an American rapper, singer, social media personality, and actress who began her career at the age of 6 on YouTube and is best known for starring in the Nickelodeon sitcom That Girl Lay Lay (2021–2024). At the age of 11, she became the youngest female African American rapper to have a record deal with Empire Distribution, with her debut single "Go, Lay Lay, Go" and debut album Tha Cheat Code. She has also worked on a series of books with Scholastic publishing.

She also once made an appearance, alongside B. Simone, on Wild 'n Out.

Personal life and career

Music Alaya High was born in Houston, on January 28, 2007. She got her start in music when her parents posted videos of her rapping covers to hip-hop songs on YouTube, and rapping covers of different Christian rap songs for the youth ministry at her local church her family attended. She subsequently began writing her own rap and hip hop songs that she posted on YouTube and Instagram.

High became one of the youngest female rappers to be given a record deal at 11 years old, and went on to record other children's and teen-themed rap and hip hop albums with Empire such as Tha Cheat Code Reloaded (2019), All Tha Way Lit Up (2019), and Recess Is Over (2020). She also released several singles, both by herself and as collaborations with other rappers such as Mama (2019), Long Hair (2020), Show and Tell (2020), Jingle Rock Baby (a Christmas single, 2020), A World by Us (2021), and I'm That! (in collaboration with fellow Nickelodeon child actor and rapper, Young Dylan, in 2021). with rapper T-Pain and producer Dillon Francis. In 2020, she signed a deal with Nickelodeon to develop original multi-platform programming, music initiatives, and build a consumer product business catering to children and teens, and highlighting young actors and creative artists. As a part of this deal, High was given her own television series on Nickelodeon, That Girl Lay Lay (2021–2024), where she played as an artificially intelligent avatar on a phone app that comes to life as a human teen girl, when the owner of the phone, Sadie, wishes she had a friend who could help her stand out and be more outgoing in her high school career and social life. The show premiered on Nickelodeon on September 23, 2021, and was renewed for a second season on January 28, 2022, until the show finally ended in 2024. High has also guest starred in other Nickelodeon series such as Side Hustle, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan, and Danger Force.

Following the conclusion of her television series, Alaya High has focused on building a presence on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, and has shifted her focus toward creating rap and hip hop music for a broader young adult audience. She also currently stars in the Disney Channel series Vampirina: Teenage Vampire as of 2025.

Filmography

Singles

Awards

NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance by a Youth Alaya High

Crown Awards Young CROWN Award Alaya High

Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment Wonder Girl Award Alaya High