DESCRIPTION:
Music has always been a pretty big part of Aiyana’s life. She first started playing keyboard when she was 6 years old and eventually go into playing the flute in middle and high school as well. She started writing her own cinematic type of compositions and explored being creative and sequencing cool tracks on her keyboard. In highschool she was so involved in the arts, was was in band, keyboard class, choir and art class. The arts were her main expression and focus, though athletics squeezed their way in there too.

By the time she was ready to go to college at 18 she decided to pursue music a little more seriously and took a minor in music at University of Central Florida. As she was studying music at the college level she realized it was what she was most passionate about so she decided to major in music, thus embarking on a journey of what it was to be a professional musician. She started teaching piano lessons toward the end of her freshman year of college, and realized that she had a knack for it and enjoyed it too. Towards the end of her college years she started taking paying gigs as an accompanist to other instrumentalists at college and was starting to see that she could earn a living as a teaching and performing musician. The possibilities started becoming very exciting to her and she became steadfast and focused on paving a way in that life as a full time working musician. Aiyana graduated from UCF in Orlando, FL in 2004 with a bachelor of arts in music with piano as her focus.

After graduation she continued to study music, especially jazz, neo soul and pop. She took further private study in jazz and classes in jazz theory and jazz improv and joined a jazz ensemble. This exploration of improvised music was essential to her influencing her music style as she started exploring creativity in music and song writing with lyrics around 2005. She started to fall in love with song-writing and realized she needed to expand her vocal abilities. She did private vocal study for a couple years in Orlando with a trained opera singer and learned proper vocal technique to help her execute the new vocal songs she was writing. And in 2006 Aiyana started to record her first original music album.

Upon it’s completion in 2008 Aiyana mad the move to Los Angeles ready to explore what the city had to offer in the world of music. As the now 8 years have gone by so quick, she has made numerous music friends and connection, played the open mic scene and then quickly started playing the song-songwriter circuit of venue and joined west coast songwriters to learn and grow as a songwriter. She also started teaching vocals to beginners in 2009 where she has expanded those skills tremendously. Teaching vocals helped her improve her own vocals so much and it’s been a wonderful continuing journey to learn how to help others to sing and express that way.

Aiyana also has done some film scoring or independent films and documentaries. Her first film project was back in Orlando, FL in 2007 and she explored that world for a couple years trying midi recording and mixing for the short film projects. Aiyana is a collaborator, a teacher, loves working with directors, other musicians on stage and in rehearsal and students to help them grow and explore their own musicianship and creativity.

Recent projects have included music scoring for a very moving documentary with written and directed by Christopher Lockett. Also a singer-songwriter duo with good friend Julie Meyers, called “Julie and Aiyana” which they recently released their debut EP called “Come Back Home”. Aiyana continues to release her won music, earlier in 2016 she released a double single called “Love Did Last” produced by Rob Harkness at Barn Productions. In 2017 she’s set to release a new EP of her solo original music called “Soul Clouds” whom she recorded with produced Catharine Wood at Planted Wood productions.

Aiyana continues to grow and expand as a musician and is always welcoming experiences to challenge her and to stimulate musical growth. The journey of music is a beautiful expression of the human experience.

Live at Lockett's is an intimate concert series filmed in Christopher Lockett's living room in Los Angeles. It features artists from LA's eclectic roots music and poetry scenes. The performers are grounded in a roots tradition, but are not bound by it.

One camera, one lens, no zooms, no cuts, not even a microphone in frame - just a lone shotgun mic mounted overhead in a c-stand. Nothing between the performer and the audience.