That Girl Lay Lay | Cast & Crew Interviews | Nickelodeon

Houston rap newcomer Alaya "That Girl Lay Lay" High is the definition of hard work and determination becoming the youngest female rapper to sign a record deal via her very own Fresh Rebel Muzik/EMPIRE imprint at 11, dropping standout songs like "Breezy" with Memphis rapper Young Dolph and "Rich" with UGK's Bun B. Did we mention she's only 14 years old?

The hip-hop star – who signed an overall talent deal with iconic kids powerhouse Nickelodeon in June 2020 – is gearing up for her “That Girl Lay Lay” series to kick off, the much-anticipated release of her third official album and other major entertainment ventures lined up.

In celebration of her success, That Girl Lay Lay exclusively talks to SOHH live about how she turned her dreams into reality, her Houston roots and much more.

That Girl Lay Lay is making her dreams come true. The 14-year-old rapper, whose real name is Alaya High, spoke with ET's Melicia Johnson about starring in her own Nickelodeon series and where her passion for rapping started.

"It's a dream come true, it's amazing. It's really fun, everybody here is very sweet. I've made friends with the whole cast, it's amazing," Lay Lay said of That Girl Lay Lay, which she's in the process of filming.

While she couldn't say too much about the series, she explained that it's about a motivational avatar who comes to life, thanks to the wish of one shy girl who was in need of a best friend.

"I'm a motivational avatar who ends up coming out of a phone based on the person I'm the avatar for. Her wish was for me to come out of the phone, and I'm a motivational avatar, just helping her go through high school, and through life. She's a very shy girl. So, I'm just helping her as the motivational avatar, and one night, this shooting star comes, and she makes a wish. She's like, 'Oh I wish you were real,' and I ended up coming out of the phone and I ended up becoming real," she explained of her role on the Nickelodeon series.

Being an avatar comes with its perks, like the ability to freeze time.

"I have some superpowers, I can freeze time, I can disappear. So, that's some of the powers I have, and basically it's just us going through our daily life now that I'm her best friend," Lay Lay continued. "Nobody knows I came out of the phone. Everybody thinks I'm just her friend, she's the only one who knows, so it's hard keeping it a secret because I'm a little new here, so I don't know what I'm doing."

It was actually through her rap career that Lay Lay ended up on Nickelodeon.

"Well, I started off rapping when I was five and from rapping, I knew I always wanted to be in the entertainment industry," Lay Lay said of her start in the industry. "I started off with the rapping and then I kind of moved into acting. But I just took off, I had did a video when I was 11 of me rapping in the car in Atlanta, and it went viral, and from then on, I was getting calls from different labels. Empire, Def Jam, Warner Brothers, I was getting calls from everybody. It has always been my dream to be with Nickelodeon, I've always watched Nickelodeon since I was little. So, it has always been my dream to be signed with them, so I honestly feel like I manifested it."

"When I used to watch TV shows on Nickelodeon when I was little, I used to say, 'I wish I was on there. I wish I performed at the Kids' Choice Awards. I wish I had my own TV show. I want to see what the set looks like. I want to do this, do this.' And now I'm here, so I think just me saying it when I was younger, I just manifested it to be true," she added.

The 14-year-old is one busy girl, in addition to her TV show, the rapper has teamed up with the LOL Surprise Dolls for their 707 Day Concert, streaming July 7.

"I'm actually very excited for that show, it was very fun filming with everybody," she said of the concert. It's going to be on 707 which is LOL upside down, so be prepared for that. Parents can register for free tickets at lolsurprise.com/lolday. It's going to be amazing and you don't want to miss it."

The LOL 707 Day concert streams July 7, here.

[Click HERE for sneak peek]

Lay Lay, whose real name is Alaya High, plays an avatar inside an app who magically comes to life.

That Girl Lay Lay is the Houston teen rapper with more than 1 million Instagram followers. It also refers to her rapidly expanding brand that includes unicorn pendants, track suits and lip gloss.

And now, it’s the name of her Nickelodeon series.

Lay Lay, whose real name is Alaya High, makes her sitcom debut at 6:30 p.m. Thursday on “That Girl Lay Lay.” She plays an avatar inside a motivational app who magically comes to life after high school student Sadie (Gabrielle Nevaeh Green) wishes on a star. Broad comedy high jinks ensue.

Despite the striking confidence Lay Lay displays in her music videos, the thought of TV stardom made her nervous.

“My anxiety was through the roof,” she says. “There’s a bunch of great actresses and actors in the world. Everyone is gonna want to give you criticism.”

Connecting with her character, however, was the easy part.

‘That Girl Lay Lay’

Premieres 6:30 p.m. Thursday

Nickelodeon

Anything for Selena

When Lay Lay posed for a Houston Chronicle photographer last year, she brandished a T-shirt featuring the late Selena. It wasn't just for show. Lay Lay says she's a huge fan and cites "Como la Flor" as her favorite Selena song.

"I tell everybody that she's my godmom, and some people believe me," Lay Lay says. She loves the 1997 film starring Jennifer Lopez.

"I have a video of when I was nine or eight, having a cookie and dancing to a Selena song from the movie. I watch it, and I cry every single time at the ending. I love Selena. She stood out. Even though she didn't know Spanish, they still loved her, and she tried to learn it to be better. And I love that when she did learn Spanish, she was able to do an English-language song."

-JG

“It’s the same. She is no different from how I talk, how I act, what dance moves I do, how I move my hands, my neck. It’s all the same. Lay Lay is not scared to step up to certain people in the show,” she says.

That sass is evident in the first episode. Lay Lay breaks out of Sadie’s phone and immediately launches into a rap. Once the literal smoke settles, she is intent on experiencing life as a teenager — in her own Lay Lay way, of course.

“Wanna make friendship bracelets? Make pizza bagels? Challenge crosstown rivals to a double dutch contest?” she asks Sadie. “I wanna prank call a convent. I wanna play dress up. I wanna eat cheese out of a can., Hey, how old do you have to be to work a bulldozer?”

Lay Lay’s ultimate mission is to to motivate, and she soon convinces Sadie to run for freshman class president. As an actress, Lay Lay has a natural sense of comedic timing with a keen edge that makes her a standout among sitcom kids.

She likens the show to some of her favorite sitcoms, including “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “That’s So Raven” and “Sister, Sister.” But there’s a unique quality on display, something she shares with Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion.

“You can ask (production) how many times they had to tell me how to say certain words because of my Houston twang. It just wasn’t working, and they would be like, ‘You’re country, for sure’,” Lay Lay says. “They would be like, ‘Just let her say it how she wants to say it.’ They don’t get that it’s hard to not talk like I’m from Houston.”

“That Girl Lay Lay” was created and executive produced by David A. Arnold (“Fuller House”). The first season runs for 13 episodes and is the first part of a larger deal that includes Lay Lay music and merchandise.

"To have had the opportunity to create an amazing show like 'That Girl Lay Lay' with two young girls of color has been an honor," Arnold says. "I can't wait for the world to meet 'That Girl Lay Lay'."

Lay Lay also performs the show’s theme song. This is her first big acting gig, though she appeared on a recent episode of the superhero sitcom “Danger Force.”

“It was like four words, so it wasn’t that much,” she says. “I definitely still count it.”

“That Girl Lay Lay,” then, is the big payoff after past rejections that left her discouraged.

“I put so much time, I put so much effort into it. To get nothing out of it — oh, it crushed me,” she says. “What’s so funny is when I was on set, my TV show was (filming) next to something I auditioned for that I didn’t get.”

Her own music is still in play. She recently collaborated with Bun B and is working on a song with Jermaine Dupri and Young Dylan, fellow Nickelodeon star.

Lay Lay recently saw the first episode and plans to host a watch party in Houston for the premiere. And she hopes it resonates with viewers like so many of her classic faves.

“I was trying not to cry ‘cause I do not like to cry around people. It’s amazing to just see the hard work that you put into it. When you film it, you don’t know if it’s bad, so when you finally see it, it’s amazing,” she says. “When I watch my TV show, I want to feel the same way I feel when I watch ‘Sister, Sister’.”

That Girl Lay Lay follows Houston rapper Lay Lay (Alaya High), an avatar from a personal affirmation app that magically comes to life, and her best friend Sadie (Gabrielle Nevaeh Green) as they navigate life as teenagers.

PhotoS: Nickelodeon, STR / Nickelodeon