It’s Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th - October 15th, and today I’m highlighting Tatyana Marisol Ali!

We all remember her as Ashley Banks in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but Tatyana has found success in other arenas as well. Born in 1979, in Long Island, NY, she comes from a Trinidadian father and a Panamanian mother.

She began her career at just six years old, appearing on Sesame Street. She also competed twice on Ed McMahon’s Star Search, singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in her first appearance and earning a perfect four-star score each time, winning the contest in both occasions.

Also, do you remember that she played Eddie Murphy’s sister Vanessa in Eddie Murphy’s Raw?

In 1990, at the age of 11, she was cast as Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She held this role until the show ended in 1996. Her singing was featured in a few episodes of the show, catching the attention of star, Will Smith, who convinced her to take a shot at the music industry in real life.

In episode one of the penultimate season of the show in 1994, Will’s character, Will, sees Ashley singing beautifully and decides that he should help her break into the music industry. It’s in this two-part episode that she debuts her song “Make Up Your Mind”. This fictitious moment is also the actual moment that sparked Tatyana’s musical career.

In August of 1998, she released her debut album “Kiss the Sky”. It was her only studio album, peaking at number 106 on the Billboard 200 and reached number 47 in the Hip-Hop/R&B chart.

Through all of this, she still found time to attend Harvard University, studying and graduating with a Bachelor’s of Arts in African American Studies and Government. These credentials, along with her celebrity, led to her traveling the country as an official spokesperson for President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. She also headed voter registration drives in college campuses.

Ali has also appeared in over 40 films, including “The Brothers”, and even more television series. In 2014 she released an EP titled “Hello”, and not long after that, in 2016 she revealed that she was engaged to Vaughn Rasberry, whom she met on eHarmony. Who says regular people can’t find a good partner on a dating app? Get to swiping!

0 of 14