# Ryan Destiny

Ryan Destiny Irons (born January 8th, 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 Clarissa Shields in the Clarissa Shields biopic, The Fire Inside (2024) directed by Rachel Morrison.

## Early life and education

Destiny was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her father is a member of the 90s 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. Her family is of African-American descent, with her maternal grandmother having Irish ancestry.

## 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. The group would later split, with Destiny and her manager holding auditions forming a new group called Love Dollhouse. The trio signed to All Def/Capitol Records, a label partnership with Russell Simmons, Steve Rifkind, and Brian Robbins. The group released their debut single, "Can I" in 2014, but disbanded a year later in 2015.
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).

### 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. In 2013, she appeared in several episodes of the Detroit-based crime drama, Low Winter Sun. Destiny later appeared as the lead in the independent film A Girl Like Grace opposite Garcelle Beauvais, Meagan Good, and Raven-Symoné. The Ty Hodges produced film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2015.
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. In December 2015, Destiny booked one of the lead roles as Alexandra "Alex" Crane in Daniels' series Star – opposite Queen Latifah. The series premiered on Fox on December 14th, 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.

## Personal life

Ryan Destiny was in a relationship with actor Keith Powers from 2017 until their split in 2022. They remained close friends, and in December 2024, during an interview with The Breakfast Club radio show while promoting The Fire Inside, Destiny confirmed that the breakup was "just a [little] bump in the road," and the two have since gotten back together.

## Filmography
### Film

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

### 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

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout TV Star | Herself | Nominated |
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Drama TV Actress | Herself | Nominated |
| 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Drama TV Actress | Herself | Nominated |
| 2024 | Denver International Film Festival | Rising Star Award | The Fire Inside | Won |
| 2024 | Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Performer | The Fire Inside | Nominated |
| 2024 | Celebration of Cinema and Television | Rising Star Award – Film | The Fire Inside | Won |
| 2024 | Michigan Movie Critics Guild | MMC Award for Film Excellence | The Fire Inside | Won |
| 2025 | Indie Spirit Awards | Best Lead Performance | The Fire Inside | Nominated |
| 2025 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance | The Fire Inside | Nominated |
| 2025 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance | The Fire Inside | Nominated |
| 2025 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture | The Fire Inside | Nominated |