R&B singer/songwriter Inayah flipped a viral moment into a full-blown music career, successfully paving a path for herself and others in the process. Born Inayah Lamis in Houston in 1989, the artist began singing at age 2, after being influenced by her mother, who was a vocalist herself. Inayah wrote her first song at age 10. As an adult, she worked at a jingle company, where she applied her experiences to crafting short, but effective and memorable, clips for online platforms like Instagram. Upon releasing an unofficial remake of Ella Mai’s 2017 single “Boo’d Up,” Inayah saw her social media presence increase twentyfold, giving her the audience she needed to properly present a fresh, tailor-made take on R&B. In 2018, Inayah unveiled her breakthrough original single, “Fairy Tale,” an evocative, soulfully poignant song that traces the history of a storybook relationship gone wrong. The following year, the singer dropped her debut full-length project, S.O.L.A.R. (an acronym for “Storytelling Over Lyrics And Rhymes”), which was led by Inayah’s vivid narration of a failed partnership on the standout track, “Best Thing.” “Fallin” would come in 2021, a single that speaks directly to the titillating emotions that come with a newfound love over a sample of ‘90s R&B group Blackstreet’s hit “Don’t Leave Me.” With each release, Inayah demonstrates that her knack for virality can coexist with emotionally resonant songcraft.