About
Ayanna Heaven is a Brooklyn-based DJ, radio host, and event producer whose sound is shaped by a life lived across pivotal musical landscapes. Raised in St. Mary, Jamaica during the golden era of 1990s dancehall, she later spent a formative decade in Atlanta at the height of Southern hip-hop before relocating to New York City in 2010 to study Ethnomusicology at The New School.
Her work bridges deep musical scholarship with lived cultural experience. Ayanna hosts the monthly show Sounds of Heaven on The Lot Radio and is a bi-weekly selector on WKCR’s long-running soul and funk show, Across 110th Street.
As a DJ, she has performed across New York City at institutions and venues including the Museum of Modern Art, Good Room, Elsewhere, Nowadays, the Apple Fifth Avenue Flagship, and Public Records, as well as at major cultural events such as Opening Night of Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park and Coney Island Reggae on the Boardwalk. Internationally, she has brought her sound to audiences in London, Kingston, Cali, Dubai, and beyond.
In 2021, Ayanna was awarded a New York City Artist Corps Grant, through which she organized Doing It In the Park, a vinyl soul sound system event in Brooklyn featuring over ten NYC selectors alongside a film screening. She continued her curatorial work in 2023 with the launch of Good Ting, a premier party series dedicated to celebrating Jamaican music and culture.
Her recent highlights include a Boiler Room performance in New York City in 2024, features in DJ Mag, multiple appearances on David Rodigan’s BBC 1Xtra show, and a 2025 performance at the Rototom Sunsplash Festival in Benicàssim, Spain.
Spanning roots reggae, rocksteady, dancehall, afrobeats, hip-hop, soul, and funk, Ayanna Heaven’s sets reflect both deep historical knowledge and a dynamic, contemporary sensibility. Her work as a DJ and producer is driven by a commitment to honoring musical lineage while creating vibrant, forward-thinking cultural spaces.
In her spare time, she enjoys dining out, facetiming with her sister Shaari, thrifting, relaxing in the park, and making art.
You can contact her at djayannaheaven@gmail.com or follow her on Instagram.