Lay Bankz

Layia Watkins (born June 11, 2004), known professionally as Lay Bankz, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After signing a record contract with Artist Partner Group (APG) in 2022, she released the singles "Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)", "Na Na Na" and "Ick" the following year. Her 2024 single, "Tell Ur Girlfriend" became popular on TikTok and marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

Life and career
Bankz was born Layia Watkins on June 11, 2004, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Southwest Philadelphia. She started writing raps at age 10 and released her first song, "Passion", in October 2019 when she was 15 years old. She signed to Artist Partner Group in 2022 and released her debut single with the label, "Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)", later that year. She was featured on the "dance mix" of Ciara's song "Da Girls", released in May 2023. She also appeared on NLE Choppa's song "It's Getting Hot" in July 2023. In August 2023, she released the single "Na Na Na". Both "Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick)" and "Na Na Na" went viral on TikTok. Her debut extended play, Now You See Me, was also released in August 2023. Her single "Ick" was released in September 2023 and also became popular on TikTok and on streaming services. She followed that success with "Tell Ur Girlfriend" in February 2024 which became her first song to chart in the US and multiple other countries aided by a viral dance trend. It followed her debut studio album, After 7, which was released in May 2024.

Musical style
Bankz has described her music as "every kind of genre you could ever think of". Kenyatta Victoria of Essence wrote that she "merges club and R&B music". Billboard's Kyle Denis described it as Jersey club. Pitchfork's H.D. Angel identified her music as East Coast club and pop rap, writing that her voice had an "elegant, almost synthetic quality" to it and that her instrumentals were "busy".