Gospel singer (and sometimes actress) Anaysha (she has also worked as Anaysha Figueroa and Anaysha Figueroa-Cooper) began singing as soon as she could talk. She first sang in public at the age of two at her parent's church, New Life Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York, where she was born and raised. As a child and young teenager she appeared in a couple of movies, 1990's Mo' Better Blues and 1993's Life with Mikey, but singing was always her main passion, and with her strong soprano voice and impassioned singing style, she became a much in-demand session and touring singer, working with Kirk Franklin, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Kim Burrell, Ledisi, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin, John P. Kee, Marvin Sapp, James Fortune and Fred Hammond, among others, often as a featured vocalist. She came into the general public's eye as a backup singer on the BET television show Sunday Best, which in turn led to a recording contract with Light Records.