Combining her talents as both an actress and a singer, CARYS (the musical persona of Aviva Mongillo) has crafted a pop identity that fuses performance, storytelling, and vulnerability. After her breakout TV role as Alya in Family Channel’s ‘Backstage’, she began releasing music in 2017 and adopted the CARYS moniker in 2019, shortly before her song ‘Princesses Don’t Cry’ became a global viral hit with over 500 million streams to date. Her debut EP ‘To Anyone Like Me’ (2020) featured the single ‘No More’, which earned national radio support and led to her being named iHeartRadio’s Future Star. In 2021, the JUNOS spotlighted her in their “Rising” documentary series presented by TD, cementing her as an artist to watch. Since becoming an independent artist, she has continued to expand her reach: her 2024 debut album ‘~waves~’ featured the single ‘Language’, which climbed to #10 on CBC Music’s Top 20. Her most recent project, the 2025 EP ‘Drama Queen’, is her most ambitious work yet. Surrounding the album, she built an elaborate fantasy world, brought to life through a YouTube machinima series she wrote, directed, and edited herself called ‘Return to Carysia’. Known for turning vulnerability into theatrical, empowering pop anthems, CARYS has been hailed as “the future of pop music” and continues to captivate a global fanbase of more than half a million across platforms. Alongside her music, she is recognized for acting roles in CBC’s Workin’ Moms, Family/Disney Channel’s Backstage, and most recently as Dori in Netflix’s Bet.