Whatever Happened To Asia From Dance Moms? Here's What She's Doing Now
Asia Monet Ray wasn't one of the original "Dance Moms" cast members, but she made a big impact during her Season 3 stint. She was also seen in a couple episodes in Season 4, which aired in 2014. Since her "Dance Moms" departure, the California native has been busy experimenting with creative endeavors outside of dance. Most notably, she's been an active social media influencer, boasting more than 1 million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
Ray joined Lifetime when she competed on Season 1 of "Abby Lee's Ultimate Dance Competition" at the age of 6. While she placed third in the series, which aired in 2012, she went on to join the Abby Lee Dance Company and competed with series alums like the stunningly transformed Mackenzie Ziegler. According to Ray, who appeared on the "What They Don't Tell You with Jordyn Jones" podcast in 2021, the choice to leave "Dance Moms" was "just an executive decision of, you know, 'I think it's, like, my time is up." She explained: "I want to do other things and I can't. I don't want to compete anymore as a dancer.'"
Ray doesn't fall into the group of "Dance Moms" stars who want nothing to do with Abby Lee Miller, as she maintains that her experience on the show was overall positive. Afterwards, she went on to star in her own reality show called "Raising Asia," which ran for a single season in 2014. During her podcast appearance, Ray explained that she was the one who wanted to discontinue the series. "I had enough," she said.
Asia debuted her acting and music careers at a young age
While Asia Monet Ray took a step back from reality TV after "Dance Moms" and "Raising Asia," she didn't step out of the spotlight completely. The "Dance Moms" alum went on to have a brief acting career, appearing in shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Crime Story." "I can always remember the feeling when I got the call from my manager, that I was cast as Sydney Simpson in 'American Crime Story: OJ vs. The People,'" she told Modeliste Magazine in 2020. "I was so excited and couldn't believe I'd be working with Director Ryan Murphy and this A-list cast."
Music continued to be a huge part of Ray's career, but she shifted gears from dancing to singing pretty quickly. Her early musical performances were featured on "Raising Asia," with the Orange County native performing the song "Get Up 2 Get Down" at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Since then, she's released original songs like "Come Along" and "Hey Girl," publishing music videos to YouTube. Ray has also accumulated quite the catalog of cover songs, with her performances of "Mary, Did You Know?" and "Rise" garnering millions of views online.
No matter the medium, Ray has expressed an ongoing interest in expressing herself through creative outlets. "I've always loved to entertain, spread joy, encourage positivity and change," she said. "Being able to do that through my work [and] socials [sic] platforms makes me the happiest person and drives me to continue what I'm doing daily."
You can keep up with Asia on her social media pages
Asia Monet Ray hasn't released original music in a few years, but you can still find her covering songs on Instagram. There, the former reality TV star also posts snapshots of her influencer life, promoting sponsored products, attending high-profile events, and showing off her latest fits. She's even pictured on her page with big name celebs like Kali Uchis and Selena Gomez.
Ray is also active on TikTok, where she provides life updates and makeup advice in GRWM videos. Back in 2023, she announced that she graduated from high school as valedictorian on the platform, mouthing the words to Nicki Minaj's "I'm Legit" while waving around a baby picture cut-out. Her continued interests in music and dance come out through these lip-syncing clips, with a video of her dancing to SZA's song "Low" going viral in 2022.
The "Raising Asia" alum credits her reality TV background for preparing her for the social media influencer lifestyle. "I'm a private person when it comes to my personal life, but I'm the most, like, [the biggest] extrovert you'll ever meet," Ray told Jordyn Jones. "From reality TV and growing up in the spotlight, that has helped me kind of create the person I am today."