She is best known for her album Schwarzes Herz topping the German charts in 2023 and becoming the most streamed album on Spotify in Germany that year.

Ayliva is a German singer and musician born on April 4, 1998, in Recklinghausen, Germany. Her first single reached the German charts in 2021, and her second album Schwarzes Herz topped the charts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in 2023, setting streaming records for a female act in Germany. She won the Bambi Award for most successful female artist of the year in 2023 and became a coach on The Voice Kids in 2025.

Born Elif Akar to a family with Turkish roots, Ayliva grew up in Recklinghausen with an older sister and younger brother. She learned guitar, keyboard, and violin, and started writing songs at age 10. After high school, she studied philosophy and German studies at Ruhr University Bochum with plans to become a teacher, then switched to social work, but ultimately quit college to pursue music full-time starting with Instagram posts in October 2020.

Ayliva is German with Turkish heritage and maintains privacy about her relationships and family life. In January 2022, she underwent surgery to remove a tumor that turned out to be benign, sharing her experience on social media to raise awareness about health screenings. Beyond music, she has strong interests in psychology, philosophy, and literature, frequently reads in these fields, enjoys visiting museums and art exhibitions, and practices photography.