Allay Earhart

Allay Earhart is the rap alias of Alvin Harris, a New Orleans native born on August 29, 1996 — the same day Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The storm hit on his 9th birthday, reshaping his city and his story forever.

His stage name carries deep personal meaning. Growing up in the Calliope Projects — split down the middle by Earhart Boulevard — Harris chose the name to honor his cousin, Sadiki Navarre, who was murdered on that street in 2013. "My cousin was one of the main people to really push me in the direction of music," Harris said.

On August 14, 2020, his 13-year-old brother Ahmad Brown died from a gunshot wound — and August 29 became the day Harris buried him instead of celebrating his birthday. He avoided celebrating for years, until 2025, when he hosted a release party for his album "2005" at The Fillmore on the 20th anniversary of Katrina and his 29th birthday. The album cover features a photograph by Michael Appleton for the New York Daily News — 9-year-old Alvin, dehydrated, in his father's arms outside the Superdome on September 1, 2005.

His 2022 album "Great Habits, Great Heights" — inspired by James Clear's Atomic Habits — was selected for Crescent City Sounds, the New Orleans Public Library's free streaming platform, in 2023. That connection led Harris to join the Library as a staff member, where he now works alongside community members daily.

A graduate of McDonogh 35 High School and Dillard University (B.S. Marketing), Harris co-founded VäKú in 2013 with friends — a community-driven arts, apparel, and music collective built around creating "Indescribable Happiness" through art and charity.

"Community is a big thing for me, it's a big motivator. My sound is definitely Crescent City. It's soulful, it's heartfelt, it's nostalgic. It's refreshing."