CARYS

About

The artist

CARYS is the recording name of Toronto singer, songwriter, and actor Aviva Mongillo. She began releasing music under her first name in 2016 with Hype while appearing in the Canadian drama series Backstage. Her 2017 EP Songs About Boys included Princesses Don't Cry, a song whose later viral growth helped reshape the project. Mongillo adopted the name CARYS in 2019, describing it as a name connected to love and using the new identity to write more openly about vulnerability, attachment, and emotional pain. Princesses Don't Cry was reissued under CARYS and inspired hundreds of thousands of user-created videos. The 2020 EP To Anyone Like Me followed through Warner Music Canada with songs including No More, Crush, and When a Girl. After a quieter release period, CARYS returned in 2025 with Drama Queen, a seven-song project that re-established the active artist catalog. The earlier Aviva Spotify profile remains online with Songs About Boys and should be treated as a legacy alias catalog, not as a separate person or a second MusicList profile. Mongillo also works as an actor, with roles in Backstage and Workin' Moms.