Aiesha Allen

CEO/Founder

Born in Monrovia, Liberia and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Aiesha was surrounded by music at an early age.  Coming from a family of music enthusiasts, she was exposed to all genres and fell in love with the sounds as a child.  In kindergarten she begged for her parents’ permission to participate in after school music classes.  Her next request was to appear in a school play. That was her formal introduction to theatre.

Lessons in piano, violin, and dance soon followed.  Having already learned how to read sheet music by age 10, she joined an elementary school performance band.  The following year she became active in her school chorus, church youth choir, and received additional vocal training.  After receiving a cassette player and microphone as a gift, she would stay in her room so much her mom became concerned that something was wrong.  This led to her second favorite pastime of songwriting.  Using the new cassette player and mic along with her keyboard, she would often record and compose music. Her first experience in a real recording studio came shortly after when asked to record “America The Beautiful” for a school assembly. She stayed active in theatre by participating in a youth theatre group learning how to combine her vocal abilities and acting skills for musical theatre productions.  Performing in plays such as Cats, Les Miserables, and The Wizard of Oz qualified her to attend The Jacksonville University performing arts summer program.

Upon Entering high school Aiesha was accepted into the prestigious Douglas Anderson School of Arts. Intense training in theatre, play-writing, and stage tech prepared her for a bright future.  It all came to a halt two years later at age 16 when a bad decision had her charged with a first-degree felony and facing five years in prison.  After being sent to boot camp, she wrote down five goals, vowed to pursue her dreams, and mapped out a plan to accomplish them. This served as the catalyst for the inception of  Down Under Entertainment.

She went on to attend Barber Scotia College majoring in mass communications.  During this time she worked with local labels, artists, and as an editor of a hip hop magazine.  Seeking additional hands on education, she enrolled at The Connecticut School of Broadcasting, learning the fundamentals of both radio and television.  During a radio internship, she encountered a date with destiny, when the station switched formats from hard rock to hip-hop and r&b.  This led to a position at 95.7 The Beat, Clear Channel Tampa’s first urban radio station.  Wearing many hats during her tenure, she worked not only as an on-air personality, but in promotions, board operations, and engineering.  Leaving radio behind, she relocated to New York City to pursue her first love, music.  After a job at New York City’s world renowned Metropolitan Opera, she eventually landed a position with independent record label Babygrande Records. Knowledge of music, new ideas, and  prior experience made her a stand out at the company earning Aiesha a promotion to A&R.  It was at Babygrande that she signed a well-known southern rapper by the name of Birmingham J.  After a long period of constant project delays, runarounds, and a severe struggle with the label, Aiesha decided to walk away.

Finding herself at a crossroads she had the option of working for another label, but chose to achieve her childhood dream.  She found Down Under Entertainment based on the motto “Not the Ordinary” after a mentor told her she wasn’t regular or ordinary. The name Down Under derives from the saying, “When you are at you’re lowest, there’s nowhere to go but up.” The location of the state of Florida also adds significance to the name.

Music is not the only facet of entertainment where Aiesha is making her mark. She is currently in the process of writing and developing a television series with hopes of expanding Down Under Entertainment to both television and film.  Aiesha’s words to those that wish to break in the business, “When the world says no,  you say Yes!”