Lewis made her feature flim debut in 1998 as Cassandra in
Maya Angelou's directorial debut
Down in the Delta. The following year, she acted with
Naomi Judd in the television Christmas special
A Holiday Romance. In 2001, Lewis appeared with
Diahann Carroll in the
biopic The Natalie Cole Story. The same year, she played Brigette in an episode of
Soul Food: The Series on
Showtime, returning in 2003 for one episode, playing Dana. In 2003 and again in 2006, she was nominated in the category of Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) for her role in
Degrassi: The Next Generation at the Young Artist Awards. In 2002, Lewis played
Hilary Duff's best friend, Carla Hall, in the
Disney Channel Original Movie Cadet Kelly. Lewis released her debut album
Float Away, on September 20, 2005. The album was released in Canada only. She appeared in the
Nickelodeon's musical film
Spectacular!, playing Robin, a member in a high school choir. Lewis appeared alongside
Nolan Gerard Funk,
Tammin Sursok,
Victoria Justice and
Simon Curtis. The film's premiere broadcast was on February 16, 2009. Her second album,
5-4-3-2-1, was released on October 10, 2010 for free on her blog. In 2013, Lewis created her own YouTube channel where she could showcase her own work. Much of the work featured on the channel "focuses on the theme of self-love and finding inner strength." That year she created and starred in her own web series called
Black Actress, which can be seen on
Issa Rae's
YouTube channel.
Black Actress includes candid confessionals by actresses such as
Amber Riley,
Garcell Beauvais,
Jenifer Lewis, and
Naturi Naughton, who share their experiences in the acting profession. In 2016, she created and starred in the web series
Beyond Complicated, which can be found on Lewis' YouTube Channel. Lewis reunited with the
Degrassi cast in 2018 for former co-star and on-screen romance
Drake's music video for his single "
I'm Upset." She released her short documentary,
Black Men, on her YouTube channel in 2019. The short included interviews of Black men and boys, including stars
Shamier Anderson,
Allen Maldonado, and
Sinorice Moss, investigating how "hyper-masculinity, societal oppression, and stereotypes influence how Black men relate to each other and to themselves." In 2023, she starred in the
Hulu and
Andscape produced movie
Three Ways. That year, Lewis also starred in the
Hallmark mystery film
A Nashville Legacy as Naima. ==Personal life==