Sylla was born in the
15th arrondissement of Paris south of the river to
Soninke parents from
Mauritania, her father a cleaner and her mother a stay-at-home mother, and grew up in the
Barbès area of the
18th arrondissement north of the river. She has three sisters and two brothers. She is Muslim. Sylla attended Lycée Edgar Quinet Filières Professionnelles. She was scouted at 17 by the
Girlhood casting directors when she accompanied her friends to the auditions. Then, she played the role of the Franco-Malian boxer Aya Cissoko in
Danbé, la tête haute - portraying the boxer's teenage years. For this role, she took intensive boxing lessons whilst continuing to study for her
baccalauréat professionnel. ==Bibliography==