Tyra was born on November 9, 1987 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From 1998 to 2005 she studied tap, jazz and classical ballet in numerous pre-professional dance programs, including those offered by Ballet Arts Minnesota, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, The Joffrey Ballet and on scholarship with the American Ballet Theatre.

After leaving the James Sewell Ballet, Tyra continued her career in theater. In 2009, Tyra had ensemble roles in Singin’ in the Rain and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Ordway Center in Saint Paul and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, respectively. She also performed as a member of the ensemble in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Ordway.

Relocating from Minneapolis to New York City to pursue a career on Broadway, Tyra made her Broadway debut in 2011 with Hugh Jackman in his acclaimed Back on Broadway concert series. From 2011 to 2013, Tyra appeared in other Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and development projects, including The City Club, Chaplin, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Can-Can and An American in Paris.

Beyond Broadway, Tyra has appeared in a number of television and film projects. Following co-starring appearances in several episodes of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, she undertook the role of Mia Bialy in Flesh and Bone, a Starz miniseries of 8 episodes that was first broadcast in November 2015. In 2016, she joined the cast of CBS’s Code Black television series, portraying Dr. Noa Kean in 29 episodes spanning Seasons 2 and 3. She remained a member of the main cast until the series was cancelled in 2018.

Following the cancellation of Code Black in 2018, Tyra returned to musical theater after being recruited for the lead role of Cassie Ferguson in a re-choreographed revival of A Chorus Line at the Signature Theatre.

Tyra also continues to undertake projects with independent filmmakers, most notably to date being the portrayal of Sasha in comedic horror film Harpoon. At its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in January 2019, the film garnered positive reviews by the press.

In March 2019, Tyra was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and later underwent surgery to remove it. After her wedding to Adam Santucci in June 2019, and a brief period of recovery, Tyra returned to the performing stage in November 2019 as Cassie Ferguson in A Chorus Line. Under medical treatment as of late 2019, she remains open about her condition and has become an advocate for the cancer community.