Teyana Taylor

• 1. Introduction

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  Teyana Taylor was 15 years old in September 2006 when her name appeared in the credits as choreographer of Beyoncé's hit single "Ring the Alarm." A teenager from Harlem was shaping the movement of one of the biggest stars in music. That credit opened a career with unusual range. Taylor has worked as a singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, video director and actress. In 2026, Time named her one of its Women of the Year. How does one person move so freely between recording studios, dance floors and film sets? Why did she fight so hard for independence from the labels that backed her? And what did it take to turn a teenage choreography credit into a place among the most honored actresses of her moment?

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• 2. Harlem Roots

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  Teyana Me Shay Jacqueline Taylor was born on the 10th of December 1990 in Harlem, New York City. Her parents are Nikki Taylor and Tito Smith, and she is of African American and Trinidadian descent. She is her mother's only child, while her father has two sons and another daughter from a different relationship. Her mother also serves as her manager.

  In January 2007, Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment, working through Interscope Records, offered her a contract. A month later, in February 2007, the wider public met her on MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen. That show followed over-the-top birthday parties thrown for rich teenagers, who were often portrayed as spoiled and confrontational. The same year, she danced in the background of Jay-Z's video for "Blue Magic."

  In February 2008, she released her commercial debut single, "Google Me." It led her first full-length mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, which arrived on the 16th of August 2009 as a free download. The mixtape was billed as the one before her debut album, with production from Jazze Pha, Pharrell, Mad Scientist, Frost, Shondre and Hit-Boy. "Google Me" entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 90. Her next break arrived in 2010, in a studio where Kanye West was racing a deadline.

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• 3. A Hum in the Studio

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  Just hours before Kanye West was due to turn in his fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, he called Taylor into the studio in 2010. His reason was modest. He wanted to look over some of her fashion pieces. Taylor had a bigger goal. She wanted to be on that album, so she hummed along to the tracks he played until he noticed.

  It worked. West asked her to put vocals on a few songs, most notably "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life." Taylor later described "Dark Fantasy" as a track that was, in her words, "at the time it was pretty empty, just verses." West sent her to another room by herself with a single instruction, "Go."

  She came back with the intro and the chorus. She also did all the scratches and the cuts herself. Playing the result for West made her nervous, and she tried to hide it by saying she had not been in a studio for so long.

  The relationship kept producing work. On the 17th of December 2010, a shortened version of "Christmas In Harlem" reached the iTunes Store as part of GOOD Music's GOOD Friday series. It featured the rapper Cyhi the Prynce along with West himself.

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• 4. Choosing Independence

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  In January 2012, it was announced that Taylor would be released from her contract with Interscope and Star Trak. She has called Pharrell Williams a "big brother" and describes her early signing as a "blessing." Still, she has said many times that leaving was necessary. In an interview with DJ Skee, she explained that during her years at the label she felt unable to prove her talent to fans and unable to sing "from her heart."

  Her first project as an independent artist was a mixtape, The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor. It drew on 1990s R&B legends such as Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige. On the 25th of February 2012, she released "D.U.I." with Jadakiss and Fabolous, after an earlier single, "Make Your Move," featuring Wale. One review said she channeled Janet Jackson over a smooth Hit-Boy beat.

  On the 14th of June 2012, Taylor signed a joint-venture deal with West's label, GOOD Music, through Island-Def Jam. Her first major release there was the label's compilation Cruel Summer, out on the 18th of September 2012. She sang on the opening track "To the World," with West and R. Kelly, and supplied the hook for "Sin City." She also sang a duet with John Legend called "Bliss." Erika Ramirez of Billboard praised her "beautifully brash voice" on that song. The compilation peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, which set the stage for her own debut album.

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• 5. Albums and Frustration

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  On the 27th of July 2014, Taylor used Twitter to announce that her debut studio album would be called VII. It came out in November 2014 through Def Jam and GOOD Music. The album opened at number 19 on the Billboard 200 with 16,000 copies sold in its first week. It also topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

  MTV named her a judge for the eighth season of America's Best Dance Crew, which began on the 29th of July 2015. On the 25th of August that year, she released The Cassette Tape 1994, a tribute to 1990s sound built on samples of hits from that decade. In June 2016, she followed with "Freak On," featuring Chris Brown and produced by DJ Mustard. It samples "Freak Like Me" by Adina Howard.

  K.T.S.E. stands for "keep that same energy." It appeared on the 22nd of June 2018 as the final record in GOOD Music's seven-song album rollout. An updated version was planned, but Taylor announced it had been canceled. In November 2019, she released "Morning" with Kehlani. Her third studio album, The Album, followed on the 19th of June 2020. It ran 23 tracks, with guests including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Future, Rick Ross, Quavo and Missy Elliott. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and became her first top ten album.

  On the 4th of December 2020, Taylor seemingly announced her retirement from music on Instagram. A few days later she explained that the post was aimed at her label. "Baby, I gotta do it for my mental health," she said, adding that she wanted Def Jam to release her. She felt the label undervalued her, but she made clear she was not leaving for good.

  She came back on the 22nd of August 2025 with her fourth studio album, Escape Room. Rico Love, The Runners, Kaytranada, Freaky Rob and Derrick Milano handled production. Spoken interludes came from Issa Rae, Jill Scott, Taraji P. Henson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kerry Washington, La La Anthony, Niecy Nash, Regina King and Sarah Paulson. A 38-minute short film co-starring Aaron Pierre and LaKeith Stanfield was posted on YouTube alongside it. The record earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album.

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• 6. The Fade Video

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  On the 28th of August 2016, the MTV Video Music Awards served as the stage for the debut of Kanye West's "Fade" video. It showed a sweat-dripping, athletic Taylor performing a demanding solo routine in short shorts and a simple top. The detailed choreography drew heavy praise. Viewers compared it to Jennifer Beals' famous dance scene in the 1983 film Flashdance.

  Eli Russell Linnetz directed the video. Taylor's husband, Iman Shumpert, also appeared in it. Taylor starred in the piece and co-choreographed it, and a year later, in 2017, the same awards ceremony gave her the Best Choreography award for it. She also won Best Dance Performance at the Soul Train Music Awards.

  The video's physical energy became a business. In March 2017, she launched "Fade 2 Fit," a ninety-day workout program built around dance and fitness routines. She said the inspiration came directly from her work in the "Fade" video. A line of workout apparel called Fade2Fit followed.

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• 7. Screen Work

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  In August 2010, Taylor appeared in Stomp the Yard: Homecoming as Rena, her first step into acting. That October, she was on the debut episode of House of Glam on Oxygen. Tyler Perry then offered roles in his Madea's Big Happy Family, the fifth film in his series, to Taylor and the rapper Bow Wow. The film was released on the 22nd of April 2011, and she played Sabrina.

  Television gave her steady work through the 2010s. She was cast as London Scott in the fourth season of Hit the Floor in 2018. She also had a recurring part in The Breaks as Imani X. In 2021 she took a starring role as Bopoto Izzi in Coming 2 America.

  Her acting breakthrough came with A Thousand and One in 2023, where she played Inez de la Paz. The role won her the Breakthrough Performance Award from the National Board of Review. It also drew nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the NAACP Image Awards.

  In September 2025, she played Perfidia in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, a politically charged drama. The cast also included Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall and Chase Infiniti. Perfidia is a passionate and resilient member of a revolutionary group. She also struggles with postpartum depression as she navigates motherhood. Taylor won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and received an Academy Award nomination. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics both honored her. She was the only performer that season nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, Critics' Choice, Golden Globes, Actor Awards and BAFTAs.

  Also in 2025, she played Milan in the Ryan Murphy legal drama All's Fair, and appeared in the Netflix film Straw as Detective Kay Raymond. In 2026 she starred in The Rip as Detective Numa Baptiste. At the 2026 Oscars red carpet, she reprimanded a man for pushing her, and the Academy condemned the security guard's conduct.

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• 8. Beyond the Stage

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  In 2013, Taylor signed a deal with Adidas to design two pairs of sneakers. The first, the Harlem GLC's, reached stores on the 16th of February that year. Jonathan Wexler, the company's Global Director of Entertainment and Influence Marketing, said they were the fastest-selling sneakers in Adidas Originals history. She has also collaborated with Air Jordan on limited-edition releases.

  In 2022, Taylor competed in season seven of The Masked Singer as "Firefly" of Team Good. She won the finals. At 31, she was the youngest winner in the show's history, until Bishop Briggs, performing as "Medusa" in season nine, took that distinction. In 2025, the Ebony Power 100 named her Entertainer of the Year. In February 2026, she recorded public service announcements for the MTA's New York City subway and bus systems.

  Her personal life has been public. In 2011 she became engaged to the basketball player Brandon Jennings, and they split in 2013. She began dating Iman Shumpert that year, and they wed on the 1st of October 2016. They have two daughters, born in 2015 and 2020. On the 17th of September 2023, she announced their separation on Instagram, and the divorce was finalized in 2024.

  In July 2025, Taylor began studies at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. The next month, she underwent surgery to remove a noncancerous growth on her vocal cords.

  Behind the camera, she has directed music videos for Schoolboy Q, Ty Dolla Sign, Monica and Lil Durk. In May 2019, she both appeared in and directed the video for Lil Durk's remix of "Home Body." The BET Award for Video Director of the Year went to her in 2020 and 2023. That ties her with Benny Boom for second-most wins in the category, behind Beyoncé. Her next directing project is a feature debut, Get Lite, starring Storm Reid, for Paramount Pictures.

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