What Happened to Teyana Taylor?

By CelebPaid Editorial Team · 8 min read

Teyana Taylor.Image via Wikimedia Commons

The Rise to Fame

Teyana Me Shay Jacqueline Taylor (; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, two Critics Choice Awards, and an NAACP Image Award, along with nominations for an Academy Award, two Actor Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and a Grammy Award. She was named one of Time's 2026 Women of the Year.

At age 15, she choreographed the video for "Ring the Alarm" by Beyoncé and signed a recording contract with the Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment. During this period, Taylor was featured as a dancer in the video for "Blue Magic" by Jay-Z and released her debut single, "Google Me." She earned wider recognition for work on Kanye West's "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life" from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).

In 2012, she signed with West's GOOD Music and appeared on the label's compilation album, Cruel Summer, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Her debut studio album, VII (2014), topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Taylor starred in and co-choreographed "Fade" by Kanye West, earning the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography. She then released K.T.S.E. (2018), followed by The Album (2020), which entered the top ten on the Billboard 200 and featured collaborations with Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill. Her fourth album, Escape Room (2025), received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Album.

The Peak Years

As an actress, Taylor appeared in films such as Stomp the Yard: Homecoming (2010) and Madea's Big Happy Family (2011), before taking on starring roles in Coming 2 America (2021) and The Rip (2026). She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Inez in A Thousand and One (2023), earning the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance. For her performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another (2025), she won a Golden Globe Award and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. On television, she starred in the Ryan Murphy legal drama All's Fair (2025–present), and won an NAACP Image Award for her performance in the 2025 Netflix television film Straw.

Her other ventures include collaborations with Adidas and Air Jordan on limited-edition releases. Taylor has directed music videos for herself and other artists, and is set to make her feature directorial debut with Get Lite, starring actress Storm Reid, for Paramount Pictures.

Early life

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

What Changed

2006–2011: Early career

In September 2006, 15-year-old Teyana Taylor was credited as the choreographer on the music video for American entertainer Beyoncé's hit single, "Ring the Alarm". In January 2007, Taylor was offered a contract to join Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment label, through Interscope Records. In February 2007, Taylor first entered into the public sphere through an episode on MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen, a show depicting over-the-top birthday parties for rich—and typically "spoiled" and confrontational—teenagers. In 2007, Taylor appeared as a background dancer in the music video for Jay-Z's single, "Blue Magic".

In February 2008, Taylor released her commercial debut single, "Google Me". The song was released as the lead single from her full-length debut mixtape, titled From a Planet Called Harlem. The mixtape, released August 16, 2009, features production from Jazze Pha, Pharrell, Mad Scientist, Frost, Shondre and Hit-Boy, among others. "Google Me" debuted at number 90 on US Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The mixtape was also released for free download, billed as "the mixtape before her debut album". In August 2010, Taylor expanded her career into acting, appearing in the Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming. She also appeared on the debut episode of House of Glam on Oxygen in October 2010.

In 2010, just hours before Kanye West's fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was due to be turned in, West called Taylor into the studio to look over some of her fashion pieces. While in the studio, Taylor was determined to make an appearance on West's album. She purposely hummed along with the tracks he played for her, to get his attention. He eventually took notice, and asked to put her vocals on a few tracks, notably "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life". Upon recalling the experience of recording "Dark Fantasy", Taylor stated that "at the time it was pretty empty, just verses." She remembers that West "put [her] in another room by [herself] and said, 'Go'." Taylor came back with the "intro and chorus," and "did all the scratches and the cuts [herself]." She admitted that she was nervous upon letting West hear her contributions to the tracks, trying to cover her nervousness by stating that she "hadn't been in the studio for so long."

Where Teyana Taylor Is Now

In 2010, Taylor contributed on one of GOOD Music's GOOD Friday tracks, "Christmas In Harlem". The track was released as a shortened version of the single to the iTunes Store on December 17, 2010, and features guest appearances from American rapper Cyhi the Prynce as well as Kanye West. In 2010, Taylor, alongside fellow rapper Bow Wow, were offered roles for Tyler Perry's play-turned-film Madea's Big Happy Family, the fifth installment in Perry's series. The film was released on April 22, 2011. Taylor was featured on the August 2011 Jim Jones single "Party Tonight" alongside Cam'ron.

2012–2019: GOOD Music, debut and K.T.S.E.

In January 2012, it was announced Taylor would be granted her release from the contract with Interscope and Star Trak. Taylor has stated that she and Star Trak founder Pharrell Williams have remained amicable since the end of their business relationship. She has credited him as a "big brother", and sees her early signing to Star Trak as a "blessing." Taylor has stated on many occasions that her release from the label was necessary, as she wanted to have a feeling of independence in the music industry. In an interview with DJ Skee, Taylor mentioned that "when [she] was signed for six years, [she] felt like she couldn't do [anything]", "couldn't prove to [her] fans that [she] had the talent", and "couldn't sing from [her] heart."

As an independent artist upon her release, she had begun preparing her second record, a mixtape titled The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor. The mixtape drew influences from 1990s R&B legends like Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige. The mixtape was released in early 2012, and was preceded by the release of "Make Your Move", featuring rapper Wale, and "D.U.I.", featuring Jadakiss & Fabolous, which was released on February 25, 2012. More positive reviews of the latter track noted that "The Harlem songstress channels Janet Jackson as she glides over the smooth Hit-Boy-produced beat with her airy vocals, while fellow New Yorkers Fabolous and Jadakiss ride shotgun".

Legacy

After taking some time to find herself as an independent artist, Taylor signed a joint-venture deal with Kanye West's label GOOD Music through Island-Def Jam on June 14, 2012. As part of GOOD Music, Taylor appeared on the GOOD Music compilation album Cruel Summer, released September 18, 2012. She provides vocals for the opening track "To the World", with Kanye West and R. Kelly, provides the hook and chorus for "Sin City", which features John Legend, Cyhi the Prynce, Malik Yusef and Travis Scott, and also duets with John Legend on a song titled "Bliss". Taylor and Legend's duet on the album was highly praised, with Erika Ramirez of Billboard noting that "Taylor's beautifully brash voice ... illuminates in the electric-guitar heavy, Hudson Mohawke-produced 'Bliss'."

In addition to being featured on the Cruel Summer compilation, Taylor soon began the process of recording her major-label debut album, to be released eventually through GOOD Music and Island Def Jam. On July 27, 2014, via Twitter, Taylor announced the title of her debut studio album to be VII, and revealed it would be released on November 4, through Def Jam and GOOD Music. The album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200, selling 16,000 copies in the United States in its first week, while topping the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

In 2015, Taylor opened for Chris Brown on the U.S. dates of his "One Hell of a Nite" world tour. Taylor was set to be a judge on the eighth season of the American competitive dance reality show America's Best Dance Crew, with its series debut on July 29, 2015, on MTV. On August 25, Taylor released The Cassette Tape 1994, paying tribute to the iconic 90s sound in music by including many samples from 90s hits.

On June 17, 2016, Taylor released her single "Freak On", featuring guest vocals from Chris Brown and production by DJ Mustard. It samples "Freak Like Me" by Adina Howard. Taylor announced that it would be the lead single from her upcoming second studio album. On August 28, 2016, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West debuted the music video for his new single "Fade", which featured a sweat-dripping, athletic Taylor performing a rigorous solo dance routine, in nothing more than short shorts and a simple top; the dynamic and detailed choreography drew considerable praise, and comparisons were made to Jennifer Beals' iconic dance scene from the film Flashdance (1983). A year later, in 2017, Taylor's dancing in the music video would go on to earn her the "Best Choreography" award at the same ceremony. The video, directed by Eli Russell Linnetz, also featured an appearance by Taylor's husband, Iman...

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