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R’n’B star Teyana Taylor is back with the series All’s Fair
Among a studio album, Escape Room, an explosive film, One Battle After Another, and a series, All’s Fair, singer and actress Teyana Taylor has become one of the most fascinating star today.
By Alexis Thibault,
and Violaine Schütz.
Teyana Taylor: a prodigious dancer
The world truly discovered Teyana Taylor in a deserted weight room. It was back in 2016, when Kanye West’s stratospheric album The Life of Pablo had just dropped. Among its 18 tracks was Fade, a fierce, tribal explosion built on the bassline from Mr. Fingers’ 1988 track Mystery of Love. In the music video of the song, a muscular African-American nymph channels her raw energy amid dumbbells. Hot and sensual, the video has racked up nearly 100 million views.
In 2018, it was her own album, entirely produced by Kanye West, that Teyana Taylor was promoting. Together, they delivered K.T.S.E (Keep That Same Energy), an infernal soul machine overflowing with high-end samples that celebrated the golden era of American R’n’B. And if the record made waves at the time, it wasn’t just because of its quality, but also because of a particular rumor. Indeed, Kanye West was said to have included an orgasm from his partner Kim Kardashian in one of the tracks…
The rise of an R’n’B star
Born in Harlem in 1990, Teyana Taylor idolized Janet Jackson and Lauryn Hill. She grew up during the golden age of soft R’n’B, the era of slow jam ballads fronted by Usher or Brandy. She was barely ten years old when she entered her first talent show. She did a series of performances and eventually signed with Star Trak Entertainment, the American label founded by The Neptunes – the duo composed by Chad Hugo and a certain Pharrell Williams.
It wasn’t until 2014 that Teyana Taylor released her debut album, VII, a little R’n’B gem featuring guests like Chris Brown and Pusha T, which quickly climbed to the top of the Billboard R’n’B/Hip-hop chart. Still, the young artist didn’t become a superstar overnight.
Behind the scenes, Teyana Taylor was writing for Nicki Minaj, Usher, and Chris Brown, or doing choreographies for Beyoncé’s music videos, such as Ring the Alarm in 2006. And when she chose to step into the spotlight, she appeared in Jay-Z’s video for Blue Magic and on the Fashion Week runways.
K.T.S.E, Teyana Taylor’s major record
Rubbing shoulders with the N.E.R.D crew and the scandalous East Coast rappers could easily have set Teyana Taylor on a fast track to a hip-hop career. But that’s not what happened. Her new album remains faithful to her unshakable love of soulful laments, inevitable seventh chords and minimalist guitars.
K.T.S.E is no exception to that and indulges in a fresh wave of emblematic samples from the genre – For the Love I Gave to You(1970) by the Delfonics, Because I Love You, Girl (1978) by the Stylistics, and gospel icon Marvin Sapp’s Never Would’ve Made It, which she openly covers. Backed by the vintage layers of a Rhodes keyboard, her Alicia Keys–like vibrato and Zhane-like vibe explore every facet of contemporary R&B.
A healthy break
The album K.T.S.E. restores the prestige of a style sometimes considered outdated, corny even. Teyana Taylor delivers a piece that is both restrained and meticulous, supported by outstanding production and a wealth of highbrow references. In fact, rumour has it that the great producer slipped a snippet from Kim Kardashian and Ray J’s sex tape into the track Hurry. A theory that stems from Kanye West’s enduring fascination for his ex-wife and her former lover. The scene had already inspired him to feature lookalike models of them in his Famous video two years earlier.
While K.T.S.E. was praised by the critics, the singer took a step back after the release of The Album in 2020. As a mother of two and now divorced, she suffered from postpartum depression. Frustrated by the decisions made by her record labels without her input, she announced her retirement from music. However, Teyana Taylor now is back. On August 22, 2025th, she released the visual album Escape Room, featuring interludes by Sarah Paulson and Kerry Washington, as well as duets with Gil Scott and Tyla.
Teyena Taylior, from music to cinema
In addition to being a songwriter, choreographer, and model, the artist is also an actress. She has taken on numerous roles on the big screen, from The Trap (2019) and the rap competition show Rhythm & Flow to Coming 2 America (2021). She then landed a major part in the Sundance-winning drama A Thousand and One (2023). She also starred in the VH1 reality show Teyana & Iman, alongside her ex-husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert.
In September 2025, the fashion icon known for her daring looks made waves in an explosive role in One Battle After Another, the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson starring Leonardo DiCaprio. She plays the charismatic and badass Perfidia Beverly Hills, a revolutionary member of the gang French 75, who sets off bombs and robs banks without missing a beat. At one point, she’s even wielding a machine gun while being nine months pregnant. “She thinks like a director,” Paul Thomas Anderson recently told InStyle. “She listens to advice but never forgets to speak her mind, which is a great combo.”
A role in the series All’s Fair
On November 4th, 2025, she will appear as the assistant working in a law firm in All’s Fair, the new Disney+ series created by Ryan Murphy. During the press conference given by the cast in Paris, she shared a few words about her latest adventure: “I play Milan. Just Milan, no last name. She’s the youngest in the group, the new one. She’s just trying to figure out what we call life. She makes a lot of mistakes, but luckily, some incredible women show up, support her, and help her find her way. Milan’s a bit chaotic, so it’ll take a few episodes before we really get to know her.”
Her only regret? Not getting to share a scene with Glenn Close, who also stars in this glamorous and fierce legal drama alongside Kim Kardashian. “Honestly, I’m a little jealous of the other actresses because I haven’t had a scene with Glenn Close yet. But she was always on set when I was shooting, and I’d stay near her, right behind her. I thought, ‘That’s close enough.’ Honestly, she’s amazing. A legend, let’s be real. Just being in her presence, sharing the same space… We even have a group chat! I’d think to myself, ‘Glenn Close knows I exist?’ She knows my name, she adores me, and I adore her. It’s an honor to share the same space, breathe the same air, be on the same set as her. And I hope one day I’ll finally get my scene with her.”
Escape Room (2025) by Teyana Taylor, available no. One Battle After Another (2025) by Paul Thomas Anderson, currently in theatres. All’s Fair, created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken, coming out on Disney+ on November 4th, 2025.
