The Talented Teyana Taylor

For close to 20 years, Teyana Taylor has commanded attention. Elder Millennials, like me, recognize the Harlem, New Yorker from her ’80s/'90s-themed birthday extravaganza, featured on My Super Sweet 16, as well as her 2018 reality TV show, Teyana & Iman, and its 2021 sequel We Got Love Teyana & Iman, filmed with ex-husband Iman Shumpert. The youngest Gen Zers first caught sight of her on the premiere of Kanye West’s “Fade” music video after the 2016 MTV VMAs when a chiseled, glistening Taylor danced across the screen for a captivating 3 minutes and 44 seconds. This past summer, Gen Alpha heralded her return to music after retiring to slack-jawed shock back in 2020, with her album Escape Room.

And this fall, the proud multi-hyphenate continues to impress all generations as she firmly enters her acting era, coming off her role as Detective Kay Raymond (a cop with a walk and a bob that took TikTok by storm) in Straw and garnering attention for her turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.

Her willingness to take a risk, to try something new, yet remain a humble student of the entertainment industry is why I was so honored to interview Taylor, 34, for Marie Claire’s “Nice Talk” podcast. It was an interview that managed to do the impossible: reveal yet another side of the intrepid creative and entertainer. Which is why I decided to share an edited and condensed version here.

The conversation includes details on Taylor’s forthcoming projects, the people who have influenced her career, and how the podcast’s key topics—money, power, and style—intersect in her life. Over the course of an hour, she describes herself as a “Glade PlugIn” (“Why make one room smell good when you can make the whole building smell good?”), a “lover girl” (“I am a soldier of love. I am a love warrior”), and a champion of creators (“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do—protect creatives and pour into them”).

A month after our interview, Taylor posted an unexpected Instagram story, revealing that she’d been quietly dealing with vocal challenges and would need immediate surgery to remove a noncancerous growth on one of her vocal cords. I felt crushed for the singer, knowing just how excited she was to share her album with fans and the greater public. “It’s not lost on me, just as I was getting ready to finally share this with you, life handed me my own unexpected ‘Escape Room’—one I didn’t ask for but now I have to find my way out of with patience, rest, and faith,” she wrote in the post.

I’m further reminded of what Taylor told me during our time together, perhaps foreshadowing what was to come: “Everything’s a gamble. You won’t know until you take that risk. I always say, the wait is not punishment, it’s preparation for what was already written.”

Before we started recording, you were telling me that Beyoncé really taught you about the power of investing yourself.

Yes, everybody knows I don’t play about B. She’s the one who would help me understand, you’re going to have to invest in yourself to get what you want. I remember just being in a space where I was trying to figure it out, and she was just encouraging me to keep going. Never be afraid to invest in yourself. You’re never going to fully get what you want unless you go and do it yourself. That always stuck with me. I wanted everything with a bubblegum-and-shoestring budget, and I would walk away with less money because I was paying more people, but I was okay with that. It hurts in the moment because it’s like, “Oh my God, I could be making so much more money.” But then to go and talk to B, and she reassures me that’s normal; that just means you’re a true creative.

No matter where I’ve ever been, whatever challenges I was going through, wherever I’ve been in my career, feeling stagnant or feeling unseen or unheard, to just hear Beyoncé tell me how proud of me she is, no matter where I am in my life and my career, really inspires me to keep going and just keep following my heart and following my gut.

I want to kick things off by talking to you about being a changemaker. What does that mean to you?

It’s never your intention to say, “I’m going to do this, that, and the third to change the world.” You’re just being you. So I think that that’s what a changemaker is: a person being themselves and really standing up for their views and what they believe in. My goal is to help people. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do: protect creatives and pour into them. And the fact that that plays a part in changing the game, I’m so grateful for that, because like I said, my goal wasn’t to come and try and change anything or anybody. My goal was to come in and show up for people in any way that I can.

I think that a key part of being a changemaker is being willing to take a risk. Are you a risk taker by nature?

Now, that’s one thing you always know I’ve been. That is what I stand on. I think that’s why everybody’s so happy that I’m back. [Retirement] was never any hard feelings, you’ve just gotta move the way you gotta move for your happiness and your mental health. And that was a risk that I was willing to take. I consider myself a Glade PlugIn. You can plug me in anywhere, baby, I’m gonna make the room smell good. But you ain’t about to have me locked in the bathroom, plugged in by the mirror. I’m going to take up every square foot of this building. Why only make one room smell good when you can make the whole building smell good? Don’t lock me in a room. Don’t lock me in a box. I need keys to multiple doors. And I can pick and choose which one I want to unlock in my own divine time.

That’s a risk, saying, “You know what? I’m going to take a break on this right now because this is not serving me. And I’m going to go over here and I’m going to be an actress, and people are going to take me serious one day as an actress, and people will take me serious as a director and a creative director.” It was scary. But everything’s a gamble. You won’t know until you take that risk. You won’t know until you drop that dead weight. I always say, the wait is not punishment, it’s preparation for what was already written.

When you say weight, do you mean W-A-I-T? Or W-E-I-G-H-T?

I mean both. For me, it’s like a double entendre. Because look at us and how far we’ve come. I’m sure from 2014 until now, it’s been a wait. Like, okay, when’s it gonna happen? When’s it gonna be my turn? When’s it gonna be my time?

And then that weight that you’re carrying, that dead weight that you’re carrying, the emotions that you’re carrying, the heart on your sleeves that you’re carrying, it’s heavy. When that’s lifted, you can make moves. You don’t have these heavy weights on you. You also don’t have these long waits.

You went on hiatus in 2020, but you’re back with Escape Room. Why now?

I love that you asked this right after us talking about the weight and the wait. I think that’s what the album shows—from heavy to light, from broken to repair, from heartbreak to healing. It’s an ombré album. The album is showing you how to get to the next space. It’s showing you the in-betweens. A lot of times with records, you hear a person being in a really hurt or dark space, And it’s just like, Damn, what happened? How’d you get there? How did you get out of it? Or you hear people that make completely just lightweighted, pure love music. And it’s like, “Well girl, let us in, sis.” This album takes you from where it started, but there’s also the in-between.

There can be a bit of messiness in the ombré too.

Exactly. I want to walk you through every single step that it takes to get to a better place, every single step it takes to get to the color that you want to get to. Every single step it takes from wet to dry. With this album, it’s like every step of vulnerability.

Where did the name for the album come from?

It’s getting from one place to another. It’s all still a process, escaping anything that doesn’t serve you.

People may automatically just assume this is about a relationship. No, baby. Whether it’s friendships, relationships, business, I’ve had my ups and downs with music. I’ve been married to music. This has been a crazy, wicked game for me. So it’s like escaping the things that just do not serve me—even if that includes myself!

Because we sometimes fall into these dark places ,and you’ve got to hold yourself accountable and say, “Girl, get up. Get out of this space. Get out of this room. Get out of this box.” You know, like I said, I’m a Glade PlugIn. When I retired, it was just me leaving one room and going into another. It’s time to plug in as a creative director. It’s time to plug in as a director. It’s time to plug in as an actress.

It was announced that you’re joining the upcoming Netflix Kevin Hart film, 72 Hours, and this fall you’ve got All’s Fair, created by Ryan Murphy, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. What has this acting journey been like for you?

That’s one thing that I can say I’m really proud of. When I was taking that risk and nobody else believed that I would make these things happen if I took that risk, that’s one thing that I get to sit here today and say, “I’m proud of that.” And did, and did, and did, and did. I said I would do it and not everybody believed that.

A Thousand and One was the first script that I got across my desk, literally a month after I retired. Dealing with postpartum and dealing with the other things that I was dealing with, I had a plan and I had a point to prove. And I noticed, every single time I trust God and I continue to be a prayer warrior and I continue to lift whatever weight is holding me down, He shows His favor. I feel like timing is everything too. What if I was still pregnant with Rue and decided to retire? Being a mom of one, I wasn’t playing. Now being a mom of two, I’m really not playing. I’ve got these two beautiful, pure, loving souls that love me for me that I’ve got to live for. So there were no games. Motherhood was the wake-up.

What have you learned, working with the people you’ve been on set with?

It’s always a joy and a pleasure to work with Regina [Hall]. She’s helped me through a lot, and I appreciate and love her so much. I also want to just give a shout out to Sherry [Shepherd] and Taraji [P. Henson] as well, working with them on Straw. Those are my girls. It’s the sisterhood of it all—how every woman that I’ve worked with has just been there with open arms. That quiet; we’re just speaking with the hug. And the pull back from that hug, and they give you that look. It’s “You’re good. You’re good. And we got you.”

I’m curious—who’s influenced the way you move in your life, in terms of being a changemaker?

My mom, for sure. That’s where it starts. I have been and am very blessed to have so many incredible women in my life that are super hands-on. To have my mom and my incredible aunt and my nana. I am so lucky. These women have kept me levelheaded. My mom being my manager, we really came up in this industry together, conquering this wicked business. She has kept me in shape in every single way. She’s just so amazing, and she’s such a great leader.

That’s so true. You have been in this industry since you were 15 and shot to fame working with Beyoncé on Ring the Alarm, and obviously, everyone knows about My Super Sweet 16.

I want to make sure that I give flowers to all the people who have been a part of my journey. My mom and the women in my life, that’s my roots. That’s my tribe. That’s my everything. Outside of that, having an opportunity to work with Beyoncé and getting signed to Pharrell and getting signed to Kanye, these guys shaped a lot of my creativity. I’m lucky. I come from prayer warriors, and then to get to be in the hands of the most creative people in the world. I’ve had it good.

How has your perspective on what it means to be in the public eye changed over the years?

One thing about me is, I’ve always been very, very, shy and private. People may think, Oh, well, you had a TV show, but that just means you’re going to see what you’re going to see, but it doesn’t take away the private person that I am. I show you what I choose to show you. I take my private life very seriously. My whole life being on Front Street, that’s what comes with the territory. That’s what comes with being in this business, and the most we can do is navigate our privacy as best as we can. I’m fine for you to be in whatever part of the business that I choose to share, but I don’t want you in my business.

I saw an interview where you called yourself a lover girl. Tell me about how you find power in being a lover girl. Some people may say that being a romantic means that you’re weak.

Or call you a simp. But no, that’s not that. And those are people—that’s their guilt, their own issue. That’s a them problem. I’ve noticed that people who will make fun of lovers are people who don’t have the ability to love at the full capacity, and they’re jealous of that. You know the quote “Good girls finish last”? No, good girls finish on their own divine time. Like, I’m going to take my time. And I’m gonna properly love and I’m gonna be a lover girl and I’m gonna be a simp, whatever comes with that. I love to love. People that don’t have emotional intelligence make fun of lovers. I am a soldier of love. I am a love warrior. I am a lover girl and I love everything about it and I’m okay with that. One thing nobody could ever take away from me is the love that I give. Never ever be ashamed of being a lover girl. I think lovers are the most emotionally intelligent.

I think that that will help people reframe a lot of their thoughts on either being a lover or a hater.

That’s why I’m excited about Escape Room—because I feel like even though there are the ones who make fun of it, everybody is low-key lovers. It’s just not the cool thing to do because we’re in a prideful and very egocentric time of music right now. But what I want is to create a safe space for women to be able to love again and to create that safe space for men to be gentle and to be lovers because they want to feel protected too. This album opens up that dialogue.

You’ve done so much in your career. Is there one space where you feel the most powerful?

I feel most in my power when I’m empowering and uplifting others, so being a creative director, showing up for people, pouring into people, pouring into creators, letting them know more is more—and that your ambition will never be too much. Your ambition will never be impossible to execute. I feel the most powerful pouring into others.

What was your relationship to mentorship back when you were just coming up and how has that impacted the way that you’ve mentored others?

See, it may be a little bit different now, because the young’uns coming up are stuck in their own ways. Our generation was really willing to be students. I looked at the Beyoncés, the Kanyes, the Pharrells, and I just wanted to soak up knowledge. I was always ready to learn. Even to this day, I’m always willing to be a student, no matter how much I pour into others. I may be a teacher to others, but I’m always still a student. No one is ever above learning. That was another thing that I took with me from working with Beyoncé and being able to walk into that room and teach her the Chicken Noodle Soup dance when I was just a 15-year-old girl from Harlem. She’s in it. She’s not laughing. She’s like, “Okay, cool. Now show me how I do this.” She’s not like, “Why does a little girl keep doing all these moves?” Even with Kanye and Pharrell, even though I was signed to them, they also valued my opinions.

What’s the best piece of advice that anyone has ever given you about your career or longevity in the entertainment space?

Don’t take none of this shit personally—from my mom, who was very, very clear. I got it a few more times also throughout the business, but at a young age of 15, you’re trying to figure it out and you pour so much into people and when it’s not reciprocated, your feelings are hurt. But it’s like, pick your head up, adjust your crown. Don’t take none of this shit personally. Business is business.

You recently dropped that you’re making another change and going to culinary school!

I’m so excited. Like, literally as soon as we get off this interview, I’m going straight to class. I’m putting on my coat, my uniform, and I’m getting to it. It’s always been a passion of mine. I’ve always loved to cook. It’s been very therapeutic for me. And again, I’m just showing up for myself. You know, I don’t have the time to do it, but I have the time to show up for me. That’s what I want to show people. Even if you don’t have the time, find time to show up for you. It’s “work” in the best way because it’s something that you’re doing for you. It’s a passion that you’re turning into purpose.

To see the comments on Instagram when you posted it. Ayo Edeberi of The Bear said, “Yes, chef!”

Yes! My God, I was so excited about that. I love my girl Ayo. Seeing that comment was really, really, really dope. And to see how many people it inspired—you know, like, I love to show the world that.

Let’s talk about fashion because I know that you are a lover of style. Your Met Gala look was so major. What was it like to work with Ruthie Carter on that look?

Honestly, I am very humble and I’m very modest when it comes to speaking about myself. But like, when you get to work with the Ruth E. Carter, if you thought for one second, I thought that outfit was going to be anything less than amazing. Like, baby, if I wasn’t invited to the Met, I was sneaking on that carpet and I was getting Best Dressed. When you’re working with the Ruth E. Carter, to understand the amount of love and detail that went into that, you already should have known that Ruth was going to come through. Every bit of praise that we’ve received is exactly how it was supposed to be. And now I say that with all cockiness.

And you’re going to have so many red carpet moments coming up. Your fall is stacked.

My God, my fall is amazing. I’m working with some designers, but also I’m working on original pieces that I’m going to design. Let’s just see where that takes me, because maybe that can be the start of my own actual line.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Photographer: Micaiah Carter | Stylist: Sam Woolf | Hairstylist: Brooke Crittendon | Makeup Artist: Yeika Oliva | Manicurist: Sarah Chue