Teyana Taylor

Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert, known by her stage name Teyana Taylor, is a multifaceted American artist known for her contributions as a singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. Born on December 10, 1990, in New York City, she first gained fame when she choreographed the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single 'Ring the Alarm.' This led to her signing a recording contract with Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Interscope Records. She appeared on MTV's 'My Super Sweet 16,' which helped her become a familiar face before she released her 2008 debut single, 'Google Me.' She gained global attention through her uncredited performances on Kanye West's 2010 songs 'Dark Fantasy' and 'Hell of a Life' from his album, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.' She later shifted to West's GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. Her debut studio album, VII (2014), was well-received, hitting the top 20 of the Billboard 200. Her subsequent albums, K.T.S.E. (2018) and The Album (2020), continued to impress audiences, with the latter peaking in the top ten of the chart. As an actress, she made debuts in films like the 2010 dance drama 'Stomp the Yard: Homecoming' and the Tyler Perry film 'Madea's Big Happy Family.' She had roles in the Lee Daniels television series 'Star (2017–18),' and the Amazon Prime film 'Coming 2 America (2021).' Her directing ventures earned her the BET Award for Video Director of the Year in 2020 and 2023. She announced her retirement from making music in 2020 but clarified that this was due to her frustrations with her record label and not a permanent move away from music.