Teyana Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor in April 2023
Born	Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Taylor (1990-12-10) December 10, 1990 (age 34) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Spike Tee Jimmy Neutch
Occupation	Actress singer songwriter dancer model music video director choreographer
Years active	2005–present
Works	Discography Filmography
Spouse(s)	Iman Shumpert ​ ​ (m. 2016; div. 2024)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B hip hop pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Def Jam GOOD Star Trak Interscope
Associated acts	Che Pope Fabolous Jazze Pha Kanye West Pharrell

Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert (born December 10, 1990), known as Teyana Taylor, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. She first gained attention by choreographing a music video for Beyoncé in 2006. The next year, she signed a music deal with Pharrell Williams' label, Star Trak Entertainment.

Taylor appeared on MTV's My Super Sweet 16 in 2007. Her first song, "Google Me", came out in 2008. She also sang on Kanye West's 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Later, she joined Kanye West's own label, GOOD Music.

Her first album, VII (2014), was well-received. Her next albums, K.T.S.E. (2018) and The Album (2020), also did well. The song "Gonna Love Me" from K.T.S.E. became very popular.

As an actress, Taylor has been in films like Stomp the Yard: Homecoming (2010) and Madea's Big Happy Family (2011). She also appeared in the TV show Star and the movie Coming 2 America (2021). She starred in the 2023 film A Thousand and One, which earned her an award for her amazing performance.

Taylor also directs music videos under the name "Spike Tee". She has directed videos for artists like Diddy and Schoolboy Q. She won the BET Award for Video Director of the Year in 2020 and 2023.

Early Life

Teyana Taylor was born on December 10, 1990, in Harlem, New York City. Her mother is Nikki Taylor, and her father is Tito Smith. She grew up with her mother, who is also her manager. Teyana is of African American and Trinidadian background.

Music Career

Starting Out: 2006–2011

In September 2006, when she was 15, Teyana Taylor helped choreograph the music video for Beyoncé's song "Ring the Alarm". In January 2007, she signed a contract with Pharrell Williams' record label, Star Trak Entertainment.

In February 2007, Taylor appeared on MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen. This show featured teenagers having big, fancy birthday parties. In 2007, she also appeared in Jay-Z's music video for "Blue Magic".

Her first official song, "Google Me", was released in February 2008. It was the first song from her mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, which came out in August 2009. The song was popular on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

In August 2010, Taylor started acting in the movie Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming. She also appeared on the TV show House of Glam.

In 2010, Teyana Taylor sang on two songs for Kanye West's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. She helped create parts of the songs "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life". She also sang on Kanye West's song "Christmas In Harlem". In 2011, she appeared in the Tyler Perry film Madea's Big Happy Family.

New Beginnings: 2012–2018

In January 2012, Teyana Taylor left her contract with Interscope and Star Trak. She said she wanted more freedom to make her music. She and Pharrell Williams remained good friends.

As an independent artist, she released her second mixtape, The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor, in early 2012. It was inspired by 1990s R&B music.

On June 14, 2012, Taylor signed a new deal with Kanye West's label, GOOD Music. She appeared on the GOOD Music album Cruel Summer, released in September 2012. She sang on several songs, including "To the World" and "Bliss".

Her first major album, VII, was released on November 4, 2014. It reached number 19 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2015, Taylor was a judge on the TV show America's Best Dance Crew. In August 2015, she released The Cassette Tape 1994, which used samples from 90s songs.

In June 2016, she released the song "Freak On", featuring Chris Brown. In August 2016, Kanye West released the music video for his song "Fade". The video featured Teyana Taylor performing an amazing dance routine. Her dancing earned her the "Best Choreography" award at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.

Taylor's second album, K.T.S.E., was released on June 22, 2018. The title stands for "keep that same energy."

Recent Work: 2019-Present

In November 2019, Taylor released "Morning" with singer Kehlani. On December 6, 2019, she released the song "We Got Love".

Her third album, The Album, came out on June 19, 2020. It featured many guest artists like Erykah Badu and Missy Elliott. The album reached number 8 on the Billboard 200, her first album to reach the top 10.

In December 2020, Taylor shared her frustrations with her record label. She said she felt undervalued and wanted to retire from music if she couldn't get more support. She later clarified that she wouldn't retire for good, but wanted to be free from her label.

Other Projects

In 2013, Teyana Taylor partnered with Adidas to design sneakers. Her "Harlem GLC's" sneakers sold very quickly, setting a record for Adidas Originals.

In March 2017, Taylor launched her "Fade 2 Fit" Workout Program. This 90-day program uses dance and fitness routines, inspired by her performance in Kanye West's "Fade" music video. She also released a line of workout clothes.

In 2022, Taylor competed on The Masked Singer as "Firefly". She won the competition, becoming the youngest winner in the show's history at 31 years old.

Personal Life

Teyana Taylor married basketball player Iman Shumpert on October 1, 2016. They have two daughters. Their first daughter was born in 2015, with Iman Shumpert helping with the delivery at home.

In June 2020, Taylor announced her second pregnancy in her music video for "Wake Up Love". In September 2023, Taylor and Shumpert announced they had separated. Their divorce was finalized in 2024.

Discography

• VII (2014)
• K.T.S.E. (2018)
• The Album (2020)

Film and TV Shows

Film

Television

Awards and Honors

Images for kids

• 

  Teyana Taylor in April 2023

See also

In Spanish: Teyana Taylor para niños