New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Riding high off her Best
Director win at last night's BET Awards, Tenaya Taylor captures the second #1 debut of her career today, as The Album takes the #1 spot on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Album enters the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart at #8, the highest debut of Teyana's career.
The strong critical and commercial reception for The Album is a sweet coda to Teyana's special announcement two weeks ago of her and husband Iman's pregnancy with their second child. Teyana revealed the news in her new video for "Wake Up Love" (premiered June 12th) featuring Iman, daughter Junie and their special guest.
With features from Erykah Badu, Missy Elliott, Future, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Quavo, Rick Ross, Big Sean, and others, THE ALBUM was tapped by Pitchfork as one of the "most anticipated albums of the summer." In addition to "Wake Up Love," Teyana's masterpiece includes her new graduation anthem "Made It,"pegged by NPR as a "a triumphant, isolation-proof anthem for the Class of 2020," as well as the
Janet Jackson-approved viral sensation "Bare Wit Me," the Kanye West-produced "We Got Love" featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill, and "How You Want It? (HYWI?)" featuring King Combs.
The Album is the highly anticipated successor to K.T.S.E. (June 2018), Teyana's second album, one of the five G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam albums produced by
Kanye West during his 2018 sojourn in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. K.T.S.E. (acronym for Keep That Same Energy) set off an 18-month chain reaction for Teyana, starting with its summertime Top 10 R&B smash "Gonna Love Me." She performed "Gonna Love Me" (in a medley with "Rose In Harlem," another K.T.S.E.track) on The
Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Hip-hop audiences embraced the "Gonna Love Me" remix featuring Wu-Tang Clan's
Ghostface Killah,
Method Man and Raekwon, whose video was directed by Teyana.
K.T.S.E. spun off a hot new single and video for Teyana in early 2019, the explicit "WTP (Work This P***y)." The video was nominated for "Best Dance Performance" at the 32nd annual BET Soul
Train Awards. The third single from K.T.S.E. was the evocative "Issues/Hold On." After slaying the audience with the song live on
Ellen in April 2019, Teyana was surprised on-air when
Ellen presented her with the RIAA gold award plaque for "Gonna Love Me," bringing it all full circle.
Since the release of K.T.S.E., Teyana's star has continued to rise; from her successful career as video director and continued investment in her production company, The Aunties, to her acting and modeling career, to a string of scintillating self-directed singles and videos, including "
Morning" with Kehlani. The Album is poised to take Teyana to the next level.
"Teyana Taylor regains control of her art…this is the project she has always intended to make…R&B at its best…a masterful, almost-alternative soul singer." - PITCHFORK
"'The Album' soars…an ambitious 23-song odyssey." - ROLLING STONE
"A celebration of family and a statement of self-love… well worth the wait." - NME
"A powerful message amidst dark times." - BILLBOARD
"Taylor's formal re-introduction as an artist…a musical and creative benchmark." - FORBES
"Taylor's voice is nimble, capable of simmering, deep-toned seduction, flirtatious wisps, and soaring balladry…she suggests the multitude of ways to show up in the world as a woman." - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Being a jack of trades has enabled
Teyana Taylor to become a master of all. From her smoky melodic vocals to her dynamic dance moves, the R&B superstar entertainer dips in dives between her talents as singer, songwriter, producer, director, dancer/choreographer, actor, fitness guru, model, and mother. When it comes to describing herself, the Harlem native can only think of one word: Everything.
"I literally can do everything. I never look at anything as being impossible," she explains. "I exhaust all options to make what happen when I need to make happen." Her mantra made her an early favorite to artists like Pharrell, who she signed her first deal with, and later choreographed videos for artists like Beyoncé and Jay-Z. In 2014, Teyana's love for the arts and R&B earned her the title of the first woman signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D.
Music imprint.
Between R&B's identity crisis in the 2010s, Teyana dropped her debut album VII in November 2014, which included "
Maybe" (featuring
Yo Gotti and Pusha T) and the sultry "Just Different" shaping her musical persona. The critically acclaimed album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 2014, cementing her position in today's modern R&B field. "I fought for that raw, hood necessary R&B and now I feel like it's better than ever," she says.
After spicing up the R&B charts, Teyana was blessed with the arrival of her daughter Junie with husband and NBA star Iman Shumpert in 2015. "I do all of this for my baby. She's who I do it for," she says about Iman "Junie" Tayla Shumpert Jr., her main source of inspiration. "I always show her how to be a leader and a businesswoman. I want her to believe that she can be anything she wants to be and it not be a shocker that she's a female doing it all." Soon after, Teyana went on to star in the internet-breaking video for Kanye West's "Fade," and scored her first MTV Moonman for "Best Choreography" at the 2017 MTV Video
Music Awards.
But it wasn't until the release of her second album project K.T.S.E. (released June 2018) that the world caught up with Teyana's talents. With her all-female production company The Aunties, Teyana self-directed videos for "WTP," the RIAA gold-selling single "Gonna Love Me," (whose remix features Wu-Tang Clan's
Ghostface Killah,
Method Man and Raekwon), and recently, "Issues/Hold On." Teyana has also directed videos for her peers like T.I. ("You"),
Monica ("Commitment"), and Lil Duval ("
Pull Up" featuring Ty Dolla $ign) with fans like Ms.
Lauryn Hill and
Elton John praising her boss moves.
Part of what makes Teyana stand out from the rest is her ability to move with precision and poise in everything she does. From the studio to the stage, every idea is a project with the singer front and center with a vision all her own. With her musical inspirations like Aaliyah, Teena Marie,
Mint Condition and
Janet Jackson speaking to her soul, Teyana is aware her mission is larger than life. "I'm working on me every day and I think that's my purpose," she says, comparing her life to a never-ending book. "I'm still going, still mastering and being a better me."
