Teyana Taylor

Background

Teyana Taylor (whose real name is Teyana MeShay Jacqueli Shumpert) was born on December 10, 1990, to Tito Smith and Nikki Taylor. She was born in New York City’s Harlem with African-Trinidadian and African-American roots. She is an only child but has two half-brothers sons and a half-sister. Her mother is also her current manager.

She was the choreographer for Beyonce’s hit ‘Ring the Alarm’ in September 2006, following it up with a deal to join Pharrell Williams-owned Star Trak Entertainment in 2007. She stepped into the national limelight with “My Super Sweet Sixteen” on M.T.V. in 2007. Her debut single ‘Google Me’ was released in February 2008, headlining her first mixtape “From a Planet Called Harlem.” It was released in August 2009, landing at number 90 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list. Taylor appeared in “Stomp the Yard: Homecoming” in 2010, marking her acting debut, followed by the first episode of “House of Glam” in the same year. She ultimately started collaborating with Kanye West, playing a part in his song ‘Christmas in Harlem,’ which was released in 2010. Taylor signed a joint venture agreement with G.O.O.D. Music and The Island Def Jam Music Group in 2012. Her debut studio album “VII” came out in 2014 and debuted at number 19 on Billboard 200. She released the song ‘Freak On’ in 2016 before her album “K.T.S.E.” was launched in 2018. She also released the songs ‘Morning’ and ‘We Got Love’ in 2019. Another album aptly titled “The Album” was launched in 2020. She also released her sneaker designs with Adidas in 2013 while launching “Fade 2 Fit” as her workout program in 2017. She retired from the music scene on December 4, 2020. She and Shumpert have two daughters.