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It’s no secret that Teyana Taylor has gotten the short-end of the stick in the music industry. From her failed relationship with Kanye West’s “Good Music” label to the last round of Grammy nominations that didn’t include her. All of the effort and talent Teyana has put into the industry for years, with little mainstream acknowledgement and accolades, Taylor is feeling underappreciated.
And with all of that at the forefront of her mind, Taylor announced that she is planning on retiring from the music industry.
She made the announcement in an Instagram post that shared her Wrapped Spotify numbers, which showed her streams, the hours people had listened to her, and the countries where her music was streamed.
She wrote: “Wow, who did that? Y’all did that! 🥺Thank you 💗 I ain’t gone front in times of feeling super under appreciated as a artist, receiving little to no real push from the “machine”, constantly getting the shorter end of the stick, being overlooked, I mean the list on and on lol.. I’m retiring this chapter of my story with the comfort that i can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world! To all my supporters from day 1 & all my new ones I love you and I thank you for everything & don’t worry y’all know 🤎 all hustlers have the understanding that when one door closes another will open…either that or I’m pickin da locks petunia!!! So wassup😜🤎😘”
Teyana Taylor has always been a Jill of all trades in the entertainment lane. At 15, she was credited as choreographing Beyonce’s “Ring the Alarm” video. The following year, at 16-years-old, she signed a deal with Pharell Williams’ Star Trek Entertainment imprint.
She spent the early part of her career releasing mix tapes, including the single “Google Me.” By 2010, Taylor devoted her talents to the big and small screen. That same year, she began working with Kanye West and appeared on his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, adding vocals to “Dark Fantasy” and “Hell of a Life.”
By 2012, Taylor was released from Star Trek and in June of that year signed with GOOD Music. She famously danced in West’s “Fade” music video in 2016. But the partnership between Taylor and West seemed to be on a downward spiral ever since.
In 2018, Taylor and her fans expressed their disappointment at the way her album Keep That Same Energy (KTSE) was released. And there were accusations that West might unknowingly be sabotaging her career.
Still, this year she released The Album. And although it made it to the Billboard 200, marking her first top ten album, featured legends like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Missy Elliott, it still didn’t seem to have the impact she was imagining.
You can check out Teyana’s full post—along with the messages of encouragement from her loved ones and fans in the post below.
