Source: Brandon Todd – @branndannart / Dreamville Festival
Teyana Taylor may not be completely done with the music industry after all.
The multifaceted artist took to her Instagram Stories and shared a clip of an unreleased song. Teyana appears under a blood orange light as she croons the lyrics to her new song. The 20-second video serves as the first time she’s shared fresh solo vocals since she formally left the music industry three years ago.
“You want it, you can’t have it,” she sings. “Don’t waste no time/You need it, I can’t please it.”
Teyana Taylor decided to step back from the music industry towards the end of 2020 after she felt “underappreciated” during her time at Def Jam. A few months after her announcement, she linked up with Cam Newton for his BET series “Sip ‘N Smoke” and explained why she left the label. She also emphasized that her retirement wasn’t permanent.
“I felt like the label wasn’t really hearing me and seeing me,” she said. “I felt underappreciated. So, for my mental health, my mental well-being, for my kids, let me just put this on ice for a little [bit]. It’s not that I retired permanently. It’s more like, I just don’t feel like I want to move another inch for a company.”
Taylor moved to focus on her family and other opportunities within the entertainment space. She served as a creative director for several artists like Latto, Lil Baby, Summer Walker and more. The actress also recently starred in the film A Thousand And One. The stunning drama landed on President Barack Obama’s favorite movies of 2023, and is also a contender for the upcoming 2024 Oscars.
“Manifesting ” Taylor wrote in a post on Tuesday with the January 23 nominations date.
Despite being preoccupied with everything else on her plate, Taylor has been easing her way back into the music space. It’s been three since she released The Album featuring a slew of legends from Ms. Lauryn Hill to Missy Elliott. In 2023, Diddy brought her out of retirement for The Love Album: Off The Grid where she appeared on “Closer To God.” A month later, she DJ Khaled on “Above The Law” off Rick Ross & Meek Mill’s LP Too Good To Be True. Let’s hope she blesses fans with more new music soon.
