'Marie Claire' Cover Star Teyana Taylor on Her Self-Described "Ombre" Album—and the Career Advice Beyoncé Gave Her

Teyana Taylor is drawn to the “in betweens”—the journeys that move people emotionally and literally from one stage of life to the next, whether in relationships, passions, or careers.

She’s had plenty of those transitions herself, and they’re at the heart of her new album, Escape Room, which marks her return to music after a five-year hiatus.

The record “shows [everything] from heavy to light, from broken to repair, from heartbreak to healing—it's an ombre album,” Taylor tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike on the "Nice Talk" podcast.

“I feel like a lot of times we hear records, and it's just a person being in a really hurt or dark space, and it's just like, ‘Damn, what happened? How'd you get there? How did you get out of it?’” the Marie Claire cover star explains. “Then you hear people that make completely light-weighted, pure love records. And it's like, ‘Well, girl, what was the prayer? How did we get here? Let us in, sis. Like, don't gatekeep that.’”

Although Taylor did go through a major life change—her divorce from former NBA player Iman Shumpert was finalized in 2024—she makes clear the album isn’t simply about moving past a breakup.

“It's so much bigger than, you know, people automatically just assuming, ‘Oh my god, this is just [about a] relationship.’ No, baby. I've been in relationships with music ... friendships ... business, all of the things, all across the board,” the 34-year-old says. “So it's escaping the things that just do not serve me—even if that includes myself, because we sometimes fall into these dark places. You got to hold yourself accountable. Say, ‘Girl, get up. Get out of this space. Get out of this room. Get out of this box.’”

Taylor has her own wisdom now when it comes to making moves in life, but back when she was an up-and-coming artist, she received advice from one of the biggest names in music: Beyoncé. At just 15, Taylor choreographed Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” video, and the two stayed in touch, with the superstar becoming a mentor to her.

Taylor recalls speaking to Beyoncé about a decade ago, when she was at a turning point in her career. (Her debut album, VII, was released in 2014.) The Cowboy Carter singer’s advice? “‘You're never gonna fully get what you want unless you go and do it yourself.’ That always stuck with me.”

Taylor says that while many new artists performed to recorded tracks, “I was kind of one of the only up-and-coming artists that was like: ‘I want a band, I want six dancers. I want, I want, I want.’ I wanted the world. I wanted everything with a bubblegum and shoestring budget. And I realized that I would walk away with less money because I was paying more people.” But with Beyoncé’s influence, “I was okay with that.”

“Of course it hurts in the moment,” Taylor continues, “because it's like, ‘Oh my god, I could be making so much more money.’ But then [I'd talk] to Bey, and she just gives you that reassurance of like, ‘Oh no, that's normal. That just means you're a true creative. Spend the money. Do what you gotta do to get what you want.’ What that did was build up my credibility in that space. When people ask Teyana for a show, they know what they're in for.”

For more from Taylor—including how she feels about working with Academy Award-winning actors in her new film One Battle After Another and why she decided to attend culinary school on top of everything else—check out this week’s installment of Nice Talk. The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.