Looks like this new relationship is going in the right direction. Teyana Taylor is back in her music bag after a five-year break, and she’s not coming quietly. In a revealing new GQ cover story, the multitalented performer opened up about reclaiming her artistry and the surprising person who helped her stay locked in creatively, her partner Aaron Pierre.
Get this, after announcing her retirement from music in 2020, Taylor stepped away from the spotlight. But even when she requested to leave Def Jam, she says it was part of a bigger vision for herself. “I was backed in the corner, but I was ready,” she reflected on that turning point.
Just a month later, she auditioned for what would become her critically acclaimed acting debut in A Thousand And One. Now with her latest project Escape Room under Def Jam, Taylor believes the label recognized her potential in a new light. “I think it made them see, ‘Damn, she’s doing this for others. What can she do for herself?’” she said. Speaking on her renewed deal with the label, she added, “They came with a new team and a new plan. They made the proper choices to make sure they came back to me at their best.”
But behind the scenes, it was actor Aaron Pierre who Taylor says helped push Escape Room across the finish line in more ways than one. “He damn near EP’ed the album,” she revealed with a laugh.
Taylor praised Pierre’s attention to detail and genuine connection to the music. “He’s so on top of it and so involved and so passionate in regards to the album. He would be like, ‘Oh, yeah, that melody right there? That was fire.’ I’m like, ‘Thank you. I thought nobody was going to notice that.’”
What stood out to her most was how deeply Pierre understood the emotion behind every track. “He’s a real big music head and just how hands-on he’s been on this album with me has been really amazing to see,” she said. “You ever sit back and be like, ‘This person don’t play about me’? I was like, ‘Yeah, you need to be my leading man, because you understand every single song, every single emotion, every single feeling, which is that, on set, you’re going to bring it.’”
With Escape Room poised to mark a powerful new era for Taylor, it’s clear she’s entering the next chapter with clarity, confidence and the right people in her corner.
Good for them, across the board.