Teyana Taylorhas been dancing all her life.
“I’ve been dancing since I was in the womb,” 26-year-old Taylor tells SELF.
“My mom used to tell me…
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I used to kick on beat.”
In 2012, she signed with Kanye West’s label,GOOD Music.
She’s collaborated with stars like Kanye, Trey Songz, John Legend, andMissy Elliott.
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She helpedchoreographfor Beyonce’s “Ring the Alarm” music video.
She designed and released sneakers withReebok.
And there’s so much more to come.
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Being self-critical is something Taylor has always struggled with.
“I think I’m critical about anything I am passionate about,” she says.
“Dance makes me feel sexy,” she says.
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“It makes me feel alive… Dance can be very emotional, very passionate, very intense.
And that’s what I love about it.”
ManyFadefans were fixated on Taylor’s jaw-dropping physique as well as her talent.
“My diet sucks,” she toldVogue.
“I eat pizza, fried chicken, macaroni; I dont eat vegetables.
But I dance!”
My whole life, I’ve always had issues gaining weight."
“She probably sucked out every ounce of milk… We all have flaws… you gotta embrace it.”
And Taylor has totally embraced the way her body has changed since becoming a mom.
She went into labor early and gave birth to her daughter at home in December 2015.
I appreciate every stretch mark, every sag.
One boob is bigger than the other…but it is what it is.
I love my body and I love the place that I’m in.
“We all have the same insecurities.
Whether it’s losing weight or gaining weightwe all feel like ‘oh, my eyebrows look crazy today!’
or ‘my hair is thinning!’
or whatever it is.
But we have to remember that nothing is impossible.”
When she’s feeling down, Taylor is often inspired by her now-13-month-old daughter.
Nothing is impossible to her."
Parenthood has also changed how she looks at her own work: Taylor always has her daughter in mind.
She says: “This is who I do it for now.
This is not about me any more.
So my grind is different, my hustle is different.”
Her latest hustle:Fade 2 Fit, a dance workout program launching in February.
“I think dance is just fitness, and that’s the reality of it,” she says.
And if you’re intimidated, don’t be.
Yep, even someone as badass as Teyana Taylor feels intimidated sometimes, so she’s got your back.
“All you need is a little guidance and someone to show you,” she says.
“And that’s what I’m here forto help you do it.”
Additional reporting by Rebecca Sinn.
Mesh dress; Bally.com for other styles.
PHOTO 3: Top, Phelan, $485; Shopbop.com.
Nude sports bra, $66; YearOfOurs.com.
Bottom, Lolli Swim, $99; ILoveLolli.com.
Cuff (on upper arm), $195; Miansai.com.
PHOTO 4: Top, Cushnie et Ochs at Albright Fashion Library; AlbrightNYC.com.
Bottom, $138; BondiBorn.com.
Bangle, $3,495; Ippolita.com.
