Teyana Taylor Talks 'The Album,' Her 2nd Pregnancy & The BLM Movement

Ahead of the release of her third studio album, Teyana Taylor sat down with iHeartRadio to discuss the current state of America, her pregnancy, her hopes for the future, and of course, her first love: music.

While these unprecedented times — a global pandemic amidst civil unrest and a recession— weren't exactly what she had in mind when thinking about what 2020 would bring, like the rest of the world, the 29-year-old singer has had to adapt and like her new music, she's fearlessly stepped into this new chapter and is still moving full steam ahead.

See our full Q&A with Teyana below.

First of all, how are you? How is your family doing amidst the on-going pandemic and the country's long-awaited awakening to racial injustice?

We've been meditating a lot; even [my daughter] Junie, she's like, 'Mom, are we meditating today?' We're really trying to just find peace within ourselves and reset ourselves. We're [also] praying for others and everything that's going on with our people in the world. I'm just appreciative to be here, to be alive and to take a stand for what's right.

You've been vocal about your support of the Black Lives Matter movement and you've been using your platform to bring awareness to police brutality. What does this time in history mean to you and what do you hope comes from the BLM movement?

Change, that’s what we've been fighting for all these years. And I understand that there are [opposing] views, as far as the rioting and protesting, but how I feel about it personally is, we've been trying to be peaceful for a very, very long time and it's like, ‘Okay, well you don't hear us, so now you gonna feel us. You don't hear us, now you gonna see us.’

It's been definitely hard for me being a pregnant woman and wanting to protest and wanting to be out there. […] I can't physically be at a protest, but I can be there in donating. I can be there through my social media, using my platform to spread awareness and to also take a stand. So they see that this sh*t is real.

It's little things that are being done, but it's a lot more things that need to be done. There's little progress, but there's a lot more progress that's needed.

So in addition to everything we just spoke about, we're also in the middle of a pandemic. What does life look like for you at home these days?

My hormones are running high during quarantine. I'm really just meditating a lot. […] I’ve also been writing a couple love letters to my husband [Iman Shumpert] and my daughter — something that I also shared to my social media because I felt like it was important.

In this pandemic, what I've been learning is to teach [Junie] to stand up. […] She's four years old, but she's already learning what's up. She's already learning to take a stand. She's already learning not to be naïve. This is what it is, baby. This is what it is because until I see 100% change, I'm not sugar coating nothing for my kid. That's important.

You’ve been releasing music and music videos while being in quarantine, and you're also pregnant with your second child. What has this experience been like for you?

I've actually been sick the whole pregnancy. It hasn't been easy, but I promised my fans this album. I locked in [...] and really got focused.

It's been hard, but it's been a great process shooting three, four videos and some commercials while quarantined — it's been an experience. And as a director, it's been a great experience because this has really showed me that what I already knew: us black women we're super women. [I'm] carrying a whole 'nother human being, and still pushing through and [we've] still been making it happen at a tough time when things are closed 'cause we're super like that. It's that black power. I know sometime it sounds cliché, but that sh*t is more important than anything.

Let's talk about “Made It," your lead single for The Album. What’s the inspiration behind the track? What does the song mean to you?

So 'Made It' is actually one of my favorite songs because with 'Made It,' it's an anthem to everybody who made it. I recorded it in 2016 and I was like, 'yo, this is the anthem about self-love, celebrating black [excellence], and celebrating the people that's behind the camera rather than just the people in front of it.' You see a lot of celebrities and public figures getting acknowledged and celebrated, but [...] there's a lot of people [who work behind the scenes and not in the entertainment industry] and this song is like, 'Okay, we love you.'

It takes a whole village [of people] to bring a village together. Not one person. Everybody plays a part. ... That's what the song is about.

So, how'd you come up with the music video concept with the class of 2020 as the main visual?

I always wanted it to be a graduating element to it because I didn't get the chance to graduate. I didn't get to graduate because I was homeschooled. That's just so simple compared to these kids who have literally went to school and put up all these years of hard work. And then, some pandemic comes, and then, it's just like, 'Oh, you can't have a graduation.'

That's like ni**as waiting to get they Roc-A-Fella chain. Everything's that's going on, I just wanted 'em to feel celebrated. To know that, we here for you. We proud of you, and you made it.

Tell me about The Album. How would you describe the project?

I love the whole album, but the way that I sequenced it really depends on what mood you're in. I have my moods where I just feel lovey dovey, and I feel sexy and I wanna hear Studio L, you know? Or, when I'm just watching Junie and just watching my family, and in my feelings, I wanna hear Studio A.

Then I got Studio M. We got the moods. Like every studio do what it needs to do. You got your little ballad records when you wanna feel like Mariah Carey or Toni Braxton — you got Studio U for that. So I think that this album is very important especially because of everything that's going on today because I think this album will be able to get us through literally every, single emotion.

How does The Album compare to your previous projects?

I think this is probably my fullest body of work. It's something that I've really, really dived into. I made sure that I learned from my mistakes with my previous album. I've always been very, very hands-on, but this time, I've been like hands-on times 20 in every single process; even all the way down to the mixing, and how many seconds in between the songs. That's kinda when the artist could fall back and chill, but I've literally been in every, single process.

What do you want listeners to take away from The Album?

It's not about what I want them to take away. It's about what I want them to feel. That's for each individual listener to answer that question 'cause, like I said, the album literally takes you through every single emotion. I think it's just a gift for my fans for them to take it and inhale it any type of way that they want.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Photo: Getty Images