Teyana Taylor eyes EGOT after defying critics and scoring first Oscar nomination

Teyana Taylor has reflected on the gamble that reshaped her career and proved the doubters wrong.

In a new interview with Time for its Women of the Year issue, the 35-year-old multi-hyphenate star revealed that many questioned her decision to step away from music in 2020 to focus on acting.

“Everybody told me it was dumb,” Taylor said. “And I was like, ‘No, I am going to be a great actress. One day, I am going to be a great director.’ ”

At the time, Taylor had already built a music résumé that included her 2014 hit “Maybe” and a scene-stealing appearance in Kanye West’s “Fade” video, which premiered at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. 

But despite the visibility, she said she didn’t feel supported in the industry and decided to pivot.

The risk paid off. Taylor went on to secure roles in Coming 2 America, A Thousand and One, and White Men Can't Jump before earning widespread acclaim for her performance as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another.

The film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Regina Hall, earned 12 additional nominations this awards season. Taylor received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

“Even if I go home empty-handed, I have won,” she said, embracing the moment and the camaraderie of awards season alongside fellow nominee Jacob Elordi.

Still, Taylor’s ambitions stretch even further. “I would love the EGOT,” she said, referring to winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. “And if I don’t get that Tony, guess what that T is gonna stand for? Teyana.”

While building momentum in film, Taylor also made her return to music in 2025 with her Grammy-nominated album Escape Room, earning a nod for Best R&B Album. She has said that coming back to music on her own terms was key.

“All I ever wanted was to feel appreciated, and I wanted to feel utilized,” she previously shared. “When you have a creative that does it all, let them spread their wings. Never cage a creative.”

Taylor’s personal life has also evolved in recent years following her divorce from former NBA player Iman Shumpert, with whom she shares two daughters. Through it all, she says, creativity has remained her anchor.

“I love to create and direct,” she said. “Being able to come back to music in such a vulnerable way was very healing for me.”