Teyana Taylor Covers 'PAPER' Magazine's "Living For Fashion" Issue

Gracing the cover of the latest issue of PAPER Magazine is Teyana Taylor. Signing with Pharrell’s Star Trak Entertainment at 16 and flexing her choreography skills for Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” video, the 25-year-old Harlem native has hustled her way through the culture for longer than the world may realize. While Taylor’s setbacks since her career’s inception in 2007 might have overshadowed her (namely a now-resolved beef with Rihanna), she has come out more ready to shine than ever.

At 38 million YouTube views and counting, “Fade” aired during Kanye’s allocated four minutes at this year’s VMAs. Taylor’s Flashdance-inspired show of physical prowess and energy swiftly shot her into the gazes of many, securing her front row spots all over New York Fashion Week and earning her friendships with the likes of Anna Wintour. Mother to nine-month-old baby Junie, Taylor is conscious of the power her body holds – not in spite of, but by way of motherhood. “I honestly don’t feel like ‘Fade’ would have had the same effect had I just been 21, hot body, single,” she says. “It’s the opposite of the cliché that says kids will slow you or your career down.”

Having participated in the recent Yeezy Season 4 show, Taylor also discusses the role Kanye has played in her recent moves in the spotlight. Taylor’s relationship with Kanye goes back four years, during the recording stages of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Despite originally meeting up to offer her counsel on some custom Balmain items, the encounter ended with Taylor adding vocals to “Dark Fantasy” and “Hell of a Life.” She subsequently joined up with G.O.O.D. Music in 2012, and released her debut album, VII, in 2014.

Read the rest of the cover story here.