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FKA twigsSinger, dancer
Date of Birth: 16.01.1988
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Influences
- Education and Early Career
- Music Breakthrough
- Early EPs and Recognition
- Debut Album and Critical Acclaim
- Film and Music Continuation
- Personal Life and Relationships
- Recent Work and Future Endeavors
- Discography
Early Life and Influences
Taliah Debrett Barnett was born on January 16, 1988, in Cheltenham, England. She was raised in nearby Tewkesbury, which she characterized as "the middle of nowhere." Her eclectic upbringing was influenced by her English mother, who had partial Spanish heritage and had been a dancer and gymnast, and her stepfather, a jazz enthusiast with an extensive music collection. The couple sacrificed much to provide Taliah with ballet and opera singing lessons. Her mother would often hide her behind the DJ booth at salsa nights and keep Vogue magazines under her bed (she now sews the singer's performance costumes). Taliah never met her Jamaican father, a jazz dancer, before she turned 18.
Education and Early Career
Taliah attended the private Catholic school St Edward's School on an academic scholarship. She began developing her vocals at a local youth center at 16 and moved to South London a year later to pursue dance. After dropping out of The London School for Performing Arts & Technology, Barnett enrolled at Croydon College. By age 18, she was searching for her unique sound, writing the song "I'm Your Doll," working with producers in London, and spending six months in Los Angeles. Upon her return, she was a backup dancer in music videos for Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, Taio Cruz, Jessie J, Dionne Bromfield, Plan B, and Wretch 32. She also appeared in a two-minute sketch, "Beyoncé Wants Groceries," worked as a hostess at a gentlemen's club, and performed at the Soho cabaret The Box.
Music Breakthrough
In late summer 2012, FKA twigs's (originally just Twigs, named after her clicking joints) photograph appeared in the pages of I-D magazine, a cult British publication covering avant-garde fashion, music, art, and youth culture. The "FKA" was added later due to complaints from a twin duo of the same name. Some sources claimed FKA stood for "formerly known as," but the artist denied this, stating, "They don't mean anything in particular, they're just letters. I was gonna call myself either Fk1 Twigs or AFK Twigs. I just wanted to have some letters that looked quite hard and strong. FKA just worked the best. There's no backronym or meaning to it—it's just capital letters."
Early EPs and Recognition
FKA twigs recorded EP1 (also known as twigs) independently and released it on Bandcamp on December 4, 2012. She also posted music videos on her own YouTube channel for each of the EP's four tracks. After "How's That" came "Water Me," created with Jesse Kanda and which garnered over 21 million views by 2021. The 2014 video for "Two Weeks" attracted an even larger audience, with almost 31 million views by the end of 2020.
EP2 was released on the Young Turks label on September 17, 2013, with assistance from Arca and Liam Howe. Pitchfork gave it an 8 out of 10, and it was nominated for a BBC prize and included on Spotify's "Spotlight on 2014." Billboard named her one of "14 Artists to Watch for in 2014."
Debut Album and Critical Acclaim
In 2014, Taliah graced the cover of The Fader, starred in the music video for her co-produced song "Ouch Ouch" by rapper Lucki Eck$, and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. The release of her debut full-length album, LP1, was followed by a global tour that began in Brighton, England, and concluded in Orlando, Florida.
Film and Music Continuation
On August 13, 2015, M3LL155X (pronounced Melissa) joined FKA twigs's discography, landing at number 63 on the Billboard 200. The album was accompanied by a 16-minute short film that Rolling Stone compared to the works of David Lynch. The film earned two nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Choreography.
In 2018, Barnett contributed to A$AP Rocky's track "Fukk Sleep." The following year, she released Magdalene, inspired by the biblical figure Mary Magdalene, after teasing fans with the single "Cellophane."
Personal Life and Relationships
FKA twigs's romance with Robert Pattinson became public in August or September 2014. The couple was spotted in New York City by paparazzi and later traveled to Paris together. In April 2015, People magazine reported on their engagement.
However, the relationship ended two years later, reportedly initiated by the "Twilight" star. FKA twigs expressed gratitude for the breakup, acknowledging that it spurred her journey of self-discovery.
From mid-2018 to mid-2019, the singer was involved with actor Shia LaBeouf. They met on the set of the drama "Honey Boy," which the actor wrote based on his own life.
In late 2020, Taliah filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf, detailing numerous abuses she endured. Colleague Sia, who also experienced the actor's alleged actions, supported her. Stylist Karolyn Pho also spoke out, accusing LaBeouf of physical violence.
Rumors of FKA twigs's relationship with The 1975 frontman Matt Healy began circulating in late 2019. A joint appearance at the NME Awards in London in February 2020 and Healy's Instagram post of a photo of the singer added fuel to the speculation. While the musicians remained tight-lipped, another photo of Barnett with a telling caption appeared on Healy's social media shortly before 2021.
Recent Work and Future Endeavors
Despite the challenges of 2020, FKA twigs remained productive. She collaborated with 645AR on the single "Sum Bout U" and with Ty Dolla $ign and Kanye West on "Ego Death." She also received multiple nominations at the 2020 UK Music Video Awards.
Her YouTube channel was enriched with a video for "We Are The Womxn" and the wordless short film "Sad Day" in collaboration with Japanese-American filmmaker Hiro Murai. In the fall, she revealed that she was working on a new album with Spanish musician and producer El Guincho and made a guest appearance on Dua Lipa's "Studio 2054" livestream concert.
Discography
2012: EP12013: EP2
2014: LP1
2015: M3LL155X
2016: Good to Love
2019: Magdalene
