Teyana Taylor Teases New Music After Announcing Retirement

  

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Teyana Taylor, the singer, dancer, actress, and model, may have had a change of heart after revealing she was walking away from music at the end of 2020. The 30-year-old star announced her retirement from the music industry in December, citing frustration with her label and lack of recognition for her work.

However, it seems that Taylor is not ready to hang up the mic just yet. Taking to her Instagram Story on Wednesday (January 3), the multi-hyphenate previewed a new song that may be inspired by her recent split from husband Iman Shumpert, the NBA player and rapper.

The snippet features Taylor singing over a soulful beat, "I gave you everything, wasn't enough / I tried to walk away, you called my bluff / Now I'm all out of love, what you gon' do?" She captioned the post, "Workin on me... Workin on my bounce back... 2021."

Taylor and Shumpert, who share two daughters, Junie and Rue, confirmed their breakup in November, after four years of marriage. The couple had been the subject of divorce rumors for months, following allegations of infidelity and a paternity scandal involving a woman named Alby Rydes.

Taylor has not officially announced a new project or a release date for her new music, but fans are eagerly awaiting her comeback. The Grammy-nominated artist released her third and supposedly final album, The Album, in June 2020, featuring collaborations with Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Missy Elliott, Future, and more. The Album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and received critical acclaim, but Taylor expressed her disappointment with the lack of support and promotion from her label, Def Jam Recordings.

"I ain't gone front in times of feeling super underappreciated as a artist, receiving little to no real push from the 'machine', constantly getting the shorter end of the stick, being overlooked, I mean the list on and on lol," she wrote on Instagram in December. "So I'm retiring this chapter of my story with the comfort that i can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!"

Taylor also thanked her fans for their loyalty and love, and assured them that she would continue to create art in other forms. "I love you guys so much and all I ask is that y'all don't listen to the rumors," she said. "I've been extremely open with you guys about everything in my life, whether that's dealing with postpartum, whether that's dealing with the scrutiny. I've been very open with you guys, so I just ask that you guys just stick with me."