Music
The story of FKA Twigs in 10 essential tracks
As MAGDALENE’s impact begins to settle, FKA Twigs has begun to dive into projects with Ty Dolla $ign and more. We map the illustrious artist’s journey so far.
Born in Gloucestershire in the late '80s, Tahliah Debrett Barnett -- better known today as FKA Twigs -- was quick to follow in the steps of her dancer parents. She'd already been dancing for 11 years by the time she moved to London, aged 17, to pursue a career.
Her talents saw her land appearances in music videos for Jessie J and on stage for Kylie and Ed Sheeran -- but she'd been harbouring ambitions for her own career in music too. It would take her seven years to gain niche acclaim as the singer-producer Twigs, and another eight (and a name change) to reach widespread acclaim. Now 32, the singer, dancer, producer, director, FKA Twigs is in her own realm of artistry: a true multi-hyphenate conceptualist with worldwide success.
This is her story in 10 essential tracks.
1. Weak Spot
From her very earliest output, Twigs (as she was then known) possessed a fiercely unique sound. She had a visual identity to match too, and landed a spot on the cover of fashion bible i-D magazine before EP1 was even released.
Weak Spot's pairing of a deep, percussive bassline with whispered vocals -- sung millimetres from the mic -- lend a sense of intimacy. The sci-fi-esque video was released as the first of a longer four-part film, with each other song from EP1 having its own segment -- offering an early hint at Twigs' expansive, polymath tendencies.
2. Papi Pacify
Much of Twigs’ music deals with nuanced ideas of femininity, often exploring power dynamics and themes of dominance and submission. She explores the push and pull of violence and empowerment on Papi Pacify, from 2013's EP2 -- the record that first invited acclaim in the press, marking the beginning of a succession of rave reviews from the notoriously hard-to-please critics at Pitchfork.
Her lyrics here are more explicit in their sexual nature, relying on monosyllabic murmurs and brief, breathy calls. And the video offers a raw take on the same topic: reflecting the physical aspects of sexual dynamics and violence. Twigs would later explain, in an interview with the Evening Standard, how she wanted the video to visualise the verbal suppression she'd experienced in a previous relationship.
3. Two Weeks
Two years on from EP1, huge anticipation came to a head when FKA Twigs dropped her debut album -- LP1 -- via Young Turks, which was then an imprint of XL Recordings. By now, wranglings from a band called The Twigs meant she had to change her name (with a hint of a knowing wink) to FKA Twigs.
Two Weeks was the first of three singles from the album, and remains one of her most popular tracks: full of euphoric and pulsating synths, scattered percussion, and catchy refrains. Like nearly all of FKA Twigs’ songs, it comes with a vivid and surreal video which consists of one sustained dolly-out shot, in which Twigs plays a giant godly figure surrounded by miniature dancers. The clip was nominated for two awards at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2015, and confirmed Twigs' status as a powerful visual -- as well as musical -- artist.
4. Numbers
While FKA Twigs’ popularity continued to rise into LP1, she stuck unwaveringly to her own vision -- and Numbers is a key example of this. The most up-tempo song on LP1, it’s dark and danceable in equal measure. Incorporating shades of trip hop and witch house, it's perhaps best categorised as an art-pop track. Sparse, glitchy, full of metallic shimmers and soulful soprano: this is FKA Twigs at her most mysterious and alluring.
5. Glass & Patron
The glass-smashing, trance elements of Numbers foreshadowed plenty of what we hear on Glass & Patron. Twigs’ vocals are front-and-centre, layered with sparse, echoing splashes that build into a melee of bass, glitchy synths, and chopped vocals. The track appeared as the penultimate track on 2015’s M3LL155X (or 'Melissa'), and marked a shift even further into high-conceptuality for FKA Twigs -- something reflected, too, in the record's striking striking sleeve art.
6. Good To Love
Good To Love, released as a standalone single in 2016, stands at total odds with the dark and mysterious M3LL155X. Resembling a pop ballad, the track shows Twigs to have nailed the weighted, heart-crushing vulnerable lyricism that continues to blossom in her career. The track sees Twigs exploring a more mainstream sound and, in introducing her own sonic idiosyncrasies, expanding the boundaries of what's considered as pop music today. She's since caught the attention of commercial powerhouses including Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.
7. Fukk Sleep (with A$AP Rocky)
Here we see FKA Twigs experimenting with shared creative control, and collaborating with the superstars she’s made a big impression on. In Fukk Sleep, Twigs adds her infectious, spine-tingling vocal abilities to elevate the track and produce a standout moment for a US rap album that had otherwise enjoyed a lukewarm reception.
8. holy terrain
Another Twigs song of subtle genius, holy terrain is a standout from 2019’s MAGDALENE LP. A transition point from the witchy, fidgety power of her previous works into the untouchable-yet-vulnerable artist she has become. This track shows how collaborations with hip hop artists have been fruitful for Twigs’ own creative development, while providing her peers in the rap scene with a stimulus to push themselves into more ethereal, high concept spaces.
9. cellophane
This is perhaps as close to a one-track manifestation of the rare and pure brilliance of FKA Twigs. Sweeping, raspy and emotive vocals blend all at once with sparse orchestral instrumentation, clattering synths, and deep bass. Lyrically it’s introspective, feministic, poignant and gut-wrenchingly affecting. The video shows FKA Twigs utilise her roots in dance by performing to the song on pole. Graceful and elevated: this is an album and track that very much cut through the musical world.
10. Judge Me (with Headie One & Fred again..)
Since MAGDALENE, Twigs has remained active and typically unconcerned with adhering to expectations. It still came as a surprise, though, to hear that she would be featuring on a UK drill mixtape in 2020. But her presence makes complete sense in the context of Headie One and Fred again..'s sonic experiments on GANG. Judge Me features as an interlude on the mixtape, but this is far from filler: Twigs plies an ethereal soprano against wobbling bass, elevating the track with an art pop flourish.
