Music
6 things we learned about Teyana Taylor from watching Assembly Required
Discover stand-out moments from Assembly Required: Teyana Taylor’s House of Petunia. The behind-the-scenes documentary from her Red Bull Music Festival New York show is available now on Red Bull TV.
Teyana Taylor is a natural-born star. Born and raised in New York City, the singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, director, model and choreographer reached a new level of national attention as part of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint. Since then, she’s become a Billboard Top 100 artist, earned a coveted spot in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and released K.T.S.E. – her critically acclaimed 2018 album that cemented her as an unstoppable force in music.
Assembly Required is a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of Teyana’s first House of Petunia show at Red Bull Music Festival New York. Here are six things we learned during the documentary:
1. Teyana’s aiming for greatness – and expects the same from everyone around her
Teyana’s hands-on approach is immediately visible during the making of House of Petunia. After making an open casting call for dancers on Instagram, over 1,000 people showed up to audition – and Teyana teaches them the choreography herself, step by step. She moved around the room examining each dancer with forensic detail, refining their routines along the way. It’s this same way that she found her dance captain Coco – by staying present every step of the way. Teyana’s process doesn’t go unnoticed by those auditioning. “The fact that Teyana taught us the choreography herself is amazing, we never see that!” enthused potential finalist Barbie.
In return, Teyana expects nothing short of greatness: “I'm a very passionate person, a very passionate artist. I expect that to be reciprocated. When it's not reciprocated, I feel like my kindness is being taken for weakness. I need to light the fire for people to really feel a burn.”
2. Teyana’s an uncompromising force in a male-dominated industry
Teyana confided to her team that she has a lot on her plate in the build up to the show – and she certainly has no time for complacency. “Sometimes people get comfortable and I gotta fire them,” she announced. “I just have to focus on this show, on this album. I just want to be able to take out the time to just focus on what I need to focus on for once, and not on everybody else's job.”
When Teyana is mood boarding the narrative for the show, she realises she’s missing essential video footage – they’re on someone else’s hard drive and that person won’t answer her calls. With just two weeks until showtime, this incident struck a nerve. “Being a black woman in the entertainment business, trying to make this shit right, I ain’t got time for this shit,” she reflected. “[People have] been shitting on me my whole career but I still stand tall. I still get through all that.”
3. Family is everything to her
Balancing being a mother, partner, daughter and global star; she makes room for everyone she loves – whether that’s working with ‘momager’ Nikki, including her husband in her live shows, or finding the time to play with their four-year-old daughter Junie in between rehearsals.
“Nikki and Teyana are the best momager couple I've ever seen,” says Coco. “Nikki will make sure even when Teyana's down, she's like, ‘Listen – pick y'all selves up. Encourage her.’ She's the glue to all of this, so you gotta keep mama Nikki there.”
4. Teyana’s a brilliant storyteller – and completely in control of the narrative
At House of Petunia, narrative is everything. From song choice to choreography, Teyana wants to tell a story. Emerging from a bright red, altar-like staircase, she paints a very clear portrait of a woman fully in control of her craft. Behind her is a red velvet throne, below her the dancers, twerking and krumping, draped in black and white. The theatricality of the performance is reminiscent of a fairy tale, her rags to riches story; a rose surfacing in Harlem.
Kicking it with Teyana
© Ryan McMahill/Red Bull Content Pool
5. Costumes are an integral part of her artistic vision
For House of Petunia’s fashion, Teyana pulls out all the stops. Enlisting the help of a costume designer who has worked with Beyoncé and Britney Spears, she picks out her show-stopping chess board gown, which has a train that stretches as long as the staircase on the stage. “Costumes are the icing on the cake. I'm so hands-on with everything that I do, but especially wardrobe and costumes. Nobody else is gonna see the vision like how you see it, so it's important for [me] to be there,” she said.
6. Teyana is her own biggest critic
Despite the hurdles thrown her way during the making of House of Petunia, the show is met with roaring applause from her team, fans and critics. Persevering through a pre-show ankle sprain, a debilitated voice and stage-lighting issues – her dream show was a success – but that doesn’t seem to be enough for Teyana, who's visibly agitated backstage. “Anything that can go wrong, will," she sighed. “The part that pissed me off even more is when Teyana is nice, nobody listens. When Teyana turns up, Teyana is mean. When Teyana is passionate, Teyana’s mean.” Her mother attempts to comfort her as she sits on the couch, surrounded by their closest friends and family. “There were a few missteps,” admitted Nikki to the camera. “The naked eye would never know that, but she is a perfectionist and she is super-critical of herself.”
Teyana Taylor is working it
© Ryan McMahill/Red Bull Content Pool
