Teyana Taylor has never shied away from talking about the people who lifted her as she climbed. But in a new Elle interview, she opened up with rare tenderness about one person whose support changed the entire trajectory of her teenage career: Beyoncé.
For Taylor, who entered the industry as a 15-year-old Harlem kid with talent, grit and a lot of uncertainty, her first encounters with Beyoncé weren’t just memorable—they were formative.
Taylor recalls meeting Beyoncé at a time when she was still trying to find her footing in an industry that can be notoriously cold to young Black girls.
“I was 15 years old and I was just this little girl from Harlem trying to figure it out,” Taylor said. “And I remember meeting her and working with her, and just her grace and her humbleness and how down to earth she was. I was learning so much.”
In a business where kindness can be mistaken for weakness and generosity isn’t always guaranteed, Beyoncé’s warmth stood out immediately.
A Mentor Who Didn’t Owe Her a Thing
What begins as a simple studio interaction could have ended there. Instead, Taylor says Beyoncé kept calling her back—not because she had to, but because she believed in her.
“She gave me more opportunities where I was only there to do one thing,” Taylor explained. “She allowed me to stay and contribute more. And then she brought me more opportunities that I didn’t even feel like she owed me.”
In the music world, access is everything. For a new teen artist, being trusted to stay in the room matters. Being invited back is transformative. Taylor speaks about it with visible gratitude, the kind that comes from knowing someone opened a door you couldn’t have pried open alone.
A Rare Kind of Support
Taylor describes Beyoncé as one of the first industry women who made her feel seen—really seen. Her voice cracks slightly in the interview, not out of sadness but because she recognizes what a gift that is.
“That’s a person who believes in me,” she says. “A person who really sees me, and I appreciate that.”
In an industry where mentorship for young Black women is often inconsistent, fleeting or conditional, Taylor’s story underscores the quiet power of women supporting women—not with performative praise, but with real opportunities, real calls, and real belief.
More Than a Career Moment—A Personal Anchor
Taylor’s affection for Beyoncé isn’t starstruck admiration. It’s the gratitude of someone who remembers being young, unsure and surrounded by giants. And it’s clear that Beyoncé’s example didn’t just shape the artist Taylor became—it shaped the woman she grew into.
Her reflection feels especially poignant now, as Taylor continues carving out her own legacy as a creative force, mother, director and performer.
The message beneath her story is simple but resonant:
Sometimes the most life-changing thing isn’t the stage or the spotlight. Sometimes it’s the moment someone powerful looks at you—before the fame, before the polish—and quietly says, You belong here.
