Teyana Taylor has never been shy about her Janet obsession, but for her feature in People’s World’s Most Beautiful issue (released today, April 21, which you can read here), she just uploaded a high-definition homage to the 1993 Janet era that is breaking the social mainframe. Each year, PEOPLE’s World’s Most Beautiful Issue is an annual special issue celebrating the stars who redefine beauty. Ms. Jackson if ya nasty shared her reaction to the photos, saying in a video filmed exclusively for the publication, “Wow, I just have to say wow, Tey. You did it — you captured it; you captured the energy, the mood. If only I had looked that beautiful.”
Below are some more excerpts from the interview.
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Table of Contents
Recreating ‘If’
Teyana didn’t just put on a costume; she meticulously recreated the military-inspired cream ensemble from Janet’s iconic “If” performance during the 1993-1995 World Tour.
- The Custom Build: Taylor styled the look herself, collaborating with Baba Jagne and Laurel DeWitt to ensure the hardware was period-accurate.
- The Heritage Signal: Teyana traces her entire artistic OS back to age 9, when she first discovered a DVD of the Velvet Rope tour. She told People, “I don’t play about Janet… she’s the blueprint.”
On the moment Teyana became a Janet Jackson Fan and How it Inspired her Career:
Back when she was only about 9 years old, she found the DVD of Jackson’s ultra-sexy 1998-1999 “Velvet Rope” tour, which she fully admits “I had no business watching.” In hindsight, it’s a good thing she did. “When I saw it, oh my God. I knew what I wanted to do when I got older. I knew that I wanted to be an artist.”
On Teyana’s Epic Fail Trying to Meet Jackson for the First Time and See Her Perform Live Back in 2017:
“When I first retired from music (in December of 2020) she poured into me and gave me some really good advice,” she says of Jackson. “She played a big part in why I came back. It’s kind of crazy because now she’s like my homegirl in real life. I call her Jan. She’s one of those beautiful spirits. But even though we’ve grown a close bond, I’m still a fan. I don’t take it for granted.”
Teyana Reflecting on this Past Awards Season:
“Awards season was amazing for me,” she says. “I am happy to be in these rooms because I worked hard to be there and I’m getting my just due and I’m appreciative of that. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do. So I’m always happy and I’m a light and I enjoy being that.”
On How Janet Jackson has Evolved into a Friend for Teyana:
“When I first retired from music (in December of 2020) she poured into me and gave me some really good advice,” she says of Jackson. “She played a big part in why I came back. It’s kind of crazy because now she’s like my homegirl in real life. I call her Jan. She’s one of those beautiful spirits. But even though we’ve grown a close bond, I’m still a fan. I don’t take it for granted.”
On her Oscars Afterparty Experience:
“After the Oscars I went straight to the hotel, to go love with my babies and put them to bed,” she says of daughters Junie and Rue Rose, whom she shares with ex Iman Shumpert. “And then we went to the Warner Brothers party, to Vanity Fair which was really fun too, and then topped the night off at the Gold Party.” At Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s annual fête, “you get to just dance,” she says. “I’m always the one every year at the Gold Party that gets the electric slide going. It was to [Beyoncé’s] ‘Before I Let Go,’ but you already know it merged into [Cameo’s] ‘Candy’.”
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Author Bio
Jael Rucker is the founder of Decked Out Magazine. She has previously worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.
