Teyana Taylor

Teyana Taylor

Author: BBC Radio 4 February 14, 2026 Duration: 15:05

It’s awards season - and one name that keeps cropping up is Teyana Taylor.

She’s nominated for her first Oscar, for her role in One Battle After Another, and has already won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and her latest album was just nominated for the Best R&B Grammy.

For many, it would appear Taylor has burst on to the scene from nowhere - but for those who know her, these nominations are the culmination of more than two decades of work in the industry.

Signed at just 15 to Pharrell’s record label, appearing in a Jay-Z music video and choreographing a dance for Beyonce, her early years in New York’s Harlem weren’t exactly the usual teenage experience.

Her 16th birthday was immortalised on the small screen as part of MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen series, before she released her first record and began acting. Now a mother-of-two, Taylor has released four albums to date, starred in her own reality TV series and will make her directorial debut next year.

So, as Hollywood prepares for the award’s night of the year, Stephen Smith examines how she got here.

Production Team: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Gemma Ashman Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang

Archive: MTV The Golden Globes Warner Bros E!


Each week, Profile from BBC Radio 4 takes a single name from the global conversation and builds a detailed portrait, moving far beyond the headlines. This isn't a simple biography or a news recap. Instead, through careful documentary storytelling and personal journal excerpts where available, the podcast constructs a nuanced examination of character and motive. You’ll hear from colleagues, critics, and sometimes the subjects themselves, piecing together what drives and defines the people shaping our world. The focus rests firmly on influence, whether in politics, the arts, science, or social movements, exploring how an individual's background and choices ripple through society and culture. Listening to this podcast feels like gaining a deeper, more textured understanding of the figures you think you know, revealing the contradictions and convictions behind the public image. It’s a thoughtful half-hour that challenges first impressions, asking what truly lies behind a name in the news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Profile
Podcast Episodes
Amy Hunt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:04
Amy Hunt, 24, was born and grew up in Newark, Nottinghamshire. In the classroom, on the sports field, playing cello or tap dancing, she excelled at whatever she did.She wasn't always a quick runner though. Her teacher, P…
Richard Osman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:41
The writer, presenter and podcaster Richard Osman has released his latest novel – We Chase Shadows, the second book in his We Solve Murders series. The release follows the success of his Thursday Murder Club novels which…
Jon Ossoff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:42
The Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff is suddenly the name on everyone's lips. With his careful oratory and intangible 'it factor' comparisons have been made with a young Barack Obama. But who is the 39-year-old from Atlanta?…
Anneliese Midgley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:39
Labour's new chief whip is a Liverpudlian with a broad cultural hinterland. Anneliese Midgley grew up in Knowsley on a housing estate. Her family struggled financially when she was growing up but their fortunes changed w…
James Purnell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:48
The New Labour old boy was at one time a front runner to lead his Party. But after a scandalous resignation from Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, it seemed his political career was over…until now. James Purnell grew up between Fr…
Gianni Infantino [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:06
The FIFA president grew up in Switzerland as part of an Italian migrant family, and fell in love with football and its administration when he was just a teenager. Having qualified as a football lawyer and making a name f…
Donna Ockenden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:40
Donna Ockenden is a senior midwife and healthcare leader who has spent more than 35 years reforming patient safety in UK maternity services. Born in South Wales, she overcame a difficult childhood marked by poverty, fami…
Harry Styles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:52
The former boyband member and teen heartthrob, Harry Styles, is going into the final week of his sold-out residency at Wembley before continuing his world tour. After winning music competitions while at school in Cheshir…
Rupert Lowe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:27
Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe is the newest disruptor in right-wing politics but the path he has taken to get there is a familiar one. Born in Oxford in 1957 Lowe attended an elite all boys boarding school before studyin…
Harry Kane [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:26
Next week, Harry Kane will lead the England men’s squad into their first game of the 2026 World Cup.Kane has a wealth of experience behind him - he is England’s all-time record goalscorer and has also racked up an extrao…