FKA Twigs | |
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_(cropped2).jpg) FKA twigs in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Tahliah Debrett Barnett (1988-01-16)16 January 1988 (age 38) Cheltenham,Gloucestershire, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Works | FKA Twigs discography |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | fkatwigsofficial |
| Signature | |
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Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally asFKA twigs, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musical debut withEP1 (2012). Barnett's debut studio album,LP1 (2014), reached number 16 on theUK Albums Chart and number 30 on the USBillboard 200. It was nominated for that year'sMercury Prize. She then released the EPM3LL155X (2015).
Barnett took a four-year hiatus before releasing her second studio album,Magdalene (2019). After signing withAtlantic Records, she released the mixtapeCaprisongs (2022). Her third and fourth studio albums,Eusexua andEusexua Afterglow, were released in 2025. At the68th Annual Grammy Awards,Eusexua received the award forBest Dance/Electronic Album. Her work has garnered critical acclaim and has been described as "genre-bending",[7] drawing on various genres includingelectronic music,trip hop,R&B,hyperpop, and theavant-garde.
Tahliah Debrett Barnett[8] was born on 16 January 1988[8][9] inCheltenham,Gloucestershire,[10] the only child of an English mother who was a dancer and gymnast and a Jamaican father who was a musician.[11] She has Spanish ancestry from her mother's side of the family.[12] She was raised by her mother and stepfather, whom she described as a "jazz fanatic ofBajan descent",[13] and did not meet her biological father until she was 18.[12][14][15] Barnett grew up in Cheltenham, aspa town she described as being "kind of in the middle of nowhere".[11] She attendedSt Edward's School, a private co-educational Catholic school.[16][17] Her education at the school was funded by ascholarship award.[18] From a young age, she undertook opera and ballet lessons and took part in several St Edward's School productions.[19]
At age 16, Barnett started making music in youth clubs.[15] At age 17, she moved toSouth London to pursue a career as a dancer,[20] and enrolled at theBRIT School.[21] At age 18, she began working with local record producers to try to find her own musical sound. Around this time, she wrote the song "I'm Your Doll" and ended up producing a lot of what she considers to be "really bad demos".[12] After changing her focus from dance to music, she transferred toCroydon College to pursue an education infine arts.[14] She worked as a backup dancer in music videos by artists such asKylie Minogue,Plan B,Ed Sheeran,Taio Cruz,Dionne Bromfield,Jessie J, andWretch 32.[22] She was a backup dancer for Jessie J in her 2010 video for "Do It like a Dude",[23] and appeared again in her 2011 video for "Price Tag".[24] For a time, she worked as a hostess in a strip club[25] and sang periodically atthe Box Soho inSoho,City of Westminster.[14]
In 2012 Barnett was photographed for the cover ofi-D magazine.[26] She became known as Twigs for the way herjoints crack.[11] She added the letters FKA to her name when another act calledthe Twigs – twin sisters active and recording since 1994 – asked her to change her stage name.[11] It was believed or assumed that the "FKA" stood for the business abbreviation "formerly known as",[27][28][29] but Barnett has said in multiple interviews that the letters do not stand for anything in particular: "[I]t's just a collection of letters. I was gonna be like FK1 Twigs ... or AFK Twigs ... I just wanted a selection of letters that sounded quite kind of masculine and strong. FKA just worked. It doesn't stand for anything, it's just capital letters."[30][31]
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Barnett self-released her music debut,EP1, onBandcamp on 4 December 2012. She posted a video for each song on her YouTube channel.[23] In August 2013, she released the video for her first single, "Water Me", directed byJesse Kanda.[32][33] That same monthThe Guardian profiled Barnett for their "New Band of the Day" feature, describing her as "the UK's best example to date of ethereal, twistedR&B."[34] Barnett's second extended play,EP2, was released through theYoung Turks record label in September.[35] It was produced by Barnett andArca.Pitchfork gaveEP2 a rating of 8/10.[36] In December, she was nominated for theBBC'sSound of 2014 prize, and was chosen bySpotify for their Spotlight on 2014 list.[37][38] Barnett was then featured onBillboard's 14 Artists to Watch in 2014.[39]
In April 2014, Barnett appeared on the cover ofThe Fader for its 91st issue.[40] She began writing for her first studio album during a period of "self-hatred", which she considers "quite normal" for a young person.[12] On 24 June, she released "Two Weeks", the lead single from her forthcoming album, alongside a video. Barnett directed and guest-starred in the music video for "Ouch Ouch" by rapperLucki Eck$; she produced the track.[41] The second single, "Pendulum", was released on 29 July.
Her debut studio album,LP1, was released on 6 August through the record labelYoung Turks.[42] The album received widespread critical acclaim and placed high on several year-end critics' lists.Time gave a positive review, saying that Barnett has "made that transition to one of the most compelling and complex acts in R&B", and later ranked it, as didClash, No. 1 album of the year.[43] She then announced a world tour starting on 2 October atThe Dome inBrighton, East Sussex and ending on 3 December inOrlando, Florida atThe Social.[44] That same August, Barnett was signed to London-based production companyAcademy Films. On 20 August, she uploaded three videos to her YouTube channel which she directed: a video titled "Wet Wipez", starring the London dance crew of the same name; a video titled "tw-ache", which is a remix of theEP1 song "Ache"; and a video for the Lucki Eck$ track "Ouch Ouch", which she produced.[citation needed] In September,LP1 was revealed as one of the nominees for the 2014Mercury Prize.[45] The same month, Barnett performed on BBC'sLater... with Jools Holland.[46] In October, "Video Girl", the third and last single from the album, was released alongside a video a few days later, as well as an advert forGoogle Glass which Barnett directed.[47] She made her US television debut onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 4 November.[48]
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In 2014, producerBoots announced he was working with Barnett on her third EP.[49][50] The video for "Glass & Patron", the first song released from this EP, was posted on her YouTube channel on 23 March 2015; it was directed by Barnett.[51] In February 2015, she performed Congregata, a theatrical "coming together" and choreographed performance that visualised "the story of my life while making this album" at theRoundhouse in Camden, London.[52] On 15 May, on her Instagram account, she posted a picture of men posing with jackets on that had an image of Barnett's face from the "Papi Pacify" video with Barnett captioning the pic "coming soon... <3", hinting at either merchandise orEP3's alleged release in the summer. During an interview withComplex released in June, she stated that she had changed the title of the EP toMelissa, and that it would be released within two months. She confirmed it would include the songs "Glass & Patron", "Mothercreep", "I'm Your Doll", "Figure 8", and "In Time".[12] The EP, stylised asM3LL155X, was released in 2015, containing all five announced tracks and accompanied by four videos, which were directed by Barnett, featuring pregnancy, sex dolls,vogueing andMichèle Lamy.
In 2016 Barnett debuted a new song and music video titled "Good to Love".[53] The song premiered earlier at Soundtrack 7, her seven-day residency atManchester International Festival that took place in July 2015.[54] She performed the song onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 24 February.[55] On 9 July, Barnett debuted a new stage show called Radiant Me² atMoscow's Lastochka Festival, where she unveiled three previously unheard songs.[56] In 2016 the dance filmSoundtrack 7 was premiered. Directed by Barnett, the film was created, performed and filmed on-site across seven days at Manchester International Festival in 2015.[57][58] She did advertising work directing, narrating and starring in a television ad forNike,[59] and dancing inApple's advertisement forHomePod.[60]
Barnett appeared onASAP Rocky's albumTesting in 2018, featuring on the track "Fukk Sleep". On 24 April 2019, she released the single "Cellophane",[61] her first release since "Good to Love" in 2016. In September, Barnett announced that her second album, co-produced withNicolas Jaar among others, would be titledMagdalene, supported by second single "Holy Terrain" (featuringFuture) on 9 September.[62] On 7 October, she released the third single, "Home with You", and announced that the album would be delayed until 8 November.[63] The fourth single, "Sad Day", was released on 4 November.
Magdalene was released in November 2019. It received universal critical acclaim. The album ranked No. 1 on four year-end lists (The A.V. Club,Clash,Now, andTime) and in top-five of seven other lists. The same day, the filmHoney Boy, in which Barnett played Shy Girl, had a commercial premiere. The film received positive reviews from critics.[64] In 2020 she appeared in anOnlyFans-inspired music video for the song "Sum Bout U" with rapper645AR.[65] The video for "Sad Day", directed byHiro Murai, premiered on 28 August. In September, Barnett received four nominations for the 2020UK Music Video Awards, "Sad Day" won later the best cinematography in a video.[66][67]
In October, Barnett took part in a virtual chat on theGrammy Museum's Programs at Home series. During the chat, she revealed that she was "just finishing" a new album that she made largely in collaboration with Spanish musician and producerel Guincho, and with other collaborators, many of whom she met for the first time viaFaceTime calls.[68] In November, British singerDua Lipa hosted a live stream concert, titledStudio 2054, in which Barnett was invited to play as a guest. The two teased an upcoming collaboration, titled "Why Don't You Love Me", during Barnett's performance.[69]
On 25 January 2021, Barnett announced the single "Don't Judge Me", featuring rapperHeadie One and producerFred Again, to be released the next day alongside a video co-directed by directorEmmanuel Adjei and herself.[70] The same day, she took part in a podcast episode withLouis Theroux and discussed her previous known relationships and an upcoming album, stating "It was all via the internet... I have more collaborations and features on this album than I ever had before."[71] In February, she described the album as a "going out" record, and revealed it would feature collaborations with NigerianAfrobeats musicianRema, British rapperPa Salieu.[72] A few days later, Barnett, interviewed by British actress and screenwriterMichaela Coel, revealed that she had changed the undisclosed, original title of the upcoming record due to a well-known artist titling a non-musical project the same thing.[73] In an interview withVogue in May, Barnett revealed the album does not have a set release date, but wanted to release it in the northern summer of 2021.[74] In July 2021, Barnett directed the music video forKoreless' "White Picket Fence" single.[75]
Barnett joined the FKA TwigsDiscord server in September 2021 and shared details about the upcoming record. Barnett confirmed the project to be amixtape, and listed el Guincho, Koreless, and Arca, as well as new collaborators American hip-hop producerMike Dean and Canadian pop producerCirkut, as producers for the project.[76] She additionally teased a collaboration with Swedish rapperYung Lean on Instagram.[77]
Barnett released the single "Measure of a Man", featuring British rapperCentral Cee, in November 2021, which appears as part of the film soundtrack forThe King's Man.[78] "Tears in the Club" featuring Canadian singerthe Weeknd was released on 16 December. The song was her first release underAtlantic Records and served as the lead single from her mixtape, titledCaprisongs, which was released on 14 January 2022.[79]Caprisongs also includes appearances from Pa Salieu,Daniel Caesar, Rema,Jorja Smith,Unknown T, Dystopia andShygirl.[80] Barnett was awarded Godlike Genius at the2022 BandLab NME Awards in March, where she also performed "Meta Angel", and "Tears in the Club".[81] She additionally featured on Yung Lean'sStardust album in April.
In June 2022 Barnett released "Killer". The song is about "the risks that you take for love" and how "the effects of heart break can define one's trajectory much more than the beauty of the love itself".[82] Barnett debuted the song live during anNPRTiny Desk Concert.[83] The "Killer" music video, featuring Barnett performing choreography withArón Piper on a beach in Portugal, was directed byYoann Lemoine and released on 20 July 2022.[84]
On 14 September 2023, Barnett performed a cover ofOpus III's "It's a Fine Day" atVogue World: London 2023, accompanied on stage byCara Delevingne, whom she kissed, and members of theRambert Dance Company.[85] On October 1, she introduced a new song titled "Unearth Her" withKoreless as part of a performance at the 2023Valentino Women's Wear Spring/Summer 2024 Paris Fashion Week show.[86] On October 15, in a series of Instagram stories, the artist announced that eighty-five of her demo tracks had been leaked. She declared there would be "no new music for a while", postponing her third studio album.[87]
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The title track for her third studio album,Eusexua, was released September 13, 2024.[88] On October 17, "Perfect Stranger" was released as the second single.[89] A third single, "Drums of Death", released on November 14.[90]
The lead single "Cheap Hotel", from the follow-up albumEusexua Afterglow was released on 26 September 2025[91] The album's second single, "Predictable Girl" was released on 11 November 2025. It was accompanied by a music video starring Barnett and Shivawn Joubert, directed by Jordan Hemingway.[92][93]
Eusexua Afterglow was released on 14 November 2025 through Young and Atlantic Records.[94] The music video for the track "Hard", directed by Jordan Hemingway, was released on the same day.[95]
In January 2024, the UKAdvertising Standards Authority banned aCalvin Klein advertisement that featured Barnett posing semi-nude, on the grounds that it framed her as a "stereotypical sexual object". Barnett defended the ad, saying that she is "proud of [her] physicality".[96] In March 2024, the ASA revoked their ban, referencing the views of Barnett and the public, and "concern that our rationale for banning the ad was substantially flawed".[97]
Possessing asoprano vocal range,[98][99][52] Barnett's music has been described as "genre-bending",[7] drawing on a variety of styles, including electronic music,R&B,trip hop,choral music,industrial, andavant-garde.[100][17][101] In her songs and music videos she incorporates elements ofafrofuturism.[102] Karen Vintges, of theUniversity of Amsterdam, described Barnett's performance style as "porno-chic", and said it "refuses to conform to standard norms of heterosexual beauty".[103] In her collaboration with 645AR she explored the artistic value of sex work.[104]
Her work has been compared to that ofTricky[105] as well asKate Bush,Janet Jackson,the xx,Massive Attack, andMadonna.[106][107]Pitchfork writer Philip Sherburne compared her breathy vocals and the electronic production style ofLP1 toCiara,the Weeknd andBeyoncé.[108]The Wall Street Journal described her as "an heir to futuristicR&B muses likeAaliyah,Missy Elliott and others under theprogressive sway of producerTimbaland."[5]Variety wrote that her music was "darkly avant-garde, aggressive andatmospheric", adding that her "scorched earth-soul of 2014'sLP1 and 2019'sMagdalene positioned her as a cross betweenBillie Holiday andSiouxsie and the Banshees", with a production style likeLee Scratch Perry's.[109] According toSlate, "her sound is uniquely her own –melismaticfalsetto over beats that are equal parts spooky and soothing".[110] In 2020,The New York Times noted: "in recent years, Twigs, now 32, has begun to harness her pursuit of avant-garde innovation and technical virtuosity toward a deeper exploration of pain and insecurity", making wider comparisons toJanelle Monáe,Fiona Apple,Solange, andLana Del Rey.[14] In terms of her relationship to fame and adoption of different personae on the stage and in her music,Simon Critchley aligned her alongsideDavid Bowie.[111]
Barnett said: "I am not restricted by any musical genre. I like to experiment with sounds, generating emotions while putting my voice on certain atmospheres ... I found my own way of playing punk. I like industrial sounds and incorporating everyday life's sounds like a car alarm."[112] She has been associated with thealternative R&B tag, though she herself has rejected the R&B label as related to her race:
It's just because I'm mixed race. When I first released music and no one knew what I looked like, I would read comments like: 'I've never heard anything like this before, it's not in a genre.' And then my picture came out six months later, now she's an R&B singer. I share certain sonic threads withclassical music; my song 'Preface' is like ahymn. So let's talk about that. If I was white and blonde and said I went to church all the time, you'd be talking about the 'choral aspect'. But you're not talking about that because I'm a mixed-race girl fromsouth London.[113]
The first singers who influenced Barnett were Billie Holiday,Ella Fitzgerald, andMarvin Gaye. When she started composing songs, she wanted to reproduce music she liked: "every bit of music that I made sounded like apastiche of Siouxsie and the Banshees orAdam Ant. But through that I discovered myself."[114] In an interview after being shortlisted for the 2014Mercury Prize, Barnett citedGermfree Adolescents byX-Ray Spex as her favourite album of all time.[115]
Barnett had surgery to removefibroid tumours from her uterus in December 2017. She described her experience as "living with a fruit bowl of pain every day" and saluted the bravery of other women living with the condition.[116] In 2020 she adopted avegan diet after discovering the consumption of animal products was likely exacerbating the symptoms of her condition.[117]
Barnett began dating English actorRobert Pattinson in 2014,[18] and they became engaged before ending their relationship in mid-2017.[118][119] After herinterracial relationship with Robert Pattinson became public in 2014,[18] Barnett denounced thehate speech andracist comments reportedly written by Pattinson's fans on herTwitter profile, stating in September of the same year that she felt "genuinely shocked and disgusted at the amount of racism that has been infecting my [Twitter] account".[18]
Barnett met American actorShia LaBeouf on the set of the filmHoney Boy, and they dated from mid-2018 to mid-2019.[120] She filed a lawsuit against him atLos Angeles Superior Court in December 2020, accusing him ofsexual battery,assault, and infliction ofemotional distress during their relationship.[121][122] In his response, LaBeouf stated he had been "abusive" to himself and those around him "for years" and that he was "ashamed" and "sorry to those [he] hurt".[123] He later denied all allegations made by Barnett.[124] The lawsuit was expected to proceed to trial in September 2025.[125] A joint settlement was reached in July 2025, and lawyers maintained that details would be confidential.[126]
From 2020 to 2022, Barnett was in a relationship with English musicianMatty Healy of the bandThe 1975.[127][128] She provided the background vocals for The 1975's song "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)",[129] and their relationship inspired Healy to write the song "I'm in Love with You."[130]
As of 2023, Barnett is in a relationship with director and photographerJordan Hemingway.[131]
In 2022, Barnett signed the Musicians For Palestine pledge, refusing to perform inIsrael following the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.[132]
Barnett promoted a campaign bySistah Space encouraging people to lobby their local MP to support Valerie's Law, which would introduce mandatory training for the police and other agencies when dealing with domestic abuse against Black women and girls.[133]
In April 2024, Barnett testified before theUnited States SenateJudiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, calling for regulations ondeepfakes andartificial intelligence.[134][135]
In July 2024, Barnett was one of the performers for the Artists for Aid Benefit Concert in London which raised funds for theGaza Strip andSudan.[136]
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | M3LL155X | Director | Short film |
| 2019 | Honey Boy | Shy Girl | |
| 2020 | Sad Day | Swordswoman | Short film |
| 2024 | The Crow[137] | Shelly Webster[138] | |
| 2025 | The Carpenter's Son | The Mother | |
| 2026 | Mother Mary† | Post-production | |
| The Lonely Woman† | [139] | ||
| TBA | Brighton Beach† | M | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Herself | Guest judge Series 4; Episode: "Yass-tonbury Festival" |
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Traktor" | 2010 | Wretch 32 | Ben Newman | [140] |
| "Do It like a Dude" | Jessie J | Emil Nava | [23] | |
| "Price Tag" | 2011 | [24] | ||
| "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" | Ed Sheeran | [141] | ||
| "Yeah Right" | Dionne Bromfield | [142] | ||
| "Time to Dance" | 2012 | The Shoes | Daniel Wolfe | [143] |
An exclusive peek at the pages produced by the avant-pop visionary ... It's been two years since the release of the avant-pop visionary'sM3LL155X EP ... .
The queen of art pop has written her most personal album yet – and come out fighting
Theroux: 'You mentioned growing up in Gloucestershire.' Twigs: 'Yeah'. Theroux: 'You grew up in Tewkesbury.' Twigs: 'In Cheltenham.'
i was 19 when i learnt my first pole move, i learnt a back hook spin from a stripper when i was working as a hostess in a gentleman's club. for those of you who don't know, hostessing is when one person pays another person for their time, anything from a conversation over dinner to sex work, and the club gets a cut of the fee.
The new album ... was originally set for release on October 25 ... .
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)'The most obvious reference points, aside from the spectrum of breathy, synth-heavy R&B that stretches from Ciara through the Weeknd and Beyoncé .... There are also clear links to contemporary UK artists working the margins between R&B and electronic music, like James Blake, the xx, and even Sophie'
Je ne me plie à aucun genre musical, assure la métisse anglo-jamaïcaine. J'aime expérimenter avec les sons, provoquer des émotions en posant ma voix sur certaines atmosphères. Je viens de terminer mes derniers morceaux, et cela a beaucoup évolué par rapport à mon premier disque. Mes nouvelles musiques sont plus agressives. Plus jeune, je n'écoutais que du punk, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sid Vicious, et là, j'ai trouvé ma propre manière de jouer du punk. J'aime les sons industriels, incorporer des bruits de la vie de tous les jours comme une alarme de voiture.
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