Teyana Taylor Makes Comeback After Five-Year Break with 22-Song Album Coming This Month

After announcing her retirement from music five years ago, R&B powerhouse Teyana Taylor will release Escape Room on August 22. Her fourth studio album, featuring 22 tracks, will pull in top talents Jill Scott, Tyla, Lucky Daye, and Kaytranada.

Speaking to Billboard about what prompted her return to music, she revealed: "When I spoke to you five years ago, it wasn't on my terms. I've returned now in a time when I get to come back on my terms. And that was important for me because... I don't like to be stuck in a box. I don't want to be stuck in one room. I'm a Glade plug-in: I'm going to plug in wherever I see a socket, wherever I see an outlet."

The tracks weave in spoken parts from screen stars Taraji P. Henson, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash, Issa Rae, and Regina King. Her children, Rue Rose and Junie Shumpert, also add their voices to the mix.

Two singles from the album released earlier this year have caught viewers' attention online. The music videos for "Long Time" and "Bed of Roses," both starring Aaron Pierre, have racked up 2.3 million and 1.3 million YouTube views.

Back in 2020, Taylor stepped away from music right after dropping her gold-certified third album, The Album. She switched gears, pouring her skills into dance, directing videos, and acting.

"For me, why only make one room smell good when you can make the whole store smell good?" Taylor told Billboard, further explaining her analogy of not wanting to be kept in one box.

"What do I look like just being plugged up in a bathroom? I need to be plugged in all over! I must be able to smell the fruits of my labor everywhere I go. Coming back to music and being able to do it on my own terms was a big turn-on for me," the star passionately expressed.

Just weeks before wrapping up the album, Taylor went under the knife for an emergency vocal cord surgery. The treatment didn't knock the August 22 launch off track.