Teyana Taylor Makes the BET Awards Her ‘Escape Room’ With Performance

After ending her five-year hiatus from music this month, Teyana Taylor took the stage at the BET Awards to perform her latest single “Long Time” and a seemingly unreleased track on an artful and complex set.

Her performance began in front of a backdrop of skyscrapers in flames. Wore red from head to toe as she glided across the stage to a new track where she sings, “It’s cold outside, but inside I’m on fire.” Then, actor Taraji P. Henson made a surprise appearance as a narrator, floating from near the ceiling in a floor-length white gown. Alluding to Taylor’s forthcoming concept album Escape Room, Henson warned, “Even love is something you must escape.” Next, Taylor performed “Long Time” while floating herself, wearing a silver, robotic getup surrounded by long, loose cables. She commanded a troupe of over a dozen dancers on the ground while she danced in the air, and sparks flew from the ceiling.

To top it off, Taylor’s production company, The Aunties, was also in charge of the creative direction for the Awards’ tribute to BET’s iconic music video countdown show, 106 & Park.

Of course, Taylor has had a long and sweeping career, from choreographing Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” music video at just 16 years old, to signing with Pharrell’s Star Trak imprint before a stint with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. music, too. She also has had a celebrated career as an actor, starring in the critically acclaimed film A Thousand and One in 2023 and with a turn next to Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another, coming soon. 

Last week, Taylor announced her fourth album, Escape Room, which is due out in August. It marks her first album in five years, following The Album from June 2020. Actors Aaron Pierre and Lakeith Stanfield star in the music video for the Escape Room single “Long Time” that Taylor released last week.