Tahliah Debrett Barnett, also known as FKA Twigs, is a British singer, songwriter, and dancer. She was born on January 16, 1988, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Her mom was English, a dancer and gymnast, and her dad was Jamaican, a musician. She has Spanish ancestry from her mom’s side. Tahliah grew up with her mom and stepdad, who was a jazz enthusiast of various descents. She didn’t meet her biological dad until she was 18.
Tahliah went to St Edward’s School on an academic scholarship. She started learning opera and ballet at a young age and participated in school productions. At 16, she began making music in youth clubs. Later, she moved to South London to pursue a dance career, then switched to music, attending Croydon College for fine arts.
She worked as a backup dancer for artists like Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, and Jessie J. Tahliah started making her own music at 18, writing songs like “I’m Your Doll.” She also worked in a strip club and sang at The Box Soho.
In 2012, she released her debut EP, “EP1,” and gained attention for her unique style. She later released albums like “LP1” (2014), “Magdalene” (2019), and the mixtape “Caprisongs” (2022). Her work blends various genres like electronic, trip hop, R&B, and avant-garde.
Tahliah faced challenges in her personal life, including health issues. She underwent surgery in 2017 to remove fibroid tumors from her uterus. She later adopted a vegan diet for her health.
In her relationships, she was engaged to Robert Pattinson in 2014 and dated Shia LaBeouf from 2018 to 2019. She filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf, accusing him of abuse. From 2020 to 2022, she dated Matty Healy of The 1975, and as of 2023, she is with director and photographer Jordan Hemingway.
Tahliah is also an activist. In 2022, she pledged not to perform in Israel following the Israel–Palestine crisis. She supported a campaign for Valerie’s Law, addressing domestic abuse against black women and girls.
Recently, in June 2022, she released the single “Killer” and is working on her third studio album.