Teyana Taylor has revealed she is preparing for emergency surgery to remove a noncancerous growth on her vocal cords. The rapper and actress shared the health update via her Instagram Story on Wednesday (August 6), explaining that while she will need to cancel some upcoming appearances, her highly anticipated album rollout for Escape Room will continue as planned, with the project still scheduled for an August 22nd release.
“I’ve been quietly dealing with some vocal challenges for a while now,” Taylor wrote. “And after a lot of back and forth with my doctors, I’ve been told I need vocal surgery immediately. They found a noncancerous growth on one of my cords that’s been messing with my voice and causing real discomfort.” She expressed gratitude that the condition was caught and is treatable, but noted the necessity of pausing her public schedule to heal.
The 34-year-old artist shared her heartbreak over having to step back, particularly as she was on the cusp of releasing her new work. “Just as I was getting ready to finally share this with you, life handed me my own unexpected ‘escape room’—one I didn’t ask for, but one I now have to find my way out of with patience, rest, and faith,” she shared. Despite the health battle, she assured fans that she poured her “whole heart into this music, this film, this rollout,” and promised to return with “even more fire, more purpose, and the best version of me.”
Escape Room is set to be a substantial project, boasting 22 tracks, including her previously released singles “Bed of Roses” and “Long Time.” The album will also feature skits from notable personalities like Issa Rae and Lala Anthony. This marks Taylor’s first LP since her 2020 release, The Album, which impressively reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
In addition to her music, Taylor is also preparing for another busy year on screen. She is set to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film, One Battle After Another, which is due out later this year.