FKA twigs

Tahliah Debrett Barnett, born on 17 January 1988 and known professionally as FKA twigs, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and dancer. Her critically acclaimed work has been described as genre-bending, drawing on diverse musical influences including electronic music, trip hop, R&B, hyperpop, and the avant-garde.

Barnett was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, to an English mother and a Jamaican father, and was raised by her mother and stepfather. She attended St Edward's School on a scholarship award, taking opera and ballet lessons from a young age. At 16, she began making music in youth clubs before moving to South London at 17 to pursue a dance career at the BRIT School. She later studied fine arts at Croydon College and worked as a backup dancer for artists including Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, Plan B, and Jessie J.

She acquired the nickname Twigs due to the way her joints crack, later adding "FKA" (which does not stand for anything in particular) to avoid confusion with another act. In December 2012, Barnett self-released her music debut, EP1, followed by EP2 in September 2013 through the Young Turks label. Co-produced with Arca, EP2 received critical praise and contributed to Barnett being nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2014 prize and featured on Billboard's 14 Artists to Watch in 2014.

In August 2014, Barnett released her debut studio album, LP1. The record reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart and number 30 on the US Billboard 200, earning a nomination for the 2014 Mercury Prize. She followed LP1 with her third EP, M3LL155X, in 2015, directing all of its accompanying music videos. During this period, she also directed and performed in several visual and stage projects, including the performance Congregata and the dance film Soundtrack 7.

Following a four-year hiatus, Barnett released her second studio album, Magdalene, in November 2019 to universal critical acclaim. That same day, the film Honey Boy premiered, in which Barnett played the role of Shy Girl. After signing with Atlantic Records, she released her debut mixtape, Caprisongs, in January 2022, featuring guest appearances from artists such as Pa Salieu and the Weeknd. In March 2022, she was honored with the Godlike Genius award at the BandLab NME Awards.

In September 2024, Barnett released "Eusexua", the title track for her third studio album. Her third and fourth studio albums, Eusexua and Eusexua Afterglow, were both released in 2025. In 2026, Eusexua received the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Alongside her recording career, Barnett has directed and appeared in numerous music videos, commercial projects, and high-profile stage performances.