Janet Jackson shared an uplifting message to Teyana Taylor after she said she was retiring from music to protect her mental health.
On Thursday (Dec. 10), the “That’s The Way Love Goes” singer took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of herself with Taylor. “Teyana, you have an undeniable gift from God,” she captioned the post. “Don’t ever let that go. You bring something so special to the industry and you continue to have such an impact on this world. Imagine if I gave up after my first or second album didn’t hit #1 or win any awards. We do this for the love, the passion and the fans. Never forget, a talent like yours is unstoppable. I luv you and know that I’m here for you always. I hope you enjoy your special day. #BlackGirlMagic.”
Last week, Taylor announced that she was retiring after feeling like her work wasn’t recognized in the industry. Her statement came just days after she called out the Grammy Awards for only having male artists nominated for Best R&B Album. She received zero nominations for the forthcoming show, despite The Album hitting No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
“I’m tired, I’m just tired, baby. And it’s not to throw anybody under the bus, but I do feel like the majority of what that post was toward my label that I’ve been signed to for almost 10 years,” she said. “Everything you guys see of me, everything that I put out, everything that I do is 100% me. My thing about it is, there’s no gun to anybody’s head to do anything that they don’t want to do. So yes, I am going to feel under-appreciated if I’m putting in 110 percent and my label is giving me — they’re reciprocating 10 percent of that.”
Taylor said that she has to step away from music to preserve her mental health for the sake of her children. “At this point, I can’t let this kill me. So granted, to my fans, I think that, I can see maybe how my message can come across. But at the same time, it’s a tiny bit selfish to say, ‘Well, what about your fans? Do it for your fans.’ Baby, I gotta do it for my mental health. I have to do it for my emotional health. I have to do it for my kids, so I can stay alive for my kids.”
Check out Jackson’s full post below.