TidalDon't hate Teyana Taylor because she's beautiful.
Though she's been on the music scene for nearly a decade, Taylor's breakout moment came Sunday during the 2016 MTV VMAs. She was the star of Kanye West's Flashdance-inspired "Fade" music video (now streaming on Tidal), in which she worked up a sweat while dancing in next to nothing.
Wearing just a sports bra, kneepads and a thong, Taylor—who gave birth to daughter Iman Tayla Shumpert, Jr. in late 2015—had everybody talking. Even West's wife, Kim Kardashian, developed a girl crush. "Ok just woke up & watched the Fade video again for my Monday morning gym motivation. Thank you @TEYANATAYLOR," the E! reality star tweeted. "You guys!!! @TEYANATAYLOR has the best body ever!!! Like no joke and just had a baby!!!!"
Taylor has yet to reveal how she got in shape for the video. But, in a 2014 interview with VLAD TV's DJ Duffey, she admitted that she rarely exercised. When she does, it's limited to running on an elliptical. "I do the lazy workouts," she said. "Even squats hurt for me. I ain't gonna front."
The singer credited genetics for her taut tummy. "I was 6 years old with a six pack," Taylor said. "I was one of those brolic little kids. Once I got older I realized, 'OK, this is not going anywhere.' My arms are already kind of naturally brolic, so I try to work on the things that I want more toned." As a matter of fact, the singer promised, "I can give you advice all day on the butt and the legs."
Unlike some of her famous peers, Taylor isn't a fan of fad diets or juice cleanses. "Let me put it like this: At some point Little Debbie was sending me boxes of cakes," she joked. "I always tell my mom I'm allergic to vegetables. I'm real funny. Like, if I can't pronounce it or spell it, I won't eat it. I'm more of a fried chicken, baked macaroni—I eat everything. I don't eat healthy at all."
Speaking to Enstars that same year, Taylor reiterated that she's no gym rat. "I would be lying if I told you I had hardcore workouts, because I really, really don't. But I do a lot of squats—a lot of stuff like that. The elliptical is my baby because you can just be on there, go like this all day for hours, just have on your headphones. That's it," Taylor, now 25, said. "Just keep the booty right, you know what I'm saying? Other than that, I wouldn't know how to tell you how to work out."
Taylor—who signed a recording contract with West's GOOD Music label and Def Jam in 2012—finds it hard to stay motivated even when does manage to squeeze in a "lazy" workout. "One time I was at the gym with this trainer, and you know how they'll be like, 'Oh, you're a quitter!' and make you wanna work harder?" the "Google Me" singer said. "I was like, 'You know what? You are right. Imma see you later. Imma 'bout to be out. I'm hungry. I want a slice of pizza.'"