In a candid conversation with Vogue, the British artist shares the importance of creating safe spaces for Black domestic violence survivors, when we can expect that eagerly awaited third album and why she’s proud to front Burberry’s Olympia campaign.
“My 18-Year-old Self Might be Looking at me Saying, ‘G’wan Girl’”—Here’s Why Summer 2021 Belongs to FKA twigs
With her highly anticipated third album slated to drop “while the sun is out,” 33-year-old artist Tahliah Debrett Barnett (aka FKA twigs) is set to soundtrack 2021’s summer of love. But that’s not all the British musician has to celebrate right now—she is, quite literally, soaring. “I’ve been kind to myself and allowed this time for rest and recalibration,” twigs tells Vogue, mid-flight at 30,000 feet.
This week, the musician blazes back onto billboards as the new face of Burberry’s Olympia handbag campaign alongside Kendall Jenner and Shygirl, a coup that comes with added personal significance.
“When I was 18, I had a boyfriend that lived on a Pimlico estate [in London] and sometimes at night we would walk around Knightsbridge and look in the designer shop windows. Burberry was on the corner—all lit up and shiny,” she says. “I was at Croydon College at the time, and felt quite directionless and overwhelmed by London. Burberry is the only specific shop I remember gazing into at midnight on those walks.” How does it feel to see the campaign debut today? “In some parallel universe, my 18-year-old self might be looking at me in a crystal ball saying, ‘G’wan girl’.”
It’s not just her own indomitable strength she is rousing. Away from the spotlight, twigs is pursuing projects that expand her extensive community work. Most recently, she’s joined forces with Sistah Space, an organization close to her own heart that supports Black women who are in danger of domestic violence. “It’s still early days in our relationship, but I am hoping to work with them a lot more in the future to help create safe spaces where Black women who are in danger can go,” she says.
Here, in an exclusive conversation with Vogue, FKA twigs discusses everything from self-care to the joy her dog Solo brings, and how Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci persuaded her to step out of the sweatpants.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Julia Hobbs
