Teyana Taylor to Undergo Vocal Cord Surgery After Noncancerous Growth Discovered: ‘This Moment Hurts’

Teyana Taylor revealed on Wednesday (Aug. 6) that she’ll be undergoing emergency surgery after a noncancerous growth was discovered on her vocal cords.

The rapper-actress shared the health update to her Instagram Story, but promised that while she’ll need to cancel some upcoming appearances, like an upcoming podcast with Michelle Obama, her Escape Room album rollout is going to continue with the project scheduled to arrive on Aug. 22.

“I’ve been quietly dealing with some vocal challenges for a while now. And after a lot of back and forth with my doctors, I’ve been told I need vocal surgery immediately,” she wrote. “They found a noncancerous growth on one of my cords that’s been messing with my voice and causing real discomfort. Thankfully, we caught it & it’s treatable—but it does mean I need to pause and give myself time to fully heal.”

The 34-year-old continued: “That honestly breaks my heart. I don’t take lightly what it means to show up for y’all. I’ve poured so much of myself into this next chapter—especially the Escape Room, which is still dropping August 22! So no worries there. It’s the most personal body of work I’ve ever created. and the timing… it’s not lost on me. 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.”

Even amid the health battle, Taylor says she put her “whole heart into this music, this film, this rollout. And when I return, it’ll be with even more fire, more purpose, and the best version of me. Thank you for rocking with me through it all.”

Escape Room is set to boast 22 tracks, including her previously released “Bed of Roses” and “Long Time” singles and skits from Issa Rae and Lala Anthony.

The project serves as Spike Tee’s first LP since 2020’s The Album, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

2025 is shaping up to be another busy campaign for the Harlem native, who is starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, due out later this year.