*Teyana Taylor is entering into a robust new position at some of the celebrated gatherings in Black tradition.
The Oscar-nominated actress, alongside along with her inventive collective The Aunties, has been tapped as chief curator for the 2026 Essence Pageant of Tradition — a place created particularly for Taylor that palms her vital affect over the path of this summer season’s occasion.
The competition runs July 3-5 on the Caesars Superdome and Ernest N. Morial Conference Middle in New Orleans. By means of her curatorial position, Taylor will go away her imprint on the competition’s programming and general inventive id, nola.com stories. Essence officers framed the appointment as a possibility for the singer to infuse the occasion along with her sensibility, one constructed round “Black tradition, female energy, and intentional storytelling.”

Taylor first graced the Essence stage as a performer in 2019 on the Superdome, and her return on this elevated capability displays how a lot her relationship with the competition has grown since then.
“ESSENCE has all the time been greater than a competition, it’s a reunion,” Taylor stated in a information launch. “It’s the place the place Black girls see themselves mirrored at full scale: of their pleasure, of their genius, and of their magic. I don’t take this position calmly, I’m a real Auntie! The one in your nook, cheering you on, telling you the reality with love, and ensuring each room you stroll into is aware of you belong there. That’s what I’m bringing to this programming.”
The performer lineup for the 2026 competition is already taking form. Essence just lately introduced a gap wave of expertise that features Cardi B, Patti LaBelle, Brandy and Monica, Kehlani, and Latto.
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