If the name FKA Twigs just landed on your radar because of a Josephine Baker biopic announcement, you are not alone and you are in for a genuinely fascinating discovery. Read on to learn more about the all-star entertainer inside.
The British singer, dancer and actress has been one of the most quietly extraordinary artists working in music and film for over a decade. Hollywood has finally caught up to what her fans already knew. Here is everything you need to know about who she is and why this casting of Josephine Baker makes complete sense.
RELATED CONTENT: Editor’s Note: Women To Know 2026 — Honoring The ‘Founding Mothers’ Building A Brand And A Legacy
Who Is FKA Twigs?
FKA Twigs was born Tahliah Debrett Barnett on January 16, 1988, in Cheltenham, England. Insomniac reports that she grew up performing and trained as a dancer before moving to London as a teenager to pursue her career. She is a singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actress and visual artist whose work consistently sits at the intersection of avant-garde art and mainstream culture without fully belonging to either world. That refusal to be categorized is one of the things that makes her so compelling.
She adopted the stage name FKA Twigs, which stands for Formerly Known As Twigs, after discovering that another artist was already using the name Twigs professionally. The name itself tells you something about who she is. She is someone who reintroduces herself on her own terms rather than compromising.
Love MadameNoire? Get more! Join the MadameNoire Newsletter
We care about your data. See our privacy policy.
What Is FKA Twigs Known For?
FKA Twigs first gained widespread attention in 2014 with her debut album LP1, a critically acclaimed project that blended R&B, electronic music and art pop in a way that felt entirely new. The album earned her a Mercury Prize nomination and announced her as a singular creative voice in contemporary music. Her follow-up work, including the M3LL155X EP and her 2019 album Magdalene, deepened her reputation as one of the most innovative artists of her generation.
Earlier this year, she took home her first Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album for her project Eusexua — a milestone that felt long overdue to anyone who had been paying attention.
Beyond music, FKA Twigs is a trained dancer and choreographer whose live performances are theatrical experiences that blend movement, visual art and storytelling into something that defies easy description. She has spoken publicly about her training in pole dancing as an art form and has incorporated it into her performance work, sparking important conversations about how we categorize and value different kinds of physical artistry.
FKA Twigs As An Actress
FKA Twigs has been building a serious acting career alongside her music for several years. She previously starred in Honey Boy and The Carpenter’s Son, and most recently appeared in the A24 thriller Mother Mary alongside Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. Each role has demonstrated a range and emotional depth that makes her transition to a full biopic lead feel like a natural next step rather than a celebrity casting stunt.
Why FKA Twigs Is Playing Josephine Baker
As Rolling Stone confirmed, the announcement came ahead of the Cannes Film Festival with French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré — known for the coming-of-age drama Cuties — set to write and direct the film, with shooting scheduled for fall 2026.
Twigs spoke directly about why this role means so much to her.
“I am honored to collaborate with the immensely talented Maïmouna Doucouré on this incredible project. Josephine Baker’s extraordinary legacy is such an inspiration to me and to so many people around the world. She lives on in our hearts as a visionary, groundbreaking woman whose story is as powerful as it is relevant today. I cannot wait to embody Josephine Baker bringing her fight, her love, her losses, her talent and her heroism to the big screen.”
The alignment between the two women runs deeper than talent. Both are Black British artists who built international careers in spaces that were not designed for them. Both have used their art to challenge the way the world sees women who refuse to be limited. And both understand what it means to perform under scrutiny that extends far beyond their work.
What Will The Josephine Baker Biopic Cover?
As Variety reported, the yet-to-be-titled biopic intends to cover Baker’s remarkable life, from her birth in St. Louis in 1906 to her rise to fame in Paris in 1925, her work with the French Resistance during World War II, and her prominent role in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
The project carries the blessing of Baker’s sons, Jean-Claude Bouillon Baker and Brian Bouillon Baker, and the Rainbow Tribe, which is what she called her many adopted children. That family involvement adds a layer of authenticity and responsibility to the project that both the director and lead actress have made clear they take seriously.
Director Doucouré described her vision plainly.
“Josephine Baker has lived with me for years. Beyond the legend, I want to explore her contradictions, her wounds and her immense courage, as well as her relentless fight for dignity. With the extraordinary FKA Twigs bringing her rare artistry, intelligence and emotional depth to the role, it is a huge honor to bring Josephine’s story to the screen for a global audience.”
Studiocanal is financing and co-producing the film and will launch worldwide sales at Cannes, with theatrical releases planned for the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.
The Bottom Line
FKA Twigs is not a household name yet, but she has been doing the work at the highest level for over a decade. A Grammy winner, a trained dancer, a critically acclaimed actress and a fearless creative voice, she is exactly the kind of artist a story as big as Josephine Baker’s demands.
Keep her name close because after this film, everyone will know it.
RELATED CONTENT: Bloomin’ Black Beauties In Garden-Chic Gear At HelloBeautiful x MadameNoire’s Women To Know Breakfast
