Who is FKA Twigs and what has she accused Shia LaBeouf of doing?
FKA Twigs is a singer whose distinct sound and look helped her rise to stardom after she started her carer as a dancer. The singer has accused her ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf of choking her, giving her an STD, and other “relentless abuse” in a new lawsuit. Who is FKA Twigs? FKA Twigs is a 32-year-old […]
FKA Twigs is a singer whose distinct sound and look helped her rise to stardom after she started her carer as a dancer.
The singer has accused her ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf of choking her, giving her an STD, and other “relentless abuse” in a new lawsuit.
Who is FKA Twigs?
FKA Twigs is a 32-year-old English singer born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, whose birth name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett.
At 16 she began performing as a singer in youth clubs, before moving to London to pursue a career as a dancer.
She appeared as a backing dancer in Jessie J’s videos for Do It Like A Dude and Price Tag, and also danced alongside Kylie Minogue, Ed Sheeran, and Plan B.
After making her first demos at 18, she began to get more modelling work and acquired a nickname – Twigs – based on the way her joints crack when she moves.
She changed it to FKA Twigs when an artist known as The Twigs complained, but she’s subsequently denied FKA stands for “formerly known as”, insisting the letters mean nothing “in particular”.
FKA Twigs released her first EPs in 2012 and 2013, and she began being listed as a hot new artist by various newspapers and music sites.
What has FKA Twigs accused Shia LaBeouf of doing?
In December 2020, FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against her actor ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf.
The singer accused LaBeouf of “relentless abuse”, as well as sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress.
According to the New York Times, the lawsuit also says that LaBeouf “knowingly gave Ms. Barnett a sexually transmitted disease”.
The pair were together for around nine months from September 2018.
In response, LaBeouf told the NYT that “many of the allegations are not true”, but failed to comment on the lawsuit.
He added: I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel.
“I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years.
“I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”
When did FKA Twigs break up with Robert Pattinson?
FKA Twigs started going out with Twilight star Robert Pattinson in September 2014, following his 2012 split from Kristen Stewart and after his brief romance with Riley Keough.
They fell for each other after Hollywood couple Sienna Miller and Tom Sturridge introduced them at one of her shows.
In 2015 rapper T-Pain let slip that Robert and FKA Twigs had got engaged but no confirmation followed.
In July 2017, the actor admitted they are “kind of” engaged, but was reluctant to speak about it further because of a “crack group of crazies” – fans who are jealous of his girlfriend.
Rob’s comments came a week before FKA Twigs was pictured without her engagement ring, just as he was out on a dinner date with old pal Katy Perry.
It emerged in October 2017, however, that the couple has split up.
A source close to the couple said at the time: “They were almost inseparable for their first two years together.
“But in recent months they have really started to drift apart and have been spending less and less time together.
“Rob is tired of it, has called off their engagement and told friends they have split. With so much history between them, though, there are still strong feelings there.”
FKA Twigs then started dating actor Shia LaBeouf following their coworker relationship on his new movie Honey Boy towards the end of 2018.
The pair were together until June 2019.
What are FKA Twigs’ best-known songs?
The music made by FKA Twigs defies easy definition but it’s generally referred to as a mix of R’n’B, electronica and trip-hop.
She’s said of her work process: “I like to experiment with sounds, generating emotions while putting my voice on certain atmospheres…
“I found my own way of playing punk. I like industrial sounds and incorporating everyday life’s sounds like a car alarm.”
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She directs most of her music videos and incorporates expressive freestyle dancing, in the style of Kate Bush, into her live performances.
Her best-known songs include Two Weeks, Water Me, Video Girl, Papi Pacify and 2019’s cellophane.