Teyana Taylor is paying tribute to one of her biggest inspirations in a way only Teyana can. 

In People’s new World’s Most Beautiful issue, the actress, singer, and dancer recreates one of Janet Jackson’s most iconic looks, stepping into the military-inspired cream ensemble Jackson wore while performing “If” during her Janet World Tour from 1993 to 1995. 

Taylor said, “I don’t play about Janet,” and made it clear she took the assignment seriously, calling herself Jackson’s “number one fan.” 

The homage is especially meaningful because Taylor has been loving on Janet since she was a child. She told People that at about 9-years-old, she found a DVD of Jackson’s “Velvet Rope” tour and knew instantly that she wanted to be an artist. "I had no business watching,” she admitted. 

She has recreated Jackson’s iconic looks before, but for this shoot she wanted something “different and unexpected.” The final look was styled completely by Taylor herself, with Baba Jagne and Laurel DeWitt bringing the custom vision to life alongside makeup artist Yeika Glow and hairstylist Lateafa Alvaranga. And yes, the abs were homegrown.

Taylor is currently on a break after a strong style streak during awards season, tied to her role in “One Battle After Another,” where she picked up a Golden Globe and several other nominations and awards. She said awards season was “amazing” and that she is grateful to be in rooms she worked hard to enter. 

But the deeper story here is the friendship behind the fandom. Taylor recalled how she once missed a Janet show because her flight was canceled, only for Jackson to FaceTime her after seeing her disappointment online. They later met in person, and in 2022 Jackson surprised Taylor by showing up at her London farewell tour. Taylor said Jackson poured into her after she retired from music in December 2020 and played a big part in why she came back. Now, she says Jackson is like her “homegirl” in real life, even though she still does not take the bond for granted. 

Taylor also shared that after the Oscars, she went straight home to put her daughters, Junie and Rue Rose, to bed before heading out to the Warner Bros. party, the Vanity Fair party, and then Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Gold Party, where she got the electric slide going again. "I'm always the one every year at the Gold Party that gets the electric slide going. It was to [Beyoncé's] 'Before I Let Go,' but you already know it merged into [Cameo's] 'Candy,’” she said. 

And because this is People’s Most World’s Beautiful Issue, they asked Taylor what makes her feel the most beautiful and for her, it came down to the joy that motherhood brings her and the fact that she can and does shine her light everywhere she goes, especially in these star-studded, A-list rooms that now demand her presence. 

“Awards season was amazing for me,” she says. “I am happy to be in these rooms because I worked hard to be there and I’m getting my just due and I’m appreciative of that. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do. So I'm always happy and I'm a light and I enjoy being that.”

All of that demand for Taylor almost forces her team to step in and insist she take a break. "I actually can't stay still. When I do get time to just chill, I be like, 'Okay, well what's next to do?' I'm up in my room sweeping or mopping. I've got to do something," Taylor said.

"Rest for me has been 24/7 mommy mode," she said of spending more time with her daughters at home in Atlanta. "I come to recess, I bring bubbles and read them books. I love being in the carpool line. It brings me peace to see them happy."

"That's the purest form of love," she said. "We make it our job to make our children see bubbles and hearts. They don't see the sacrifice and the struggles that you deal with internally or behind closed doors. But sometimes they do see mommy crying and they wipe away my tears and they console me. They're just like two little old ladies, little mini mes and I'm just like, 'What is happening?' It's the most beautiful thing. I'm really, really, really, really blessed." 

In this feature, Teyana may have been honoring an icon, but she indeed moves like one herself.