In the acceptance speech for her first Grammy award win, twigs thanked those in her life who have supported her career, creative journey and the album, and spoke on her career as an artist, stating, “I know for a lot of people I may be new, but I’ve actually been doing this a really long time.” If you have just discovered FKA twigs, or you have followed her career for years, this is a look back at her journey and continually evolving sound.
twigs attended the BRIT School in London. The 2026 Grammys saw wins from two other BRIT alumni, Olivia Dean and Lola Young, highlighting the variety of talent across genres produced from the BRIT School.
The first body of work FKA twigs released was her self-released ‘EP1’ in 2012. This was a four-track EP, followed by ‘EP2’ the following year. ‘EP2’ established twigs in the industry as an exciting, experimental artist, leading to a nomination for the BBC’s Sound of 2014 prize. The lead song from ‘EP2’, ‘Water Me’, utilises a distorted instrumental and soft, vulnerable lyrics to create a moving track that retains dance and R&B elements. This is a structure which is seen throughout future works of twigs, and highlights how her early work has helped support her growth as an artist.
Following the release of these initial EPs, her first album, ‘LP1’, was released in 2014, and its strength earned it a Mercury Prize nomination that year. This album continued the sound explored in her debut EPs and continued to develop the R&B and pop sounds in her music, using experimental sounds throughout.
'M3LL155X’, pronounced Melissa, was twigs' third EP, released shortly after ‘LP1’. This EP reinforced that FKA twigs is an artist, rather than solely a musician. This was demonstrated through the 12 minute film which was released alongside the album, supporting the emphasis on key themes throughout this album.
The dance and visual art background of twigs led to her first Grammy nomination for ‘cellophane’ , a track from her 2019 album ‘MAGDALENE’. ‘cellophane’, is an sonically stripped-back, beautiful and powerful track, highlighting the emotional vulnerablity of ‘MAGDALENE’ as an album. ‘MAGDALENE’ is widely praised as a piece of work where twigs takes a raw and vulnerable approach, focusing on years of heartbreak and recovery, which are expertly captured and delivered throughout this record
A vastly different approach was taken with her 2022 album, ‘CAPRISONGS’’. This was a highly collaborative project with a strong party feel and dance sound. The album takes a lighter tone than 'MAGDALENE', while still showing the emotional depth and versatility of twigs as an artist.
Returning to her current career, she has released her most recent album, ‘EUSEXUA’, which builds on her previous discography to create a varied and bold record, combining ethereal tracks with her signature bold sounds. The strength of this album as a cohesive body of work stems from twigs previous experiences, which helped build the layers of her artistic approach. This album earned FKA twigs another Mercury Prize nomination, her first in a decade, highlighting her continued relevance and the impact of ‘EUSEXUA’ as a record. The companion album ‘EUSEXUA Afterglow’, only further demonstrates the strength of twigs as an artist, producing a record that emphasises key themes within ‘EUSEXUA’, ‘Afterglow’ creates a futuristic club sound.
Winning best dance/electronic album at the 2026 Grammys marks a much-awaited moment of acknowledgement of the art and career of FKA twigs, shaped by her experimental approach and a continually shapeshifting sound.
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