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Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud

FKA twigs

13 May 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What inspired FKA twigs' unique fashion sense?

8.587 - 25.401 Bella Freud

Hi, come in. Welcome to Fashion Neurosis, FKA Twigs. Hi. Can you tell me what you're wearing today and why you chose these particular clothes?

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26.141 - 53.57 FKA Twigs

I'm kind of in a week's break from coming back from tour. I'm sorting out my wardrobe at the moment. And so I've actually taken all my clothes out of my wardrobe. So it was quite funny getting dressed for this because I don't have a lot at home. But I did just have dry cleaned the... Paolo Casano dress that I wore at the British Fashion Awards last December on the red carpet.

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54.832 - 69.373 FKA Twigs

And this Goa hoodie that I got off Depop last week and tracksuit bottoms from Tor and some archive Rick Owen boots that my boyfriend got for me for Christmas.

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69.353 - 95.918 FKA Twigs

And I decided to wear a red carpet dress but sort of repurposed because I think it speaks a lot to the way I see fashion and dressing myself and the idea of morphing and one day something can be on the red carpet and the next day it can be with a tracksuit and more relaxed or playful. I don't really...

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97.501 - 124.993 FKA Twigs

love fashion in terms of i wouldn't consider myself somebody that keeps up to date with the latest trends or new designers and and collections and these things but i love the creativity and the unnerving of oneself that clothes can bring so yeah i decided to repurpose this red carpet look

126.053 - 165.146 Bella Freud

Unearthing oneself is a really good description of what fashion can do. I've never heard anyone say that, but that's some of its power when you know how to use it in the way you've described. And it's nice the way you have these comfort things and these kind of glamor things as well. I think it's great to put them all together with so much deftness. One of my favorite words.

167.47 - 175.384 FKA Twigs

Yeah. Looks are kind of an archive, I guess, of like who you were. It's like a personality. You can bring things forward or leave things behind.

175.884 - 201.943 Bella Freud

Yeah, that's... Yeah, it's so true. And colors do that. In fact, Riz Ahmed was talking about when he wears certain colors, he can be slightly in the background because they do the work for him. And other colors, he has to step up and work on their behalf. And I thought that was a useful thing to know about your own wardrobe.

Chapter 2: How did FKA twigs' upbringing influence her artistic journey?

202.649 - 224.742 Unknown

What's up, y'all? I'm Skylar Diggins, seven-time WNBA All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and mom. And I'm Cassidy Hubbard, host and reporter for nearly 20 years, covering the biggest names and stories in sports and mom. And this is AmMom, a community for athletes, game changers, and moms of all kinds. Dropping May 14th. Tap in with us.

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226.426 - 229.709 Preet Bharara

Does anyone really know what goes on behind closed doors at the Supreme Court?

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229.889 - 244.984 Unknown

Four years ago, I got a tip about the court, and I was not in the market to cover it whatsoever. But this tip was about a secret influence campaign that had been carried out inside the court. As you know, the very idea of that is outrageous.

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245.224 - 259.082 Preet Bharara

I'm Preet Bharara, and this week, New York Times investigative journalist Jodi Kantor joins me to discuss her expose on the court's shadow docket. The episode is out now. Search and follow Stay Tuned with Preet wherever you get your podcasts.

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260.783 - 287.216 Bella Freud

And you're an award-winning singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and producer. And you were described in one of the many accolades I've read about you as an Olympian of pop performance, an artist who wields her unbelievable physical prowess to illustrate every tricky subtlety of her music. And your mother was a dancer and a gymnast.

287.316 - 294.3 Bella Freud

And I wondered, was it her who instilled your belief in how amazing a body can be?

296.035 - 318.262 FKA Twigs

Yes, in part. My mum actually didn't really want me to dance when I was younger. Really? Because she always said that dancing broke her heart and she didn't want me to feel that heartbreak that she had when, I think she had an injury and then she didn't pursue it exactly in the way she wanted to. So when I was a little girl, she didn't want me to dance.

318.302 - 345.162 FKA Twigs

And then when I was about eight, I went to the doctors and the doctor said I had flat feet and something that would be good for it would be ballet. And as soon as I heard him say that, I'd be like, well, I have to go, the doctor said. That's so good. So from then on, she was incredibly supportive and worked with me a lot, not really just on dance moves, but also about

346.323 - 370.862 FKA Twigs

authenticity and performance and we would play a lot together and make up dances and perform them and she'd make me costumes and she really made my childhood incredibly magical in that sense but then I think there's another side to my physicality that I'm still kind of figuring out

Chapter 3: What role does movement play in FKA twigs' music?

408.656 - 423.228 FKA Twigs

Not to say I don't feel sore or I don't feel tired sometimes, but I just have this drive. And it just keeps me going. I'm really grateful.

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424.05 - 455.063 Bella Freud

Yeah, it's interesting your mother saying that thing about the heartbreak because I've heard dancers say that they experience two deaths and one is when they have to give up dance because their body can't. You know, they have an injury or they just can't do the things they did. And you can understand why she didn't want you to experience this sort of tragedy so early on.

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455.143 - 486.743 Bella Freud

But anyway, you don't seem to... I just can't imagine that you would ever not be able to do what you wanted because your drive is so kind of apparent in everything you do. And it's so contagious, like listening to your music and watching you perform. You appeal to other people. That's my experience. I think, yeah, God, there's more people

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486.723 - 491.59 Bella Freud

There's more to be had, and I like the way I'm seeing this.

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492.111 - 492.672 Unknown

That's nice.

493.072 - 509.737 Bella Freud

It's very exciting. And because your mother was a fashion designer and your father worked in fashion too, and I think they owned a shop together. And I wondered, what was the first piece of clothing you became fixated on as a child?

510.979 - 511.92 Unknown

I don't remember...

514.297 - 536.642 FKA Twigs

having a piece of clothing that i was fixated on but i remember a vibe that i did like and a vibe that i didn't like which is actually very similar to how i am now i think i've always had an unusual relationship to my femininity as in i am

539.491 - 574.059 FKA Twigs

aesthetically and within my mannerisms very effeminate but in my spirit i'm not at all so i remember as a child not liking it when my mum dressed me like too girly or too princessy or certain colors i loved um neutral tones and i loved linen a lot as a child I had these like amazing linen boots that I wore. It was like a three-piece linen set, like linen shorts, a linen waistcoat.

Chapter 4: How does FKA twigs define the concept of 'Eusexua'?

643.29 - 652.354 FKA Twigs

It was never really like the princess or superhero thing, but I always wanted to be an animal or a creature or...

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653.431 - 677.143 Bella Freud

you know making something and playing as that thing for the day was something that was welcomed in my childhood that's so nice yeah it was good because your mother sounds absolutely amazing and she did practice tests with you um to help you get your scholarship into a private school and

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677.967 - 696.43 Bella Freud

I wondered whether you felt pressurized by that or whether you liked her doing it because she recognized your intelligence and your brilliance. And I mean, you've got six A levels. I've never heard of anyone with six A levels.

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698.513 - 705.882 Unknown

I mean, I think maybe both. Mm-hmm.

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708.022 - 740.742 FKA Twigs

Maybe it was both. It's interesting. My family are from working class Birmingham. I have an unusual family setup. I have my mom, I have my biological dad, and I have my stepdad. And they're all from Birmingham. I didn't meet my biological dad until I was in my late teens, early 20s. But all of them are from working-class Birmingham. My stepdad is Bajan, my biological dad is Jamaican.

742.145 - 776.729 FKA Twigs

My mum is English with a bit of Spanish. Yeah, I think that they all knew what it was to have to work really hard. And that sentiment was really put into me. All of them are like very special in their own individual ways. And I think I grew up knowing that I could get what I wanted out of this life, but I was going to have to work really hard because I wasn't going to have any shortcuts.

777.27 - 801.29 FKA Twigs

I'm also not from London. You know, I grew up in Gloucestershire. And so it's different when you're kind of like not from London and you want to, especially like if you want to do the arts, it feels so far away. It feels even further than for most people. So I think both. I think my mom did put me under pressure when I was a kid, but also I thrive under pressure.

802.031 - 811.845 FKA Twigs

So it's kind of a double-edged sword, I guess. And she knew that... I could achieve things and she encouraged me to do those things.

Chapter 5: What insights does FKA twigs share about body autonomy?

811.885 - 831.83 FKA Twigs

But I didn't ever feel like I was doing something I didn't want to do. I always felt like I wanted to, but I think sometimes it was difficult. And as a child, there are certain complexities that you don't understand why it's difficult. But obviously now I'm older, you know, I grew up in, I've spoken about this so many times at this point, but I grew up in a very white area.

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831.95 - 838.97 FKA Twigs

I was the only, there was one other mixed race girl that I ever knew in my area.

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840.305 - 863.545 FKA Twigs

Um, and then there was one mixed race boy who was like my English teacher's son that I knew of, but otherwise like that, that was really it in terms of, I guess, like kids. Um, so now I know I, that I was feeling it was difficult because of other, I guess, like

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865.263 - 894.257 FKA Twigs

social and like economical reasons but as a child you don't understand you know you're just like why is this different for me yeah controversially I do believe in encouraging children to do a lot of clubs and stay really active and be competitive and follow your dreams and you know be competitive with yourself more than anyone else you know I know that

895.469 - 913.444 FKA Twigs

Like there's different ways of parenting, but at least on me, it worked to be given a very focused drive and goal. Maybe, you know, that's just my personality maybe.

914.723 - 952.368 Bella Freud

Yeah I think the fashion at the moment is less of that apparently but I suppose it shows people someone's interested in you and I think that's a very encouraging thing as a child even if it is does require a kind of application to discipline. I find that is the most useful thing I've ever learned in my life and I learned about it from watching rather than having that kind of focus of interest.

952.468 - 956.433 Bella Freud

So I can, I relate to what you're saying.

957.314 - 959.196 FKA Twigs

Yeah, making a child feel like they matter.

Chapter 6: How does FKA twigs view the relationship between art and commerce?

990.925 - 1012.551 FKA Twigs

Or you have a natural gift in that. And it's kind of... how I work. Because, you know, at this point, I feel like FKA Twigs, it's almost like a collective, you know. It's not just me. It truly takes a village. And I think that's one of the things that me and my creative family all encourage in each other is...

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1013.577 - 1029.73 FKA Twigs

to be great at the thing that you're good at and then be curious about other crafts and other ways of expressing. I mean, my dancers in particular on tour, like they're so incredible and they really skill swap and train in different things.

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1031.093 - 1057.021 FKA Twigs

And it's amazing to see contemporary dancers go on the pole and dancers that are self-taught suddenly really blossom in their technical training and move in ways that they weren't at the beginning of the tour. And I always think that we're all kind of... We're all like superheroes and you just need to figure out what your special talent is, like X-Men.

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1057.823 - 1071.117 Bella Freud

Yeah. Well, you said something like application plus talent. Something else equals excellence or I think... Opportunity, no, preparation plus opportunity equals success.

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1071.818 - 1072.82 FKA Twigs

I live my whole life like that.

1072.9 - 1073.882 Bella Freud

Yeah, yeah.

1073.982 - 1074.844 FKA Twigs

Yeah.

1074.864 - 1101.027 Bella Freud

And it's so important, I think, you know, some of reality TV, it felt like if you sit on the sofa long enough and watch these people, you'll suddenly be on TV, but there's no... There wasn't much kind of explanation of how the making of something and the physical application, whatever it is, whether it's writing or dancing, you know, that is what makes music.

1101.007 - 1112.289 Bella Freud

your whole being kind of start pursuing your idea. It sounds great. It must be fun being in your tour band.

Chapter 7: What are FKA twigs' thoughts on the Madonna-Whore complex?

1154.334 - 1158.401 Bella Freud

I'm practicing that now. So.

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1159.223 - 1161.387 Unknown

Yeah, humans do good with practice.

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1161.407 - 1161.587 Bella Freud

Yeah.

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1161.807 - 1168.669 Unknown

That's why it's good to have a skill. Like. To use your hands or your imagination.

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1171.117 - 1174.91 FKA Twigs

I mean, even sometimes, you know, to make the perfect cup of tea.

1175.592 - 1175.893 Unknown

Yeah.

1176.314 - 1197.045 FKA Twigs

But like a delicate tea, like a... green tea or something where you need to make sure the water's the right temperature and then brew it for the perfect amount of time and have the ideal type of cup with the perfect material to taste it the way that it's supposed to be. These things take a lot of time and effort actually.

1197.025 - 1223.453 Bella Freud

um also they're great kind of in like my father never really told me anything about how to live my life and i just watched how he lived his but i he did teach me how to make a a good lapsang souchong and it was very much to do with you know if the water wasn't literally boiling as it came out of the kettle into the pot he would he would he'd say, no, no, no, it has to be boiling.

1223.473 - 1248.7 Bella Freud

And he wasn't a fussy person. He just liked to have good things, you know. And I loved that. It made me feel good at something and useful and also planted that thing of there is something about technique that is your kind of architecture that you can build from.

Chapter 8: How does FKA twigs balance her artistic identity with public expectations?

1274.471 - 1292.457 FKA Twigs

Yeah. Yeah, that's when I feel happiest, when I'm performing, actually. When you're doing that particular... Yeah, when I know something so well and I'm so practised at something that I can choose not to do it. And it can be better in that moment for making those small decisions. Yeah.

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1293.601 - 1295.063 Bella Freud

That must be so exciting.

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1295.343 - 1296.344 Unknown

It's really exciting.

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1298.847 - 1319.73 Bella Freud

Because you cited polystyrene from X-ray specs as a style icon. And when I was a teenager, I worked in seditionaries and she used to come in and hang out. And she was such a nice person and I saw her play and she was amazing.

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1319.95 - 1322.393 Unknown

What was she like? She was...

1323.74 - 1355.86 Bella Freud

She was a very... You know, it's funny, these people who were these young kids being, you know, recognised now by people like you, and she was very sympathetic and likeable and... you know, she was dressed in a slightly messy way and all these turbans and stuff. And she was funny. And there was something heartbreaking in there as well that made her so sort of lovable.

1355.88 - 1367.095 Bella Freud

And, uh, she was, she was great. I mean, we were all teenagers then. So you're more kind of cavalier about everything, but, um,

1367.243 - 1368.406 FKA Twigs

I love her so much.

1369.127 - 1385.944 Bella Freud

What were you drawn to about, what are you drawn to about her? Because I think, you know, when I read that, that you cited her and I thought, God, she would have loved that. It would have meant so much. She was a modern, you know, she was a, she had a shyness about her as well.

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