What Does FKA Twigs Mean Anyway?

Even though it's April Fools' Day, a certain report came out on April 1 that doesn't seem to be a joke. In an interview with Vulture, T-Pain revealed that FKA Twigs is, supposedly, engaged to Robert Pattinson. I know. I know. This news begs A LOT of questions: Why Is T-Pain all up in FKA Pattz's business? Are FKA Twigs and Robert Pattinson actually engaged? What does FKA Twigs mean, anyway? And, lastly, seriously, what the eff is up with T-Pain's involvement in this news?!

(Update: T-Pain wrote on his Instagram account Wednesday afternoon: "Added a little #AprilFools to my interview with Vulture Magazine today. Check it out!!!!" along with a cartoon image of wedding rings.)

Unfortunately, the question about the engagement being true isn't easily answered. Pattinson and Twigs have not confirmed anything and have not yet responded to Bustle's request for comment. As for T-Pain being the bearer of this news, he just casually mentioned it in an interview when asked if FKA Twigs would be featured on his next album. (He also amazingly referred to Pattinson as "ol' Patty." I can't say enough how much I love this story.) But! That question about FKA Twigs' name? That one is very easily answered. Allow me to explain.

FKA Twigs' real name is Tahliah Barnett. She got the nickname Twigs when she was growing up because of the sounds her bones make when they crack — like a twig snapping. She explained the name during an interview with Pitchfork and even demonstrated the sound for the publication. As Pitchfork put it, "Her joints snap so loudly and quickly that it sounds like a bag of marbles spilling onto a wood floor — popping exclamation points from an artist who doesn't need to shout to be heard." Well, I guess that's the type of thing that earns someone a nickname!

As for why she chose FKA Twigs, it's because another artist was already using the moniker Twigs. FKA stands for "formerly known as." I'd say this really shows how successful she's become. If the person with the "formerly known as" at the front of their name is more popular that the person without it, then they definitely did something right!

While FKA Twigs more commonly goes by her stage name than her real name, she has made it clear in the past that FKA Twigs is just that: a stage name. It's not a separate persona. She tweeted in August 2014,

So, there you have it! A rundown of FKA Twig's name history and no further explanation of why T-Pain thought mentioning a possible — and possibly secret — engagement was an OK thing to do.

Images: Getty Images