The Empire premiere was a lot of fun, but while we met a lot of new characters, there were a few faces missing. Thankfully, Tiana is returning to Empire in Wednesday's episode, and will stay on as a series regular. What will she be up to this season? We know she's singing at least one new song in the episode. Will her career be in danger at the record company? Will Mimi Whiteman whisk her away?
At the end of Season 1, Hakeem and Tiana were still broken up but on good, friendly terms. Tiana is still in with both the Lyon family and the label. Were I to make a guess, I would say that Tiana will be part of the storyline on Empire that involves guest star and singer Becky G. According to the official Fox synopsis for Wednesday's episode, "As his first project for the new company, Hakeem decides to form a girl group and woos a hot Latina lead singer, proving that he can be more than just an artist." That's where Becky G comes in, as the afore-mentioned singer named Valentina.
According to the descriptions for upcoming episodes, the group is called "Menage A Trois," because of course it is. So, is Tiana part of this group? She is still part of the label, fully on Team Cookie, and might be interested in teaming up artistically with Hakeem again. It doesn't make a lot of sense for her to go backwards from a solo career into a girl group. I'm not sure that's ever happened before, unless you count One Direction — and I'm already sorry for drawing that connection. However, crazier things have happened.
I could also see her competing with them for studio space, or consulting with Hakeem or the group itself. While both of them are adorable and Tiana's girlfriend India isn't set to be in any upcoming episodes as far as we know, Hakeem and Tiana were clearly not meant to be romantically. Plus, does anyone doubt that Valentina is going to be Hakeem's new love interest? Like, that's happening. So it would be interesting if his relationship with Tiana became more professional in a productive way. They could be like Cookie and Lucius, just (hopefully) without the drama.
Images: Chuck Hodes/FOX; Giphy
