After the release of her positively-received R&B album, Aquarius in 2014, Tinashe—who is also a talented dancer, actress and model—is emerging as one of the hottest artists in the music industry. But, she has something to say about the business, which she often believes puts her and other black female entertainers into a corner.
“I think it comes from a place of ‘there is only room for one.’ Or there is only room for two. Again, the way I see it, obviously, is if a Black girl is winning—whether she is lightskin, darkskin, or any type of shade in-between, that should be a win for the Black community, period,” she says in an interview with xoNecole. “But it’s not necessarily always perceived as such. It’s like ‘Oh, she’s on the more lighter spectrum, so that is why she wins.’”
Tinashe adds that the way black female artists are treated greatly differs from that of their white female counterparts. “It’s just kind of ridiculous because there are like a hundred blonde, white actresses and leading ladies. There are a hundred rappers that all virtually look the same, sound the same, and dress the same and no one cares. But for some reason, when it comes to young women, they want to pit them against each other. There can’t be room [for us all]. There can’t be five Black girls winning. It’s weird.”
After coming off as one of the openers of Nicki Minaj’s The PinkPrint World Tour this past year, the singer is currently working on her next album, Joyride, to be released sometime next year, and hopefully, by that time, there will be a greater margin that allows for opportunity of female artists of color to emerge and expand.