Since setting sail as an independent artist last year, Tinashe has not only been releasing more music, she’s also been speaking up about her rocky tenure in the major label system.
In a new interview, she continues along said trajectory and elaborates on the hurdles she experienced trying to navigate an infrastructure that had a very different set of rules (and budgets) for music deemed Urban and music labeled Pop.
Now, in the wake of several labels committing to eradicate the term “Urban,” the singer is proposing a more holistic solution: bulldoze the idea of genres altogether.
Full story below…
Speaking to Rolling Stone, the singer said:
“We need to abolish genres in general. I think that the way that many of them came to be and have continued to progress is very much so based on race and the segregation of music based on race. By putting artists either in an urban category or an R&B category or rap category, a hip-hop — these really general umbrellas that we use to define different genres — it creates a huge sense of isolation for the creative when they’re trying to experiment, especially for creatives that don’t necessarily feel like they fall into one of the genres, which was my experience.”
She continued, illustrating – in detail – her own experience:
“When I first came on the scene, I felt a real aversion to being labeled as like a new R&B girl. Not because I didn’t love R&B, but because I could see, especially within my own label, how different the team operated that was marketing [and] pushing the urban department at the company, and how it was not the same department that was pushing the pop acts. Those were the stages I wanted. That was the radio station I wanted.
It really didn’t make sense to me when I felt like I would put myself into a genre that had a feeling, and felt limited in terms of budget. Or they were literally on a different floor of the building and didn’t communicate with each other. It was never like, we’ll work together to promote a song or an artist. It was this team or that team. That’s really dangerous for somebody who kind of falls in between in the middle, like me, for example. And I’m sure so many other artists. Like, I was lucky that they at least tried and, you know, attempted to make it work. But it was really deep-rooted, how the companies are set up to operate almost separately, independently of one another. It’s really not there for artists who use labels like just it doesn’t fit perfectly.”
Do you agree with Nashe?
Your thoughts?
🤦🏾♂️ girl, shut the f&ck up already! Nothing you say ever makes sense.
It makes perfect sense you dumb f***. What doesn’t make sense?
YOU F***!NG R*****! We’re not going to cancel genres because Tinashe was making shity experimental R&B and lackluster pop songs and was lumped into the r&b genres. She had a bad experience because she makes bad music. The girl was considered a copycat Ciara for Christ sake, get f***!ng real. If we got rid of genres as a whole, black artist are going to fill out the bottom of list- Gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, Indie, Pop, Country, Alternative R&B/Pop, EVERYTHING. So she damn sure wouldn’t have a chance then, it’s not like she has one now. She can say this because she’s not charting no matter what genre she tries. If she was actually successful, she wouldn’t be saying any if this or give a damn.
I think normani has the same issues
This is probably one of the most retarded suggestions I’ve ever heard. How the hell are we blacks going to avoid Country and Rock music if it’s put into the same category with R&B/Jazz/Hiphop??? And how am I going to stop my children from having slanted eyes if everybody is regarded as 1 Race of ppl???
You sound like you count your fingers out loud to do basic math. not everything has to be an angry response.
Your father : you sound like you’re a hater, not everything has to be trying to humiliate people online. Son of a b****.
I don’t disagree with her statement but I don’t think abolishing genres would solve the real issue which is the racist structure of record labels and the music business in general. It’s like the abolition of gender-based awards in certain ceremonies, non-binary and q**** folks are still snubbed and female artists now have to fight even harder against gender bias to be acknowledged
P.S.: yall censor words like q.u.e.e.r which are actually empowering to the LGBTQ community nowadays but won’t mod the comments with rampant racism and lgbtqphobia. What kinda fuckery is this? 🤦🏼♀️
No matter what she says… she will never happen. let it go girl.
This ^ x 100
I totally get what she’s trying to say! Michael Jackson just said PREACH from Heaven’s doors chile lol 😇The Weeknd has the biggest song of the year worldwide thus far with Blinding Lights, on EVERY PERIODTT, but found himself nominated in the R&B category at the VMA’s and not the Pop category 🙄 It’s synth-pop! We all know that if he was the color of vanilla shakes and flour he would’ve been in that Pop category 🤣 Now Tissue (lol) needs to make better material going forward, but she’s right….the record companies do treat black artists and black executives different! They only give you a certain amount of money and expect you to work miracles 💯 Clive had to make sure Whitney had a black audience first, but when he put full resources behind her she KICKED THROUGH EVERY DOOR 🚪 We don’t need to abolish genres, but we need to abolish racism in the music industry! Normani definitely forgot to establish a core black audience first before going full Britney Spears! 🤣
Oh no hunny, black people don’t even support their own people. Y’all better get it together then we talk about racism. Y’all hating her coz she’s mixed race. Tinashe is prettier and dance better than f*******. So tell her gurl bye.
Reclaiming my time 😂🤳🏽 Bye Miss Ling Thing!
Even if genres were abolished, people still wouldn’t listen to your trash
Her music is f****** amazing! She is my second most listened to artist in-between Mariah & Toni. So shut up if ya don’t know what you’re talking about.
The fact you’ve put Tinasheet in the same sentence as Mariah and Toni is absolute sacrilege. Mariah and Toni are in a different league. Each to their own but even if genres were abolished, Tinasheet’s music still wouldn’t be played. Some people just don’t have it and are better off writing songs for others.
I think Tinashe should have just sold herself as such. Once she started mixing and matching, the crowd that gravitated towards her got confused. What’s really wrong with being labeled R&B and coming out with an album like “Aquarius”? Her best to date in my opinion and a very versatile album. She’s on the right path now to reconstructing her brand and image so we shall see.
so the stages she wanted and the radio stations she wanted are probably the reason why she released a bunch of crappy music towards the end of her label deal. She literally began creating for the wrong reasons.
Or simply put artists in the genres they actually belong. The weekend is not an RnB artist , Post Malone is not an hiphop…..Half the time drake is not really making urban music. Black artists are the ones who suffer the most from this and in some instances have been pushed out of genres completely or have seen certain genres practically die off.
Genre or no genre, you music is still dookie. Period.
STFU U Sound Stupid You Wouldn’t Say These Things If You Were Successful An Any Genre You Making The Band Reject 🙄 Had Your Career, Contract, And Coochiee Not Abolished From That Trash You Release You’d Be Singing A Diff Tone. First It’s The Race Card Cause You Mixed And Then It’s The People Cause We Put You In A Box Noooooooo Your 🗑 Poo 🥴
What she says makes sense tho….Kelis has the same issue back in her days when the labels were trying to market her urban when she was a genre bending queen