In a recent interview with xoNecole, Tinashe discussed the obstacles faced by black women in music. “There is only room for one,” the singer explained to her interviewer. “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. 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.’”
“I feel like I still have to represent the [black] community,” Tinashe continued. “That has been what has been my struggle... There is a Beyoncé, there is a Rihanna, there is Zendaya, there is a Jourdan Dunn. There is a black girl in all of these positions and we don’t need another one. 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 five black girls winning. It’s weird.”
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Tinashe’s sophomore album, Joyride, is due out in 2016. Watch the trailer for it here, and revisit the singer’s FADER interview.
