Tinashe‘s sophomore album was originally slated for a release in the first quarter of the year. She had a world tour set up, but while on it, she couldn’t complete the album, had to postpone the rest of it and spend the rest of her summer making more music for Joyride.
Over the last couple months, promotion surrounding Tinashe has started to ramp back up, which made it clear would soon see the light of day. While her last couple singles — “Superlove” and “Company” — hadn’t given any clear indication when the album would drop, it was narrowed down to October in a new interview with NYLON.
Some of her singles got leaked, and she addressed if she ever felt like leaking her whole album (given how much the label’s pushed it back and molded it).
“Yes! Totally! (laughs) But how is that going to help me? It’s just going to come out and then it’s gone, and then I don’t have the support. No one’s going to be booking me for TV performances, [the label is] certainly not going to help me with my next one. The producers would be mad at me because they wouldn’t have gotten paid. If I just put it on SoundCloud, I’m not getting paid, my label isn’t getting paid.” She’s quick to clarify that she doesn’t have any hard feelings against RCA, and that she understands that profitability is their top priority. “It’s the business aspect. There’s always going to be a difference in opinion because they’re just looking at things from a different side. And I’m not mad at them for it.”
On misogyny in the music world:
“It’s disgusting sometimes. You can either a) be a good sport or b) walk out of the room. And, again, what exactly does that prove? I don’t want to be subjected to objectification, but then I don’t get the interview. And I do want an interview with Hot 97. I want them to play my songs. So some of it is just stuff that I’ve learned comes with it. I try to brush it off. But hopefully I can get to a point where I’m respected enough for my music that I’m able to change the way that male DJs think of female artists. We have it a lot harder in general. Not only do radio DJs and people who are interviewing you sexualize you and objectify you, but other artists do as well. Fans do. People dumb you down. Other male artists don’t support female artists because it makes them look, what, thirsty? And other female artists don’t support women artists because it’s too competitive.”
On working with Chris Brown and R. Kelly, given their histories toward women:
“It wasn’t my decision. That’s what people don’t understand. But you know, at the end of the day, I still really respect him as an artist. I think he’s really talented. It was always a goal of mine to collaborate with him at some point.”
Read the full profile on NYLON.
