In a new interview with Complex, Tinashe addresses her new 333 Tour and fighting an ‘uphill battle’ for recognition for the past decade. One part of that battle was being put into a box by music journalists, labels, and fans. When asked about the labels that have been applied to her over her career, Tinashe explained why she “hated” being known as an R&B artist.
“I hated being called an R&B star,” she said. “I really, really had a strong aversion to that. I felt that created a ceiling to my art and my artistry that really turned me off in the early days. I didn’t want to be in that box that I felt had some type of inevitable lid on it. I’ve always honestly classified myself as a pop star. That’s always been what I see for myself, and then I think people’s interpretation of what that means is maybe where it gets convoluted because some people think pop means mainstream. Like, I don’t know, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, or something. But I think that’s not what that really means. To me, it’s more like what you embody more so than, I think, what it sonically sounds like.”
While she doesn’t explain whether her outlook has changed, she has continued to dabble in multiple sounds on her new album, 333. You can read Uproxx’s review here.