Tinashe’s Comments About Colorism Bring Controversy

Tinashe is trending due to her remarks in an interview with The Guardian about colorism and being accepted in the black community, or lack of acceptance, should we say.

The 24-year-old’s sophomore album Joyride seems to be getting the perpetual (and dreaded) push back; the project’s been lingering in limbo since 2015 when it was first announced. So, what’s taking it so long to drop?

According to Tinashe in the interview, it’s because she’s simply not Beyonce or Rihanna, two artists she suggests are propped up as the only mainstream female R&B artists that major labels are willing to acknowledge and push. And that mentality, she suggests, trickles down to the common music fan.

“There are hundreds of [male] rappers that all look the same, that sound the same, but if you’re a black woman, you’re either Beyoncé or Rihanna. It’s very, very strange,” she told the publication about her concerns about a sexist paradigm. “Recently, my cousin was with a friend of a friend, who was in high school, and she was like: ‘I’m a fan of Kehlani,’ but in a way that was like, ‘So I can’t be a fan of Tinashe, too.’ Then my friend posed the question, ‘Why not be a fan of both?’ It’s kind of like sport; people feel like they have to pick a side,” she said.

But it wasn’t her thoughts about sexism in the industry that made people sit up; she also believes he faces another challenge as a light-skinned/biracial woman, saying she’s never felt accepted by the black community. “There’s colorism involved in the black community, which is very apparent,” Tinashe said. “It’s about trying to find a balance where I’m a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don’t fully fit into the black community; they don’t fully accept me, even though I see myself as a black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes. I am what I am.”

Social media took off after the comments, some people agreeing with her and some disagreeing.

lol I don’t think anyone cares about Tinashe being mixed. And being bi-racial surely isn’t an impediment in the industry, girl wut? 😂

— DarkSkintDostoyevsky (@daniecal) June 13, 2017

Tinashe not getting sympathy. being light skinned is an advantage in entertainment. Don’t blame the black community, blame your management

— Hak33m 🇳🇬 (@PrinceHAK33M) June 13, 2017

Tinashe just used the wrong argument. Colorism isn’t keeping her from shining, it’s probably whats keeping her as relevant as she is

— Angel of Color (@johanamamaa) June 13, 2017

And now Black people will prove Tinashe’s point, instead of…you know, addressing why this Black woman would not feel accepted by community

— Francisco-Luis White (@FranciscoLWhite) June 13, 2017

Tinashe addressed the comments, saying the colorism comments weren’t about the industry, rather life in general.

I was not talking about colorism in the industry. This is taken out of context.

— TINASHE (@Tinashe) June 13, 2017

Weight in below, Roomies…do you think her comments were taken out of context? Does she have a point about sexism in the industry and colorism in general?