Tinashe experienced the explosive highs and fleeting nature of viral fame unless she’s offering advice for other artists.
In April, her hit “Nasty” soared across social media, capturing the public’s attention with its provocative lyric, “match my freak.”
While the moment brought intense excitement and widespread recognition, Tinashe remains clear-eyed about the ephemeral nature of such phenomena.
During a candid discussion with music producer and Hip-Hop artist Kaytranada for Interview Magazine, the singer delved into the implications of her viral success.
“Going viral is fun. It’s everything that you expect it to be. It’s tons of excitement and eyeballs and attention,” she said.
However, she emphasized that brief internet stardom alone doesn’t build a lasting career.
“It starts really fast and it ends really fast. My biggest takeaway is that it’s just a moment in time,” she explained. “To create a lasting career and something that has a real legacy requires you to do the work around the viral moment.”
The 31-year-old artist expressed gratitude for having her seventh studio album, Quantum Baby, ready for release when “Nasty” became TikTok’s song of the summer.
“I’m lucky I had a whole album ready, because if you don’t have anything to supplement that moment, they come and go so quick,” she noted.
Elsewhere in the interview, Tinashe acknowledged the heightened expectations that followed the success of “Nasty.”
“Now, the bar is higher for everything else you put out from that point on, so the pressure does build,” she said.
Despite this, she strives to maintain her artistic integrity.
“But I’m really trying not to let that impact what song I would put out next or how I move, because I genuinely believe that’s where you f**k up.”
Reflecting on her career, Tinashe warned against getting too caught up in metrics and charts.
“Once you start taking a chart into consideration and try to play that game—at least for me in the past, that hasn’t served my artistry,” she stated.