Tinashe Admits to Being “Disappointed but Not Surprised” About VMAs Snub

Tinashe is eagerly anticipating the release of her new album, Quantum Baby, despite experiencing some recent disappointments. Last week, MTV unveiled the list of nominees for the 2024 Video Music Awards, but surprisingly, the “Nasty” singer’s name was not included.

In an interview with Billboard, Tinashe admitted to feeling “disappointed, but not surprised” by the snub. She revealed, “I’ve never been nominated for an award, period. I did get nominated for a BET award once. Other than that, I’ve never been nominated. I definitely wasn’t counting on that.”

During the conversation, she also declared her hit song “Nasty” as the song of the summer and weighed in on the much-discussed summer beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. As a known rap enthusiast, Tinashe shared, “I’m here for it. I loved it. I thought it was exciting just to see how much discourse was going on.”

The singer expressed that the back-and-forth reminded her of a “blog era spirit,” where rapid releases and raw energy were the norms. “It felt real, and it wasn’t about label politics or intricate timelines and rollouts. It was just raw, so I love that,” she added.

Despite being born in Kentucky, Tinashe, raised in Pasadena, California, declared Kendrick Lamar the winner of the beef.

Though “Nasty” grew in prominence due to its viral moments, Tinashe hopes other artists don’t create music with the sole goal of going viral. “I think it can help, obviously, a lot. I think it has a big impact, but I also think it’s fickle. I wouldn’t put all my eggs in that basket. I think there are plenty of cases of songs that blow up in a viral way that don’t connect to a real audience. I think it’s a piece of the puzzle and part of what makes it successful,” she remarked.

The 31-year-old singer believes it’s “kinda dangerous” to create music with viral success in mind. “I think it’s something to consider, but as soon as you start trying to cater your music to a 15-second snippet — once you chase things, period, the energy of chasing is not conducive to good creativity. It used to be chasing something that sounded like a radio hit, and now it’s what’s cool on TikTok. Chasing anything isn’t wise,” Tinashe warned.

Her upcoming album, Quantum Baby, is the second installment in a trilogy that began with 2023’s BB/ANG3L. The new album is set to be released on Friday, Aug. 16.

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