Tinashe Speaks on Being Considered a 'Pop' Star as a Black Woman: 'I Fought Hard'

Tinashe is opening up about her experience in the music industry.

The 27-year-old Songs For You star reacted to a recent Rolling Stone article discussing the elimination of the term “urban” as a music category amid global protests against systemic racism, and the consideration of eliminating “pop” as a genre.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Tinashe

“This article is spot on— I’ve been saying it for YEARS. The music industry is designed to segregate and that needs to end,” she said.

“As a black woman I fought HARD AF , for years, to be considered ‘pop’ by my label without changing my sound because of the inevitable ceiling I felt was put on the urban and rhythmic departments…. then the pop department didn’t find my music acceptable so I molded it for them,” she wrote.

“& in an attempt to make my sound more pop department friendly, the public rejected it, I lost my spirit/ inspiration as a creative, &had to part ways with the label entirely. Luckily I’ve thrived as an independent artist, but I know first hand how insidious & traumatizing this is.”

Here’s what she said about her experience at recent Black Lives Matter protests…