Tinashe has no idea why the zeitgeist has kept her in a “niche category” for more than a decade. The singer, who broke through this year with the slow rise of her catchy single “Nasty” – her first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100, which peaked at No. 61 in June – tells pal Kaytranada in a chat in interview According to the magazine, she now feels like she is in a great position to make her big break in a summer when female pop stars are all over the charts.

“I have fans that love me, I can tour, I can make the art I want to make. So I’m pretty content,” said Tinashe, 31, who began her career as a child actress in the early 2000s before moving into music with her 2012 mixtape. In case we die. “As much as I want the success and recognition, I have such a great career that I’m grateful. But I don’t know why (it took so long). It could be the universe. It could be the way society is set up. Working as a black woman in music is difficult. There was a lot of disagreement about how to market me. In my early days, people were confused by my genre hopping and my lack of commitment to an urban direction.”

The Hot 100 charts are packed with summer hits from Billie Eilish (“Birds of a Feather”), Sabrina Carpenter (“Espresso,” “Please Please Please”), Chappell Roan (“Good Luck, Babe,” “Hot To Go”) and Charli XCX (“Guess” remix with Eilish), and Kat asked a crucial question: “Are there really rivalries between pop girls?”

Tinashe said yes, but also no. At least not for her.

“Absolutely. I don’t have any rivalries. I love all the girls. But it’s classic. As a woman, it’s extremely competitive in the music industry because we’re taught that there’s not enough room for everyone, which leads to a lot of competition,” she said. “There’s a lot of secret animosity, little things behind the scenes, people not supporting each other the way that maybe male artists do. That’s definitely how I’ve felt over the years.”

When asked if she sometimes thinks about other artists’ successes and failures, Tinashe said it definitely affected her more when she was younger and didn’t have as much experience with the business. “It’s part of being human that we tend to compare ourselves to others, so when you see the success of people that you consider to be your equals, it can be hard sometimes,” she said. “I’ve definitely gone through times where I’ve been like, ‘Damn. Everyone that I consider to be my equals is just beating me up. Everyone is doing it so much better than me.’ So it’s an exercise in not comparing myself and focusing on my own path.”

And after a decade of hard work in the music business and the release of seven albums – including this year’s Quantum Baby — some of the pressure to look around and compare has gone away thanks to having work she can be proud of. “I feel like my work speaks for itself,” she said.

The pair also explored whether Tinashe believes in the industrial plant myth. The answer was again yes – some people are “totally hyped up by the machine” – but also no to the “full plant story” in the conversation, which also touched on Tinashe’s tour rider and her wish list of top employees.

“On my wish list, for example, is André 3000 – that would be a dream. Janet (Jackson), of course. James Blake, SZA, I think we could do something really great,” she said. “Rosalía, I think we could do something really great together. I love working with the girls. There aren’t many collaborations with female artists, so I definitely want to do more of that.”

And finally, because of course he had to ask: Is there anyone who can match Tinashe’s freak?

“I don’t know who can hold a candle to my freak. Honestly, when it comes to romance and stuff like that, nobody,” she said, to the likely disappointment of potential freakmates. “I’m out here, dolo as f–k, doing my own thing. I’m having a damn great summer though, so I’m not mad in that regard.”

However, in a sweet second thought, Tinashe said if pressed, she would have to say her loyal fans are equal to her freakishness. “They’ve been so supportive of me through this era and have been there for me through all the ups and downs,” the singer said. “I’m just really, really grateful for everyone that has supported me through every chapter of my career because without that support, I wouldn’t be here.”

Tinashe announced the dates of her 23-date “Match My Freak” tour earlier this month, which is scheduled to begin on October 14 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California and end on November 25 in Sacramento.