Tinashe Reveals the Surprising Inspiration Behind Her Viral Song “Nasty”

Tinashe has TikTok users grooving.

As her latest song "Nasty" continues to take social media by storm, the singer shared how her nameplate necklace provided major inspiration for the track. 

"I made this necklace around Christmas time," Tinashe exclusively told E! News at the Alexander Wang Runway Show June 5. "It says 'nasty' because I've had this nickname in my head 'Nastynashe.'"

"I had just made the necklace and I actually went to the studio and I was like, 'Hmm, what should I write a song about today?" the 31-year-old continued. "I was like, 'Why not write it about this nasty necklace that I just made?' So it was like the chain manifested the song."

The video that led to the TikTok trend was an unexpected catalyst. A February clip of user Nate Di Winer dancing to soca music was reuploaded on X, formerly known as Twitter, in April by a user who paired it with "Nasty."

The edit, which garnered over 10 million views and was uploaded to TikTok, even earned Nate a collab with Marc Jacobs and helped bring the "2 On" singer's song to the charts. Tinashe also took part in the trend, dancing with the video in green screen mode.

"Nasty" became a major win for Tinashe, who'd been working as an independent artist since 2019 when she parted ways with RCA after seven years. Since her departure, she couldn't help but find more inspiration for her projects.

"It doesn't feel like I'm forcing myself through my own career," she told E! News at the time. "It kind of just feels like I'm allowing it to happen and feeling really natural about the creative process. It's so underrated to have freedom in your creative process. It can really affect your mental state or your well-being as a creative."

-Reporting by Nikaline McCarley