Tinashe Says Touring Isn’t Always a ‘Win-Win’: The Hidden Costs of Chasing a Creative Vision

Touring looks glamorous from the outside — flashing lights, screaming fans, and hit songs echoing through packed arenas. But as Tinashe revealed in her Rolling Stone Musicians on Musicians chat with Amaarae on Oct. 22, the reality is often far from that shiny picture.

“A lot of people think that you go on tour and you make all this money, win-win,” the “2 On” singer said in a clip shared on social media. “But in my experience, a lot of the tours I’ve gone on, I’ve ended up losing money because I have the vision of the creative and the things that I want to achieve.”

Turns out, having a dream show doesn’t always mean making bank.

Tinashe explained that the costs of pulling off a tour that matches her creative goals often outweigh the profits. “A lot of times, the rooms, the tickets, whatever... you don’t end up getting to that place where you end up net positive,” she said. “There’s some level of sacrifice if you want to kind of create the vision to the degree that you want to create it.”

Still, she stays optimistic. The “Nasty” singer said she feels “blessed” to have reached a point where she can “play bigger rooms and make more money.”

She also recognizes how hard the road can be for newer artists trying to reach fans in different cities. “It’s super tough to be able to tour and to go to these places and these fans and all these different cities that want you to come,” she said. “And you’re like, ‘You don’t understand. It’s really, like, I can’t get there.’”

When Amaarae asked if she enjoys touring, Tinashe’s answer was honest — and relatable. She said she loves performing but struggles to juggle everything at once.

“I have a really hard time doing both at once,” she admitted. “Some people can make a project and be on tour at the same time. I feel like I have to give all my energy to the project, and then all my energy to promoting it, and then all my energy to the tour.”

Amaarae, on the other hand, was clear about her feelings. “I love to perform. I hate to tour,” she confessed. “I’m a real homebody. I don’t really go out even. I have a shell personality, and that’s who Amaarae is. All the music that you guys hear is just my imagination of a personality.”

Despite the challenges, both artists are keeping their momentum going. Tinashe recently wrapped her Match My Freak: World Tour in support of her latest album Quantum Baby, while Amaarae is gearing up for The Black Star Experience, a four-night tour kicking off Nov. 1 in support of her album Black Star.

For fans, these tours might look like nonstop fun. But as Tinashe and Amaarae make clear, behind every dazzling performance is a mix of passion, pressure, and plenty of sacrifice.