Tinashe clarifies controversial 'colourism' comments

R&B star Tinashe has taken to Twitter to clarify comments she made about "colourism" within the black community, after her original remarks stirred controversy online.

The 2 On singer sat down for an interview with The Guardian and appeared to blame her career struggles, including ongoing delays in the release of her sophomore album Joyride, on racism and sexism within the music industry.

"Things haven't always gone according to my original plan," she told the publication of the project's postponement. "But that's life, and things change."

The half-Danish and half-Zimbabwean star continued, "There's colourism involved in the black community, which is very apparent. It's about trying to find a balance where I'm a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don't fully fit into the black community; they don't fully accept me, even though I see myself as a black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes. I am what I am."

Her comments prompted some social media users to criticize her online, insisting she was using the racism argument as an excuse for her own shortcomings as a musician.

Fighting back, Tinashe responded, "I was not talking about colorism in the industry. This is taken out of context."

"The article seemed like it was pointing in that direction, do you care to clarify or expound?", inquired one fan, with Tinashe answering, "The article framed it as such, about success in music, where as (sic) the conversation we had was about my experiences growing up in general."