Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Since earning a spot in the XXL Freshman Class of 2015, Tink has released various independent projects. Now signed to EMPIRE record label, Tink has collaborated with notable artists such as Ty Dolla $ign, Yung Bleu and executive producer Hitmaka in Thanks 4 Nothing.
Her 2022 album Pillow Talk was very seductive and soothing. This time around, Tink wanted Thanks 4 Nothing to revolve more around confrontation and self-reflection. The album is now available on all streaming platforms.
The title itself sounds specific to a person or a moment. What inspired the title, Thanks 4 Nothing?
The album altogether; I wanted to drop around Valentine's Day. I was in the mindset of a single moment on Valentine's Day. It's saying "thanks for nothing" and that could be "thanks" for not giving me a gift, "thanks" for not giving me time, or "thanks" for not giving me attention. It can mean a lot of things...however you feel in that moment, someone will resonate in their own way.
Each song sounds like a diffrent experience that has shaped you as a person and a lover. Was the album about one person or various people overtime?
Various people. A lot of records on this album, I pulled some songs from two or three years ago so I had to dig in the crate for some of these records. I even have some songs that are based off of conversations with my friends. I'll see my girl friends going through something and I'll incorporate a couple bars about that situation, so it's about everything.
Has your songwriting created a certain perception of love and men?
I think it makes me self-reflect a lot. When I hear my album, it's triggering. It does change the way I view certain people or I may think of somebody in my head and think 'I shouldn't be dealing with that.' I play this album and it makes me emotional. It's good though; I wanna be triggered, I wanted to make noise and make people feel something.
Would you say you're anti-love or do you believe the right person is out there?
No, I love love. I'm not anti-love at all. I don't think I love too hard either. My love is just rare. It's not that I'm loving too hard, it's just not what certain people are used to. I would never change the way I love or would never let a situation turn me cold or against love. I think it does exist. It's all about finding the right person that you align with. If I can embody love, I know it exists. That's how the world is today though... we turned against all of the positive love songs. People don't wanna hear that shit anymore because we go through so much and we're in such a toxic era where the internet is playing a big part of our relationships. I understand it, but love does exist.
Hitmaka was the executive producer of the entire album. What was it like creating the perfect beat for each song?
He's a producer that comes in with a lot of songs and beats ready to go. What we do is sit in the studio and we just go through records, beats and different sounds. Sometimes that can take six hours just to pick the right placements and listen to what feels best. I told him i wanted this album to be totally different from Pillow Talk; my album from last year. That body of work was so seductive, soft and sultry. With this album, I wanted to attack... come aggressive and hard. So, picking out the songs were really fun because we were looking for strong vibes that were also triggering.
How long did it take to finish the album?
We started in October 2022. It took two to three months, so it was very fast. But the process with Hitmaka and I is that we things done very quickly. He has a team of people in the studio with you, so everything just moves quicker than working alone.
What are the key takeaways of the album and how do you want listeners to react when they listen to it?
The key takeaway is to know that sometimes, it's a blessing to be on your own. There's nothing wrong with standing on your own two feet. I wanted women to feel empowered when they hear the album. I have a few records that really uplift women and tell men that 'I'm the catch' and telling women that 'you are the queen' and 'you're the prize.' I want to give women that confidence and those mental notes to help them move forward.
Can you see your next album being more centered around healthy love?
I wanna do some living and soul-searching to bring a new message in the next album. I'm going to take some time after I tour this year to just live and connect with myself. I want to be able to speak on healing and talk about love from a calm state of mind. I want to step back and write from a third person point-of-view.
Is there anything you're looking most forward to once the tour begins?
The tour is called Thanks 4 Everything. I'm excited to perform songs from the new album because my fans are crazy about my old music. It's gonna be fun to give them that nostalgic feeling; I'm gonna take them back to day one. Because I'm headlining, I have no limitations and I can't wait to see what this will feel like.
What do you want to tell people who have never listened to your music?
I want people to know that this album isn't meant to shit on anybody. This is an album to help us women. I feel like it's needed right now because when you turn on the radio, you always hear a man talking his shit. I don't want people to get my message confused... it's really empowering us in a direct way.
Those who made it in were treated to banging DJ sets by Mia Carucci and Yves Tumor before Deftones took the stage for a 17-song set that included the first performance of "Mascara" since 2015. The setlist also included other fan-favorite rarities — among them, White Pony's "Feiticeira" and Adrenaline's "Nosebleed," both of which hadn't been played since 2018. By the time Chino Moreno came on alongside lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter, the floor was filled to capacity, with heads bopping, arms swaying, and by the end, moshpits bursting alive in the middle of the crowd. The night was fun, energizing, and by the end, a bit of a haze. Lots of people came out dressed to call attention. Check out some of our favorite fashion moments from the night below.
How was it growing up in Pennsylvania?
Boring as fuck. Boring and broke.
Were you always around music growing up?
Kind of, yeah. My brother would play shit all the time. My brother always played music. He put me onto a lot of the shit I listen to now.
Was there an album that made you fall in love with music?
Live. Love. A$AP by A$AP Rocky. Wolf by Tyler, The Creator.
How'd you start working with $NOT?
He hopped on one of my beats on YouTube. From there it was just up.
You started posting beats on YouTube back in 2015, I believe it was. How do you feel about how easy it is now for musicians to put work out and get discovered?
It's good. It was good for me, shit. Thank God for the internet. I mean, yeah, it does make for a lot of over-saturation, but there's also some gems in there. And it just allows people to just get noticed more.
Can you describe the feeling when you're performing on stage?
It's just lit. If the crowd is lit, then the energy bounces off me and then I get turnt too. Even if it is a slower crowd, I realize I got to just thug it out. Still stay high-energy. And just thug it out. It's another art form I'm trying to master, performing.
Do you still get nervous?
Nah. A little before maybe. I mean, just a little bit, a slight anxious feeling. But once the DJ does, "Y'all ready for Eem Triplin?" And if they scream loud enough, then there's nothing to be nervous about. If they don't scream, then all right. I'm in for the challenge.
What's been your most memorable performance so far?
They’ve all really been the same; smooth. It's been lit. But we’re only two shows into this tour. Nothing crazy. I feel like my previous performances I was just getting my foot in the water. I feel like now this is an actual tour, but I don't know where I'm consistently moving. I don't know where I consistently go. I experiment. This is my first tour for real. And it's not my tour. I'm on tour with Lucki. It's really like this is my first time actually being out on tour like this.
Being one of the earlier acts at Rolling Loud last year, the crowd size probably wasn't what you were hoping. What were you feeling during and after that set?
I mean, right after I got into this underdog feeling where I'm like, Damn, folks are going to know soon. And I feel like that type of energy is what led to this shit getting noticed as much as it did because when I left, I was chill about it. I wasn't mad. I knew people were watching online and shit, but I was just like, ‘Man, folks going to find out soon enough.’ I wasn't tripping.
Has your mindset changed going into this year's Rolling Loud performance?
Yeah. I know that things just take time, you know what I'm saying? Growth. So even if this next performance isn't the craziest shit, I know as long as it's more than the last one, then I see growth there. That’s a W in my eyes.
When do you feel most creative?
Whenever I'm at home doing nothing. Whenever I’m bored. It’'s like whenever you’re bored, you got to make something. I feel like that's when the most ideas come, for sure.
With internet and streaming services, music's more accessible now than ever. What do you think it is about live music that keeps people coming to festivals like Rolling Loud?
It hits different whenever you see people that you only see on the phone screen, in real life. I feel like that's something that's priceless. You can't make up for that, seeing somebody in real life. Even if they're not the best performer, it's like you probably went from seeing this motherfucker on your phone every single day, to seeing them in real life where you can't press a pause button on them. You know what I'm saying?And it just hits a little different because it's like, ‘Shit, you’re right here.’
What's your ultimate goal?
To be the best that I can be and just take this shit as far as I can. Honestly. The only way is up. I'm just trying to make new shit, new sounds, new ways of approaching shit. I’m looking forward to the future.