Songfacts®:

• "Nasty" is an uptempo R&B club track infused with elements of electro and trap where Tinashe asks, "Is somebody gonna match my freak?" That means she's looking for someone on her level, which is high freakency.
  
  "This is that all summer long kinda Bop! It's meant to make you feel sexy, confident, let loose and maybe even unleash some of that sluttiness inside you," Tinashe said of the song. "We all need a daily reminder that we are our own muses, here's the inspiration to embrace it."
• The title "Nasty" refers to Tinashe's confident attitude in the bedroom, possibly hinting at a preference for a more adventurous side of intimacy. This resonates with Ariana Grande's use of the word in "Nasty" on her album Positions, both artists reclaiming a term often used negatively towards women.
• The song is a collaborative effort between Tinashe, the established producer Ricky Reed (Lizzo, Camila Cabello, Halsey), and Zack Sekoff, an electronic producer known for his work with Vince Staples.
• Tinashe initially teased "Nasty" on a livestream via her Instagram as a Valentine's gift for her fans on February 14, 2024. It was released on April 12, 2024, via her independent record label, Tinashe Music Inc. and Nice Life Recording Company. She performed the song live for the first time at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Mojave stage on the same day.
  
  "I really wanted to have that energy going into the season, just feeling like I want to have fun, be outside, get sweaty, get nasty, party energy all year," Tinashe told Forbes. "I think it's kind of all been leading up to this, and I haven't had a release in the summer in a while. So I'm really excited to be rolling it out in this way."
• The Jonah Haber-directed video for "Nasty" starts with Tinashe tinkering with her car, exuding an independent vibe. We see her dance routines with her crew, followed by a chase scene in the desert with drones. The powerful ending features Tinashe taking control, shooting down a drone before driving away. The cliffhanger "2.B Continued" leaves fans wanting more.
• "Nasty" went viral on X (formerly Twitter) after a user posted a TikTok video of a British dancer dancing to soca music with "Nasty" replacing the original audio. The song gained further momentum on TikTok thanks to the "match my freak" challenge and was the top track on the platform in the UK in 2024.
• This viral success translated to chart success. "Nasty" debuted at #90 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2024, marking Tinashe's first solo song on the chart in almost eight years. Her previous chart entries were:
  
  2014 "2 On" featuring Schoolboy Q #24
  2014 "Body Language" by Kid Ink featuring Usher and Tinashe #72
  2016 "Duele El Corazon" by Enrique Iglesias featuring Tinashe and Javada #82
  2016 "Slumber Party (Remix))" by Britney Spears featuring Tinashe #86
• Chloe jumped on a remix, adding new hot 'n' sweaty vocals. "Nasty" already had the heat turned up to maximum, but Chlöe's addition to the new version cranks it up to a whole new level.
  
  "I thought she was perfect to match my freak on this record because she has such amazing energy, she has that nasty spirit, which I love," Tinashe told People magazine. "She's free."
  
  The rendition is one of nine remixes of "Nasty" included on Tinashe's Match My Freak EP.
• Tinashe recorded vocal ideas for "Nasty" while driving to the studio. Using her car as a mobile recording booth, she freestyled and captured the initial lines that would become the song's catchy hook.
  
  Is somebody gonna match my freak?
  
  The phrase "match my freak" came straight from Tinashe's brain. "I was driving and was just kinda freestyling and that's kinda how I thought of it," she told Billboard. "I remember thinking after writing those lyrics, 'I don't think I've ever heard anyone say this before.' I just invented it."
• "Nasty" was a product of serendipity. Tinashe told The Guardian a lot of the lyrics "came off the dome" as she mumbled over a beat by Ricky Reed.
• Tinashe has a nickname, "Nasty Nashe," which she embraced so much that she bought a necklace with "Nasty" on it. This nickname inspired the "Nasty" title.
• A year after this song was released, Tinashe still hadn't found someone to match her freak, but she had heard from couples who paired up over the song. "As long as I can bring freaks together, then the song is doing what it needs to do," she told Rolling Stone in 2025.