She shares what it took to make Popstar and confesses her latest opulent indulgence.
Words by Andrea Bossi
Photography by Kevin Alexander
Tinashe has always considered herself to be a pop star. It’s evident in one of her earliest YouTube videos, titled “EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW about TINASHE! (aka random facts),” where a 17-year-old Tinashe beams through a pixelated screen and reveals that she believes in aliens, only has a dimple on one side, and is obsessed with politics (“which is kind of ironic because I can’t even vote,” she quips in the deep cut). Tinashe has always wanted to be a pop star, and today she’s claiming it loudly. After all, she named her new album accordingly.
“Popstar is my most unapologetic statement and version of myself thus far and [is] really embodying that as a woman, as a creative,” the 33-year-old says from Los Angeles of her eighth studio album. “Every song embodies that energy in its own way. They make no excuses for themselves and all have their own personalities.”
Tinashe wears jacket by ISABEL MARANT
Don’t get too caught up in the catchy melodies. If you want to hear her and not just dance, there’s some of that, too. “The American dream is outdated,” Tinashe croons in “Crash Out” before going back to the kind of shit-talking that feels cathartic to sing along to. It makes sense that the self-proclaimed, politically obsessed girl grew up into a chanteuse who slips social critiques over her synth basses. “That bubble has burst. Things are so heavy and complicated. We’re balancing these two truths [the American dream and the American reality] at the same time,” she says, without getting specific about the deluge of things driving the two apart.
Tinashe, an eldest daughter and Aquarius, has a distinct backstory. She may be Kentucky-born, but thanks to her supportive folks, she was practically raised in Hollywood. When she was a child, her professor parents moved the family to DeKalb, Illinois, for a few years. Her dad, a Zimbabwean immigrant, and her mom, of Scandinavian and Irish descent, taught acting and physical therapy, respectively. At five, Tinashe was in her first movie. At eight, the family (including her two younger brothers) moved to California to support Tinashe’s career. She continued picking up film and TV credits (including The Polar Express) before joining the girl group The Stunners in 2007, which disbanded in 2011. She stuck with music, releasing covers and a mixtape (In Case We Die), before signing with RCA Records in 2012. A major-label deal may be many artists’ dream, but the real thing was different.
Tinashe wears ZIMMERMANN and shoes by MANOLO BLAHNI
“I was dealing with a lot of pigeonholing. I felt like I couldn’t experience all the things that I was. The music I was creating then was ‘pop star’ to me. I felt like no one understood that. They thought it was non-specific, discombobulated, or confused. I was stuck in some type of gray area between genres. That made me feel like I needed to mold myself in one direction or another to fit into these boxes that the music industry still really does have,” she says. At RCA, she dropped hits like “2 On” and “All Hands on Deck.” Still, she struggled to replicate those commercial moments amid tension between her artistry and the label’s perspective, which led to creative differences and album delays.
At the label, Tinashe says she learned to second-guess whether she “had the right instinct.” This changed after she amicably parted ways with RCA in 2019 and went independent for four years. “I’m back to being like, ‘I’m just gonna make what the fuck I want to make.’ That is what a pop star is ,” she says. That is what Popstar is, too. Tinashe, now partnered with Nice Life Recording Company (an imprint of Atlantic Records), does her usual genre-bending on the new album, refusing to silo any song into one specific sound. The lyrics get personal, then zoom out. Tracks bounce between dance, R&B, and pop. Having these coexist feels “really full circle,” she says. “As a young person creating music, I never felt I had to change any aspect of myself or [water] it down to appeal to any particular type of person.”
The “Nasty” singer is leaning into some classic pop star codes in her new era, too, including cheeky slogan tees, like the “69% Horny” tank top she wore during her Outside Lands set in August. Tinashe is continuing to work with JaQuel Knight—one of the most sought-after choreographers in the industry and, famously, a longtime Beyoncé collaborator—while crafting a fresh image with the help of stylist Alejandra LaPilusa. “I’m playing with the drama of it all, while still maintaining the authenticity of who I am,” she says. Expect more oversized hats, funky sleeves, and vintage pulls across her promo, music videos, and live shows. These dramatic looks are made to evoke the quintessential pop star, “like if you think of Cher, Michael Jackson, or Janet Jackson who were doing these amazing outfit reveals and classic pop star tropes,” Tinashe says. Her latest splurge? Saint Laurent’s $4,200 cherry-hued TPU platform mules. That’s an on-brand way for a pop star to celebrate this next chapter.
Looking back on the road to California, the music dream she chased, and creating Popstar, Tinashe has a sense of stoicism. “I enjoy all of it,” she confesses, “the good and the bad, because that’s what makes it. I guess that’s the fun of it.” There’s no tour officially on the books just yet, but gird your coins anyway. She’s planning on hitting that stage soon.
