Tinashe has been no stranger to talent, effort and consistency. She’s done what many of us would find to be incredibly difficult in her career, which is to persevere despite the weather and climate change.
For a lot of us, its never really made sense why she never got as big as she should have been given the amount of talent and potential she has when other artists have gotten famous and blew up with far much less and no foundation at all.
Tinashe has long been active within the industry dating as far back as most of us cannot remember because we weren’t tapped into her yet, but sis BEEN in the industry, you know the industry tenure is serious when a girl group is part of the origin story… She’s consistently delivered project after project, drawing inspiration from GOATs and powerhouses like Janet Jackson and Britney Spears to cite a few, whose influence you can trace clearly through her work.
Given her extensive rich musical background, it’s almost puzzling that the media never went into a frenzy with headlines like “Tinashe: The New Queen of Pop” or “Tinashe: The Next Janet Jackson” especially considering how the media has always had a knack of assigning artists grandiose titles, drawing comparisons to their predecessors, and neatly slotting them into neat little boxes for public consumption.
Whenever Tinashe’s name comes up in conversation, nine times out of ten, people recognise her from one point or another in her nearly two-decade-long run in the industry. The artist first broke onto the scene with 2 On, released in 2014, the infectious R&B hit is a slick blend of hip-hop, pop, and West Coast-inspired production, built around a hypnotic beat, bouncy synths, and a hook that practically demands to be played at full volume.
Featuring Schoolboy Q, the track captures that carefree, turn-up energy of being young, outside, wild, free and completely unbothered. The song wasn’t only a big summer hit but also the leading single off of Tinashe’s debut studio album Aquarius.
Her debut album “Aquarius” was succeeded by several other albums, and with each new release, that dynamite-like, promising and glowing spark that seemed on the verge of bursting into a flame anytime appeared to go dimmer and dimmer despite sporadic moments of spontaneous recovery.
This has largely been attributed to record label drama, projects release dates getting pushed back, artistic integrity getting compromised, lack of autonomy and total control, compromised record label support and investment that same old song. Its apparent that there’s some truth to the sentimenet expressed in this old song because the moment Tinashe went independent, that spark began crackling again and then “pop” it went with the release of “POPSTAR”, Tinashe’s eighth studio album.
Popstar dropped a few weeks ago on 27 September. The project’s release was preceded by four singles namely Melatonin, Crash out, Pillow fight and Too easy in no particular order. Going into this project, I honestly didn’t know what to expect.
Despite having heard the singles once or twice, I hadn’t really internalised the music, so it’s safe to say I was in for a surprise. But perhaps that’s the beauty of listening to an album with fresh ears: approaching it as a blank canvas and allowing the music to leave its mark, seeing what takes shape by the time the final track fades out. To me, that’s one of the hallmarks of a good project — one that gives you something to walk away with, rather than simply filling the silence.
Falling just under 40 minutes, Popstar leaves no excuse for any hateration. The project is driven by an insane bassline, punctuated by kick drums that make it an almost irresistible soundtrack for the dance floor.
While it firmly sits within the pop realm in its lyrical content, subject matter, and song structures, the album is far from one-dimensional. Tinashe draws from dance and electronic music, weaving their influences into the very fabric of the album’s sonic identity. The production is pristine: heart-thumping, pulsating, and unapologetically rhythmic, yet delivered with that effortless, too-cool-to-try-too-hard energy that makes the whole thing feel second nature.
More importantly, it’s worth noting how the immaculate production contributes to the album’s overall sonic cohesion. You can almost picture Tinashe behind the decks, because POPSTAR is arranged with the kind of intentionality you’d expect from a well-curated DJ set.
The tracks feed into one another, seamlessly gliding from one point to the next like Jesus walking on water. There’s a natural fluidity to the sequencing that makes the album feel less like a collection of individual songs and more like one continuous sonic experience. That level of cohesion doesn’t happen by accident; it speaks to exceptional curatorial instincts, the kind you’d expect from a DJ who knows exactly how to keep the energy flowing without ever disrupting the vibe.
In a measly 40 minute long project, she’s able to fuse an immersive listening experience for the listener as you’re pulled into a ‘popstar’ world that’s an eclectic and almost overwhelming sonic universe that completely engulfs you, leaving little room to do anything but surrender to the experience.
POPSTAR takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster, moving from the perspective of an it-girl stepping into the club and losing herself on the dance floor to a full-blown hustler-diva persona before eventually descending into a more introspective, emotionally reflective space. The progression mirrors the lifecycle of a party: the anticipation, the high, the reckless abandon, and finally, the comedown. It’s the sonic equivalent of a party in full swing, slowly winding down as the night draws to a close.
In that regard, “Heavyweight” serves as the perfect closer, capturing the feeling of watching the party wind down as the lights come on and the last of the energy begins to dissipate. On this track, final stretch is captured perfectly, as the comedown ensues: the moment when the adrenaline wears off, the music fades, and the party is finally over.
Pop star is definitely, undoubtedly and undeniably one of the best pop projects to come out this year.
Special mention to songs like 25/8 which feel reminiscent to Cash race from “Songs for you”, another one of Tinashe’s projects that have a strong pop/dance hold. What I love the most about 25/8 besides the obvious hip hop influence is the subject matter. There’s a quiet confidence woven into the song that a passive listener could easily overlook, giving the track its flirtatious, self-assured nonchalant energy.
They can also easily mistake the self-love and grinding themes in this song for romantic affection merely by Tinashe’s vocal delivery which is smooth, airy, and effortlessly sensual, with a controlled fluidity that allows her to glide over the production without ever sounding like she’s trying too hard. Needless to say this is one of the most empowering songs off the album.
Perhaps that’s also because it’s hard not to draw parallels between the themes she explores in the song and the drama surrounding her personal life, from her record label woes to her most notable and publicly discussed relationship with NBA player and ex-boyfriend Ben Simmons, who allegedly got with Kendall Jenner quicker than a bat out of hell.
If Khloé Kardashian gave us Revenge Body, Tinashe gave us 25/8 with this album. And just like that, it goes without saying , this pop star’s album is bigger than Ben-Hur — pun intended.
