When Tinashe released ‘Too Easy’, the lead single of her eighth studio album ‘Popstar’, the internet was lit aflame, hallmarking and revisiting the 33-year-old’s continued influence on other artists, particularly K-pop’s moodboards, visuals and wider discographies. But Tinashe’s impact spans much further; she also helped to spawn the alt-R&B renaissance of the 2010s – alongside peers including Jhené Aiko, The Weeknd and Miguel – and recent singles like ‘Crash Out’ re-centred a signature brand of west coast bounce and trap that leaps out across her discography (see 2020’s ‘Hopscotch’). Fundamentally, the singer has always been an all-encompassing pop and wider musical reference.
On ‘Popstar’, Tinashe silences the chatter, refusing to play into any debate surrounding her worth. Instead, she uses the record to embrace and hold space for multifaceted stardom and womanhood. “Blacked out sunglasses / nothing else in the world even matters”, she hisses on album opener ‘Sunglasses’. “Speakers so loud / Music my religion”. A deliberately busy, instrumental-heavy soundscape is quelled by ghoulishly pitched vocals; make no mistake, she’s the architect of her reality. ‘Too Easy’ and ‘Melatonin’ dart past the ear in quick succession, urging listeners to move with their hyper-pop, EDM, dance, acid-house and synth-doused compositions.
But not all parts of fame are as easy as Tinashe insists. Doubt, imposter syndrome and paranoia can threaten everything, she warns on ‘Empty Stadium’. Nocturnal in both its pulse, and the singer’s recollections, she waxes on the journey to her current destination; the result is a tender reflection on the mental trauma associated with fame and fortune. But by ‘Twentyfive Eight’ we’re all made clear of Tinashe’s stance on chasing numbers. “If you win the rat race and you come in first place, then you’re still a rat”, she notes.
Over deep house and funk-laced acoustics, the multi-hyphenate refuses to place value in perfectionism: “There’s more to you than what you achieve”. In fact, on the album’s balmy title track, Tinashe embraces the mess, calling herself pretty amongst the chaos. It’s always felt this way with the singer – from ‘2 On’ and ‘Superlove’, ‘Nasty’ to ‘No Broke Boys’ – Tinashe’s appeal lies in her multifaceted, immersive and unstructured approach to success. There’s not a linear formula to her breakthroughs or artistic statements. It speaks to her boundless appeal. That’s what compels you to press play, not quite knowing how she’ll hook the ear next.
‘Popstar’ manages to centre the person behind the mystique too, as Tinashe is equally assertive in her personal endeavours. “Put your hands on my body”, the Aquarius commands on the piano-baked “Flashbacks” – in her hard-work, Tinashe makes space for play, demands it, in fact. But beyond the lust, Tinashe is cognisant enough to know when to walk away. Over sobering electric electric guitar riffs on ‘I’d Rather Be Alone’, she places value in singlehood over broken scenarios with former lovers.
‘Popstar’ is an equilibrium of confidence and introspection on which Tinashe lets the world in – not to vie for their approval, but to showcase the trials and tribulations of a Black woman in Hollywood. To get to this firm, sacrosanct form of self-worth, one must shed and rebuild one’s armour. On ‘Popstar’, Tinashe doesn’t run from the headlights, she realises that she’s always been her own one.
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