NEW YORK– NEW YORK (AP) — Tinashe refuses to retreat from the unknowns of life — or the music industry — but instead embraces them. That’s what makes the success of her sassy, innuendo-filled hit “Nasty” so sweet.
“You never really know when that’s going to happen. You can’t really predict it,” she said of the song, which peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100, her second-highest charting song and at No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. “It was a blessing and something true I’m just super excited about it.
Ahead of her upcoming album ‘Quantum Baby’, out Friday, ‘Nasty’ skyrocketed after a social media user combined a snippet of the song with an existing clip that had already made its viral rounds. The song also received recognition or some form of shoutout from icons like Beyoncé and Janet Jackson, as well as Christina Aguilera, Anitta and more. Her striking text ‘match my freak’ has become a popular slogan.
This project marks her seventh studio album and the second of a three-part trilogy. The title is reminiscent of quantum physics, as she hopes fans will enter her personal universe and rediscover her at the most fundamental, molecular level.
“I’ve been really lucky since leaving my major label, becoming independent and being able to focus on what I wanted to make creatively. And I’ve really honed that process over the last three albums,” said the singer, whose previous album, “BB/ANG3L,” was released last year. “This second part of the trilogy is really aimed at getting to know me a little deeper.”
The eight-track project, which runs just over 22 minutes, features production from Nosaj Thing, Ricky Reed and sdtroy, with Tinashe writing on each track.
Known for genre-bending, often fusing R&B, pop, dance and electronic elements with precise choreography to match, Tinashe debuted in 2014 with ‘Aquarius’, her highest-charting album to date. Despite being unable to match that success and often living in musical limbo, she chose to leave the support of RCA’s major label machine due to their rocky relationship. However, she has kept her career afloat, partly thanks to a loyal fan base.
“When I first came on the scene, I was young, I was green. I feel like I have learned so much and gained so much, first and foremost in self-confidence,” Tinashe explains. “As a young woman in these generally male-dominated spaces, there are usually never other women in the room. And you come in with a producer who has made all these great records and you don’t want to tell them what to do – and they probably won’t listen to you anyway. So I think now I just have a much stronger idea of what I want to do and I can give that direction.
Recorded in her home studio, “Quantum Baby” features songs like the sultry, trap-soul track “Thirsty” and the vibrating, Kaytranada-esque “Getting No Sleep,” which serves as her second and current single. Often with moody and atmospheric sounds, there is also the intro track ‘No Simulation’, where she harmonises: ‘We are all looking for something/where are we going/what are we doing?’
“What I’m looking for more than anything at this point in my life are great experiences and peace of mind,” she said. “I’m at the point where I don’t try to force or create anything anymore.”
Despite past collaborations with platinum-selling artists like Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Future and Nick Jonas, she is no longer chasing big features or producer placements in hopes of increasing her chances of scaling the charts.
“’2 On’ was my first single I ever released. So I set the bar really high… and there was always that feeling of, ‘Can we do this?’ And that was always kind of on my mind making records,” reflecting on her Schoolboy Q-assisted song, which peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, her highest-charting song. “I think I have done. I’ve made better records since I stopped thinking about how they’re going to perform… I just really focus on my instincts and make something that feels good to me.”
What does Tinashe feel best about now? It means being free from creative limitations and fighting against industry politics throughout her career. Her trendy style and fashion foresight make her a frequent front-row guest at fashion shows and red carpet events, and she has expressed an interest in returning to acting. In October, she will kick off her 23-date Match My Freak world tour, produced by Live Nation, in support of the music.
The “All Hands on Deck” artist has managed to steady the ship of her career, and she’s willing to live with the results of navigating the turbulent seas of the music industry — as long as she’s the captain.
“Finding satisfaction in yourself and in your artistry is super important for a music artist in terms of feeling good about what you do because the music industry is so volatile… where I started to feel that freedom and satisfaction when I had no expectations for myself,” she said. “That’s really a success right now, it’s just to make things that I love and to focus on making great art that is timeless”
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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at: @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
