Tinashe - Popstar Review
Tinashe turns the pressures of chasing pop stardom into a record built for the dancefloor.
Post-brat pop has seen a mainstream dive into electronic production with an edge of sleaze. Many artists have taken their shot, from Camila Cabello to Princess Nokia. Tinashe’s newest album comes as a further step in an existing track record; she’s always excelled at creating fresh dance-pop, with a fun, defined soundworld. The Kentucky-born, California-raised singer-songwriter has already spent nearly two decades in the music industry, receiving impressive acclaim and collaborations, including production by Dev Hynes and DJ Mustard. Her last album, Quantum Baby, featured viral hit ‘Nasty’ and dancefloor favourite ‘No Broke Boys’, but otherwise played it somewhat safe musically, focusing instead on building career momentum. Despite this proven experience, she has hovered on the outskirts of wider popularity for years now. Enter: Popstar.
The album opens on ‘Sunglasses’, whose intro gathers a series of abstract chimes into one cohesive, computerised sound, like a vision coming into focus. Here Tinashe lays out the thesis statement of the record: partying as church; music as medicine. ‘It’s for my mental health, gotten so overwhelmed, and I need to feel something,’ she sings over a minimalist beat, alongside babbling backing vocals that spin on and off centre, evoking the slackening of a jaw. The slow roll is interrupted by lead single ‘Too Easy’, which cuts through any implication of instability. It’s a danceable night-out anthem, with the coyness of the now-hailed ‘2000s vixen’. Tinashe’s signature gum-chewing enunciation and breathy topline vocals keep this track playful, and it creates a strong forward motion that carries through the release.
‘Melatonin’ is a standout track on the album, clean yet frantically and disjointedly metronomic. The song opens with crisp and bubbly production, even a hint of ballroom in the breaks, but the excitement of a solid transition is built into the seamless beat switch, which leads into a digi-dance-pop verse that feels classic for her discography. While various pop musicians have delved into electronica in recent years, some trying on a subculture like a piece of clothing, Tinashe shows her genuine devotion to the sound on Popstar, and ‘Melatonin’ is where this truly shines.
With fairytale trills and soaring strings, ‘Empty Stadium’ crystallises a second overarching theme of the album: the pursuit of artistic potential, and particularly of fame. ‘I've been singing so long and nobody hears it, and I'm standing on the stage just waiting for applause that’ll never exist.’ Here, Tinashe asks if the integrity she has shown throughout her career was worth it. While artists like Charli XCX, Zara Larsson and Slayyyter have seen recent exponential growth following long periods of hosting a smaller, cult fandom, the extent to which this is possible for every woman in pop is yet to be seen. The phenomenon is widely acknowledged, often referred to as the ‘Khia asylum’, where an artist, particularly a woman, with previous hits or the potential to gain fame is held back from reaching their full potential. Tinashe quickly brushes off this concern with further flirtation in ‘Flashbacks’ and a jazzy trumpet melody in ‘Overdramatic’, before dropping into R&B ballad ‘I’d Rather Be Alone’. In moments, the track’s wailing guitar and building angst evoke Rihanna’s ‘Kiss It Better’, a peak of sorts in the centre of the release. Tinashe’s angelic vocal rise and fall is well placed in this empowered anthem, which will likely stand out in live performances.
The natural successor to this emotional openness, ‘Crash Out’, features knee-dropping jumps behind a teasing, foreboding topline, warning that Tinashe is a good girl no more, as she gets vaguely existential about the state of play in the world of fame. At times, the record veers into overuse of buzzy internet phrases like ‘oldest daughter’, ‘crash out’ and ‘brainrot’, putting the album’s potential for timelessness into question, but the exploratory sound and genuine feeling behind it are enough to restore faith. The slick production on this particular track is the sharp work of London-based producer Couros, whose off-centre, electronic approach to pop can be heard across the album, with other notable credits including Jigitz and Claudia Valentina.
Popstar is more solid and bass-heavy than Tinashe’s previous albums, and nowhere is this more delicious than ‘Nobody Wanna Dance’. Its funk elements broach a new space for the seasoned artist, and would be an interesting sound for her to explore in further work. Closing out with earnest ballad ‘Heavy Weight’ is an interesting choice, grounding the record in its romantic storyline and on a note of vulnerability. With emotionally raw lyrics and runs reminiscent of SZA, Tinashe lays out how she’s been worn down by giving too much. This sensitivity, where it meets more upbeat tracks, paints a picture of the catharsis of dancing and the essentiality of release.
Though there are moments where tracks seem to closely skirt the hooks and melodies of pop hits that have come before, Popstar maintains a pointed independence from its inspirations. The album strongly and clearly asks questions that only its reception can answer. It’s a record that’s honest about what it’s like to endlessly approach stardom, and its edges and tensions feel anticipatory of greatness being recognised. While alt-pop and electropop are leading the genre, with parallel releases including PinkPantheress’s Fancy That, Adéla’s The Provocateur and FKA twigs’ Eusexua, this well-timed release may allow Tinashe to dictate her own fate. Put simply, Tinashe knows she’s on the precipice of something. Alongside her precisely curated visuals and skilled performance, Popstar has the potential to push her further into undeniable pop stardom.