Tinashe is Advocating for Herself
Tinashe has been an omnipresent force in our culture for years. ‘Omnipresent’ for those who do not know means ’present everywhere at the same time.’ This powerful adjective also links to the origin of Tinashe’s name, which means “We have God (or God is with us)” in Shona. Since the early 2000s, Tinashe’s presence has undoubtedly been with us.
From starring in The Polar Express as a motion-capture model, Avatar: The Last Airbender (the television series), Two and a Half Men, being the frontwoman of the girl group the Stunners, and so much more. Tinashe has always been that girl.
In March, she released the deluxe edition of her fifth studio album, 333. This is the second album she’s released since becoming an independent artist. “I was at that record label (RCA Records) for seven years,” Tinashe tells me over Zoom. “I really felt, towards the end of those seven years, discouraged about myself as a creative. My perception of myself was starting to be affected. I felt that maybe I didn’t have good ideas, maybe I couldn’t write good songs, because the art I would make wasn’t receiving the same amount of energy, excitement, push, and dollars. So that started really affecting my confidence.”
“I think I made the decision after leaving that label that I was going to just really focus on getting that back and really being in control of my creative because in doing so, I feel much more empowered.”
Tinashe’s confidence has notably grown since becoming an independent artist, with Zane Lowe remarking in his 2021 interview with her about 333 that he has never seen her more confident than she is now. Tinashe revealed to me that she now feels “much better about her art.” She continues, “I think I made the decision after leaving that label that I was going to just really focus on getting that back and really being in control of my creative because in doing so, I feel much more empowered.” As fans and onlookers, we can most definitely see and feel her newfound power.
Though she’s found liberation through becoming independent, Tinashe is honest about the fact that being an independent artist is incredibly difficult. “I have to keep it 100 with people. It is not easy being independent. To find enough money to be able to fund the things you want to create, whether that be studio time, putting together a live show, or making a music video. Those things cost a lot of money and to be able to maintain that on your own is very hard.” With that being said, Tinashe is still staunchly anti-establishment and highly critical of major music labels and how they treat their artists (as we all should be).
“I hope we continue to question why we keep signing to these corporations who pretty much just control our destiny and don’t necessarily care about us.” She enthuses, “So I’d like to see it [going independent] continue to happen in the future. I don’t have the answer, but I think that every artist who is creating their own path and advocating for others to do the same is an important part of that conversation.”
“I’ve had the ability, over the last couple of years with the pandemic, to have so much time to reflect and really realise that I can bring so much value from what I do by creating my own path, by helping people to understand that we don’t have to continue to live the same way we’ve always lived.”
As an artist, Tinashe is still evolving, and she sees disruption as an important part of her growth. “I’ve had the ability, over the last couple of years with the pandemic, to have so much time to reflect and really realise that I can bring so much value from what I do by creating my own path, by helping people to understand that we don’t have to continue to live the same way we’ve always lived. I think just disrupting our old ways of thinking, and our patterns is so important to change as a species in general.”
333 has been described as an “evolution into the future,” and one of the colours Tinashe uses to describe her universally acclaimed album is deep green. “It’s a deep mossy green, to be exact. It feels really grounded in the earth. It’s a little bit wet and moist, but at the same time. It’s still growing. It’s very fertile. It feels like there’s possibility there. It’s healthy. It’s spiritual. It’s natural.”
In Stereogum’s review of 333, they stated that “Tinashe sounds like she’s genuinely having fun again,” and guess what - she was. 333 was a family affair, Tinashe tells me. “One of my favourite studio sessions for the album was recording ‘It’s A Rap’. I was able to collaborate with my two younger brothers. They both make music for fun. It was really cool to be able to have them in the studio. We were freestyle writing together, each wrote our own verses and kind of put the song together. That, to me, stands out as one of my favourite sessions from this album process because I just felt like it was so personal, and it was so easy. I was brought back into a mindset of when I was first creating music when I was really unaffected by anyone else. Being able to put that on my album is still really cool to me.”
Control is a key term in this new era for Tinashe. This can not only be heard and felt through her music, but can be seen in her music videos and live performances. Tinashe is known for her sex appeal on stage and her jaw-dropping choreography and explains that Britney Spears and Janet Jackson have always inspired her.
“They weren’t shy about their femininity, they were powerful in it, and they were super hot. I always really, really, really loved that, and that always made me feel empowered.” She describes, “I always wanted to emulate that, and so I do think that when I started making music, it was very purposeful that I made songs that were empowering from both a sexuality perspective and a femininity perspective.”
Even though Tinashe has only recently gained control over her music, that doesn’t mean she was utterly powerless before. Her power could always be felt through her songs and through her performances. Sexual energy is something that Tinashe draws upon to give a crazy performance on stage, but she interestingly confesses that she doesn’t necessarily equate sexiness to sex. “As a person, sex isn’t one of my top priorities, but being sexy is. It makes me feel like my true woman self. It feels right, and It feels good to me. I think that that’s an interesting thing, that sexuality can be a part of you, and it not literally be about sex.” In a culture that has increasingly become sexless (less in terms of actual sex and more in terms of excitement), Tinashe’s unmistakable lust for her music and her art is hugely refreshing.
“I’m focusing more on creating a legacy for myself, just making good art for an entire career and not getting too caught up in each little draft or every single week.”
It’s easy to forget that Tinashe is only 29, purely based on her lengthy resume. As we come to the end of our conversation, she tells me that she has learned a lot from her long career in the entertainment industry. “I’m focusing more on creating a legacy for myself, just making good art for an entire career and not getting too caught up in each little draft or every single week; I think my art has been better for it. I really enjoy the fact that I’ve been able to be a part of the cultural conversations for a really long time.” She finishes, “I think that’s something I’ll continue to do for hopefully, I don’t know, maybe the rest of my life.”
Talent: Tinashe | Photographer: Savanna Ruedy | Writer: Halima Jibril | Stylist: Shalev Lavàn | Makeup: Marlaine Reiner | Hair: Gabriella Mancha
Look 1: Dress - Haixi Ren, Shoes - Tom Ford, Belt - Tata PR | Look 2: Full look - Windowsen | Look 3: Cutout full bodysuit - Mother Of All, Latex gloves - Vex, Rings - Maya Geller | Look 4: Latex swim cap - Vex, Lips jewelry - Keren Wolf
