Tinashe knows the power of social media. On her 533K strong Instagram account the 21-year-old buxom beauty pouts her way to “likes”, shows off her midriff like a TLC member, and frames the lighting on her selfies perfectly, making her look like a glamorous young Mariah in some and a gangsta lean Ciara in others.
On Twitter she has 395K followers, over a million Facebook fans, and her YouTube videos have been watched from the tens of thousands to the millions. She’s what the entertainment industry would call a “triple threat” – actor, singer, dancer. An exotic pop package who has managed to break out of the teen mould, market a new sound and image, and become the epitome of this generation’s internet savvy artists.
After spending four years in manufactured girl pop group, The Stunners, because they were “looking for a black girl”, and touring with that other internet savvy star, Justin Beiber, the group split and she moved on. She determined to pursue her solo work and dropped out of school at the end of 9th grade.
What resulted was a collection of mixtapes — In Case We Die, Reverie, and Black Water — all of which were self-released online, and self-produced from a studio she set up in her parent’s house, where she still lives.
Everything she knows about production she learned from YouTube: Pro Tools, Logic, Final Cut Pro. She released her own mixtapes because she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for her record label. And when she needs to market her songs she’ll pick up a camera and shoot, edit and star in her own videos.
But it wasn’t until her breakthrough single 2 On, when Tinashe’s star really started to rise. The infectious beat, those slinky sensual vocals and that banging interlude by Schoolboy Q was featured on Time and Pitchfork’s best tracks of 2014 lists, reached number one on the US Billboard Rhythmic Charts, and was even secretly reworked by Drake.
The video, an energetic Pussycat Dolls-style dance-off — complete with booty and bling — has been watched over 54 million times. It was one of the few hyped songs on her album, Aquarius, which dropped in October last year, but it’s is far from definitive of her overall sound. Tinashe creates alternative RnB — dark beats hipsters can cradle their beer to, and enough soulful grooves and twerking moves to keep the RnB fans dancing.
Ahead of her first Australian visit, Music Feeds spoke to Tinashe over the phone from LA about resilience, being a workaholic, and that good ol’ “woman in the music industry” business.
Watch: Tinashe – 2 On (ft. Schoolboy Q)
Music Feeds: You’ve come from manufactured pop beginnings but have managed to break away and become an artist in your own right, doing everything you can through the power of You Tube no less! Where do you think you’d be without it?
Tinashe: I don’t know, because I’m a very resilient person so I feel like I would’ve figured out a way to make it work. I’ll figure out what needs to be done in order to achieve goals that I’m aiming for cause that’s the type of person that I am.
MF: Do you get criticism for that because you’re self-taught? In some of your more personal You Tube videos and other interviews you emphasise yourself as an “artist”, I guess to remove your pop star beginnings. Do you ever feel like you don’t get credit for what you do – that you’re simply young, pretty and can dance?
T: Absolutely. Those things are easy to point out and easy to discredit the things that I’ve worked really hard at. The fact that I’ve been working in this music industry and this entertainment business for years and years, and people don’t necessarily do their research or know all that, and they think that it’s easy for me or that it happened overnight and that’s not really the case.
MF: Well, social media and the internet has obviously played a big part in your success, but at the same time it’s a platform for haters to feast on. How do you deal with that?
T: I think it’s about not really letting it affect you because everybody has an opinion, especially people on social media. For me it’s important to just remember the opinions of people who matter to me, or how I feel about myself and not listening to whatever’s out there.
MF: So do you have someone who you turn to in those moments?
T: The closest thing to that would be my Mom. I’m really close to my parents so they’re always there for me when I need someone.
MF: It’s so awesome that you have the support of your parents who believed in you from the beginning. You’re still at home with them with your bedroom studio?
T: Yeah, absolutely. I record a lot of things there and it’s amazing to still be able to do that and have that kind of support at home.
MF: Well, another inspirational person who you spoke to recently was Patti Labelle for V Magazine. What was that like?
T: It was really an honour to be able to talk to someone like that and it was incredible to be on the phone with her and just get her point of view. She gave me a lot of words of encouragement and that was great.
MF: So what type of advice did she give you?
T: She just encouraged me to stay grounded and always strive to inspire people cause she thinks at the end of the day that’s what we’re here for and I totally agree.
Watch: Tinashe – Pretend (ft. A$AP Rocky)
MF: That’s good advice, especially as the past year has really blown up for you. But you’ve always had that vision – you’ve said that at 16 you knew you wanted to become a “celebrity”, which some people could view as being a precocious thing to say. Obviously that’s worked out for you! What do you think of the idea of having “fame” as a goal, especially in this era of reality shows and social media?
T: I think it’s interesting when it’s not for any particular reason except for the sake of being well known – that’s when the line gets blurred. It’s certainly exploded in more recent years, obviously with social media and reality shows. But for me at the end of the day it’s always been about the music. I always felt like I had something to contribute to the world and make people happy on that kind of level as opposed to just being well known for the sake of being well known.
MF: It’s such a cut-throat industry though, and there’ve been a lot of other RnB singers like yourself who’ve faded away after a few hit songs. Are you ever concerned about the longevity of your career?
T: Not really, ’cause like I said before I never really take no for an answer. I always figure out a new way of doing something. If something seems like it’s a failure I’ll change what I’m doing. I’ll always figure it out.
MF: So what are some stories about getting knocked down and getting back up?
T: I think it’s a lot of minor things throughout my life. When I was younger I used to act so getting turned down for particular roles that I really wanted but then maybe later realising that if I had those roles maybe it wouldn’t have been the best thing for my career in the long run. Or like meeting with record labels initially and they’re not really understanding who I was as an artist, and at that time feeling disappointed and now realising that would not be the best place for me.
MF: You’re incredibly persistent and with seemingly non-stop projects going on. Do you ever get to relax or are you a bit of a workaholic?
T: Not really. When I do I really try to utilise it for other stuff. Like I’ve been home for a few weeks off tour and I’ve really been focussed on being creative and every day just being in the studio and trying to make new stuff. So in a way I guess you could say I’m a workaholic. I’m always focused on trying to do better and be better and get to the next step.
MF: Well, it’s your first time in Australia on an international tour, which I guess is a dream come true for you. What can Australian audiences expect to see?
T: Definitely high-energy performances. I’m going to be performing some of the old songs from the mixtape, some new songs from the album. I’ll have dancers, a drummer… all sorts of surprises. I’m really excited.
MF: And how about new material? Anything you’re working on at the moment?
T: I’m starting to work on new stuff just cause I always want to have new material that I’m working on and thinking about being creative, but I don’t have any solid plans just yet. Right now I’m focused on touring and I’ll be touring for the next few months.
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Tinashe is currently in Australia as part of her international tour. Details below.
Wednesday, 18th February
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Thursday, 19th February
Chevron Festival Gardens, Perth
Friday, 20th February
The Hi-Fi, Melbourne
