Final Numbers Are In: Tinashe’s New Album ‘Songs For You’ Sold…

Published: Monday 2nd Dec 2019 by Rashad

November 21 brought with it news Tinashe had stormed digital charts with the release of her first independent project, ‘Songs For You.’

A 16-track set all written by the 26-year-old and featuring the likes of 6LACK, G-Eazy, Ms. Banks, and more, ‘Songs’ – despite serving as the singer’s inaugural offering post-departing RCA Records – served no shortage of polish longtime fans have come to expect from the diva.

Now under the management of Roc Nation, the ‘Die a Little Bit’-led effort was alive and well at retail with reports suggesting she was outpacing the numbers of some of the day’s top sellers including Kanye West and more.  And, while Tinashe’s already made it well known she’s not concerned with charts (click here to read), look inside to see how ‘Songs’ stacked up against the competition on the refreshed Billboard 200:


Tinashe’s ‘Songs For You’

First Week Sales (SPS):  6,900

First Week Sales (Pure): 830

Debut Billboard 200 Position:  #147

Despite its critical acclaim, ‘Songs’ comes as the singer’s lowest debut placement since 2016’s ‘Nightride’ (which premiered at #89 on the Billboard 200).  A contextual win from where we stand given a) the lack of promotion afforded the effort and b) the commercial nonperformance of its leading singles, the album serves as a means to sate fans and prove to major labels her name alone is enough to get people talking and listening.

[sales info collected from Penske Media’s independent analytics company Alpha Data, formerly known as BuzzAngle Music]

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  1. Zion December 2, 2019

    Her career is over sis

    • Fanciest BISH December 2, 2019

      What’s your career sus

      • Bravo!! December 2, 2019

        Lmao!!

      • Zion December 3, 2019

        My career is laying on my back for your daddy

    • Jasmine December 2, 2019

      With all the videos she did for this album it should have done better. Her fans cannot blame RCA Records for this latest flop because she is not signed to them.

      This is what I have said all along…her fans (or lack thereof) should blame themselves for not buying her new music and Tinashe for not having the IT factor.

      • Swirly December 2, 2019

        Judging by the numbers, her fans did support lol. Tinashe doesn’t have many fans. Her only hit was released almost 6 years ago. Her time has passed.

  2. Meme December 2, 2019

    We don’t care about the number her album did or did not do. The fact that this was a very solid body of work that is better than the albums she did on a major label is what we should be talking about.

    I am honestly sick of all the sale post. It completely takes away from the art. I can name 20 albums released this year that wasn’t even half as good as this album that too the charts.

    • King z December 2, 2019

      You’re so Sick of them but always among the first to comment on them? Hmm..

    • Jasmine December 2, 2019

      Sales matter because it reflects what consumers at large are buying and not just your individual music taste. Liking music is subjective. Just because you like a particular album does not mean it is better than other albums. Hence, the logic behind sales posts.

      • Meme December 2, 2019

        Yes and no. Sale isn’t necessarily a reflection of the likings of consumers. It is more about popularity. I know plenty of ppl who liked Tanashe music who never purchased it. At the same time purchase Kanye album but didn’t like any of the songs on it.

        Case and point, sale is not important in today’s market. It is not a reflection of the music itself. Only popularity and payola.

      • S.U.P.E.R.S.T.A.R.!. December 2, 2019

        @Meme – Lies!

      • Meme December 2, 2019

        Which part was a lie? Payola or popularity? Because both are facts.

      • B*ssyfellows December 2, 2019

        Yes it’s true, but when a label has the funds to purchase records and use tactics to inflate sales it makes things look this way. People aren’t really purchasing music anymore. People stream music more than anything. A song has to be played thousands of times to be counted as a sale. Record labels can pay streaming services to place music and post advertisements to get people’s attention. Otherwise it’s ok to not be for everybody. She has her niche. The album was great. Aaliyah’s one in a million and Self titled album sold very low first week especially in a musically selling time of physical copies and r&b being the top genre. Those two albums are classics and have gone on to sell millions. Why are people so quick to cancel people off of a sale? If Tinashe’s touring I’m going! Period

      • Jasmine December 2, 2019

        Sorry Meme but you are clearly projecting your personal likes and dislikes of music releases as fact for all people. Kanye’s album got 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon which means there are way more consumers who liked the album than the people you personally know who did not like it. Sales are very important because it puts aside people’s personal opinions and shows what consumers are checking for and buying. Claiming payola is the reason Tinashe flopped is not applicable because she is not competing with anyone. Claiming popularity is why Tinashe flopped is true but skates around the real FACT which is part of the job description for a music artist is to be popular. NO ONE is entitled to popularity or sales! You have to hustle to obtain that. Is Tinashe hustling hard enough where it counts? NO.

      • Love November 25, 2020

        Very true. It also makes a difference if an Artist gets nominated for an award as well. Low sales and not charting can kill a career fast and if you are not being recognized by your peers and the industry then you kind of disappear. Also, sales equals money that you can make for yourself and the label. If you are not moving units there is no money and the label is only going to put up a limited amount of funds for your production that you have to pay back so you lose money for the label and yourself. An artist has to realize they have to be sales people and they are the product. They have to literally get people to buy into their brand. Tinashe needed to do interviews, magazine covers, collabs, award shows, concerts etc. She was not promoted well. Much of her work I did not even know about until months later after it was released. If you do not hustle and move those units and sell those tickets then it is a fail. All that hard work down the drain.

  3. K_man December 2, 2019

    Hang up… flatscreen!

  4. Sweetnothings78 December 2, 2019

    I honestly adore her. Been to see her in concert, gave her my coins but was absolutely shocked to see these numbers. I was expecting at least 50K first week.

    Why does she not connect with the masses?

    • 2bad2bme December 2, 2019

      She doesn’t have star power. Just because she can dance has a pretty voice and is light skin that does not guarantee her success when she doesn’t command your attention with her presence. She forces everything she does.

  5. only facts December 2, 2019

    Bless her heart. I still think it’s a great body of work. I think Tinashe’s biggest issue is she spent so much time going between R&B, trap and pop that she lost her fans while she was trying to find her sound. This album is definitely her sound and works for her, but she just 1) shouldn’t have released it on a Thursday, and 2) should have tried to book some interviews, and appearances. There was zero promo. We don’t even know your personality Tinashe…let the public truly get to know you. We can’t connect without knowing you.

    • S.U.P.E.R.S.T.A.R.!. December 2, 2019

      @Truly.. – I agree that the public doesn’t know her. Despite doing talk show performances under a label. She’s forgettable and she NEEDS to be in the public’s face more.

    • A&R December 2, 2019

      Ppl Like H. E. R and a few others have dispelled the notion that all singers have to brand their personality with their music. That’s a lie man..lol I honestly think her trying to do that is part of why she’s suffering. Some ppl have personality that could distract the consumer from the art. Tinashe needs to stick with her sound and booking strategic performances and appearances. None of that extra get to know the real me ish. She’s not that girl.

      • C***** December 2, 2019

        Respectfully, H.E.R. is currently struggling. She has yet to release a full length album and hasn’t been on the charts with her latest songs. I like H.E.R. but long-term, we have to get to know you.

  6. Clarks0on December 2, 2019

    But I told yall

    Just because she was number 1 on itunes chart doesn’t mean shes not gonna flop

    This was my comment when u guys posted about her being number 1 on itunes.

    Clarksooon
    November 21, 2019

    I’m happy for her but this doesnt mean shìt
    A top 30 debut.

    I was even expecting a top 30 debut
    ??????
    ????

    This news will hurt tinashe feelings cause she wants to be successful so bad.

    She’s gonna start complaining on twitter and Instagram , wanna bet

  7. Clarks0on December 2, 2019

    She is just not star material

    She’s so bland.

    She falls into the same category with normani.
    Good dancer, zero star quality. Nothing interesting. Forgettable voice.

    The funniest thing is, both tinashe and normani were on dancing with the stars, and none of them won the competition show. ??????

    If another pop girl released this album, it will be a hit.

    • S.U.P.E.R.S.T.A.R.!. December 2, 2019

      @Clark…. – I agree with you here “..zero star quality. Nothing interesting. Forgettable ..”

    • Truth teller December 2, 2019

      Noarmani’s stats are actually underrated.

      Her duet with Khalid went top ten a year ago
      Her duet with Sam went top ten this year

      Motivation went top 40 and did more streams in week one than Tinahse whole album.
      It’s also gold eligible.

      Normani has done 3 billion streams in the past 2 years. Forbes just wrote an article about it.

      Tinahse has been solo for 7 years and put out 4 projects. Normani has put out a handful of singles and 3 of them have taken in the past year and a half. Tinahse hasn’t produced a hot 100 hit in half a decade.

      Nice try Camila fan 🙂

      • Clarkso00n December 2, 2019

        3 billion streams? That’s a fat lie
        Rough estimates

        Dancing with a stranger-600 million streams
        Love lies- 600 million streams
        Motivation- 150 million

        These are her 3 most popular songs

        All her other songs combined dont have up to 200 million streams.
        Even if they had 200 million streams, it still wont reach 3 billion streams

        U guys are forcing normani to happen, but she is not going to happen.
        Her getting all that hype from everybody in the industry when she released motivation and the song didnt still hit the top ten is a clear indication she ain’t gonna happen. . Trust me

        Childish Gambino got the exact same hype normani got when he released this is America, and the song hit number one.

        I am not hating, I am barely wrong most of the time, normani is not a star.

        Here comes the Camila released 5 flops. So?
        Camila is a star. atleast she has a distinctive voice. When u hear her on the radio u know it’s her. Nobody in the business sounds like her.
        Go watch her SNL performance, or any one of her seniorita performances, Camila shines like an electric bulb. her vocals are beyond perfect, her dance moves are entertaining, her costumes , etc

        She has almost sold out Madison Square garden. That’s how u know a star.

      • Normani. December 2, 2019

        this is an example of when clarkston switches usernames. look at the material.

  8. You Tried December 2, 2019

    It’s actually a very good album. She has a big fan base wonder why it wasn’t streamed more??

  9. Ant December 2, 2019

    “the album serves as a means to sate fans and prove to major labels her name alone is enough to get people talking and listening.”

    She didnt prove anything.
    She failed big time.

    Pure sales – 830
    This is terrible.
    If she sold this album from the trunk of her car, she would have sold more copies than 830.

    She need to retire.
    Go be a model or actress or something
    Start teaching dance lessons.
    Go be a judge on x factor or Americas got talent.

    Go have a kid for an athlete.
    Music is not for u honey.

    • J December 2, 2019

      ??????

  10. Adele December 2, 2019

    Damn!

  11. Clarkso00n December 2, 2019

    Black people, after hyping an artist on Twitter, they let them flop

    Tinashe was trending on Twitter the day she released this album
    she trended thru out the day.
    Everybody were saying how good the album was on Twitter. Smh

    Another clear example, Twitter hype don’t translate into sales

    Normani this is gonna be u.
    They will hype u on twitter, but ur still gonna flop on charts
    ?????

    • Truth teller December 2, 2019

      Normani has done a little better with two top ten duets and a top 40 solo hit this year
      In the past two years she’s racked up 3 billion streams. Forbes just published an article.

      • Truth teller December 2, 2019

        Clarksson carries Normani around to every thread because it’s a threatened Camila fan.

        You dont talk about someone every chance you get and try to lump her in with others if they dont scare you.

        She scares you and the support she gets scares you. It’s hilarious.

      • Clarkso00n December 2, 2019

        Scared of normani how?

        Camila about to sell out Madison Square garden

        Normani is not a star, neither does she have 3 billion streams.

        her YouTube views are low
        Her streaming numbers are low
        Her follower count on social media are low
        Her youtube subscribers are low

        U want normani to win cause she’s the same skin colour as you, but let me break it to u, it doesn’t work that way. U have to deliver good songs, and normani hasn’t done that.

    • XYZ December 2, 2019

      Actually, you are the only one I always read about using Normani’s name. She has not even that much hype as you give her ?

    • Normani. December 2, 2019

      but your black though….

  12. ChartCheckThatAzz December 2, 2019

    Her album dropped on a Thursday. Those are the totals from sales it accrued on that one day alone. Billboard tracks album sales from Friday-Thursday. Her sales should/will be higher next week.

    • S.U.P.E.R.S.T.A.R.!. December 2, 2019

      @Chart.. – Good info!

    • Angela December 2, 2019

      Exactly! This is just from one day of sales. Why not report that TGJ???

      • Dc December 2, 2019

        Do your research the album did not drop thanksgiving it dropped week before these sales are accurate

    • Dc December 2, 2019

      Ummmm it’s been over a week of sales denial it’s ok lol

    • Clarkso00n December 2, 2019

      The album was released thursday 21 Nov
      Today is 2 dec

      That’s 11 days of tracking.

      So these sales are accurate.

  13. YAS BIH December 2, 2019

    A lot of ppl say it’s Ok, It don’t matter she’s an independent artist, and I Agree but what I don’t like is y’all like to pick and choose what artist get dragged for the same or Around the same similar situations on sales if ya not going to keep that same energy for all don’t bring the negative energy to none at all especially when most of these artist are not doing good in sales bc I could name a few yall went above and beyond to disrespect in every single way but now all of a sudden it’s “OK”?

    • S.U.P.E.R.S.T.A.R.!. December 2, 2019

      @YAS .. – I agree.

  14. Neptun December 2, 2019

    She did great. The album is realy nice and I’m proud of her. She focused much more on the music and not on the Business. She didn’t Promote the album I think a lot of people didn’t even know that she dropped a album. Keep going Mama she is Super talented and dope. Nothing it’s over is just the beginning!!

  15. J December 2, 2019

    A certified flop.

  16. Dc December 2, 2019

    Y’all jumped the gun when it was number 1 iTunes ????

  17. Lewey December 2, 2019

    “…prove to major labels her name alone is enough to get people talking and listening.”

    ONLY 830 PEOPLE in the USA, population: 321 million, bought her album.

  18. Ratedxxx December 2, 2019

    I’ve never heard a song by her…
    So I can’t call her a flop…

    I’ve seen her dance..on mute
    She’s a great dancer….

    I can only wish her the best….but she made a huge mistake by being on roc nation…

    Roc nation is the devil…they barely promote their artists…

    • Angela December 2, 2019

      Then why comment clown? ?

  19. Lana Bey Fan December 2, 2019

    I guess we’re hating on her again because she’s light skinned ??‍♀️

  20. wolsinyourarea December 2, 2019

    Artists really don’t sell enough these days, period.

    • REALTALK December 3, 2019

      Based on today’s music scene Taylor Swift is not only top dawg but she’s one of the greatest artists to ever release a record which goes to show how much modern-day charts, awards, and sales mean “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!! This is a really good release by Tinashe, far better than what Taylor is currently being worshipped for. I agree Tinashe just needs to get off the social media BS and focus on high-quality bookings, appearances and recordings cause she’s definitely on to something.

      • High Price December 3, 2019

        Preach! Preach! Facts all day!

  21. DOnt M3$$ December 3, 2019

    Ok but wasnt it released on a Thursday??? aka one day of tracking? Someone please correct me if I’m wrong

  22. BYISI December 3, 2019

    We knew this was coming even with her hitting #1 on itunes. Loud fans on social media doesn’t equate to sells. The album already sounds stale after a week. Just because an artist doesn’t move units doesn’t mean they are this great artist. Tinashe is run of the mill female R&B of today, nothing special! We also need to stop the “sells not tracked the whole week” to try and justify albums flopping as well. You all tried that with Lil Kim and we see how that turned out. Tinashe just doesn’t have the it factor. It’s not that she’s not talented, she’s just not marketable and hasn’t been for 7 years! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her trying to become a socialite. It’s not happening music career wise though!830 records ??☠️☠️

  23. Denise December 3, 2019

    You know damn well it was just one day of sales, as she released the album on a Thursday! Do your research! Correct this post!

    • king z December 3, 2019

      it wasn’t one day of sales.

      her album was released on november 21, meaning that it’s “one day sales” chart info would’ve been on LAST WEEK’s chart. It did not have enough to chart, so its DEBUT is technically its second week (this week). it debuted at #147.

      so had she just released it on november 22, she would’ve debuted higher cuz that one day of sales would’ve counted toward this week

      • Denise December 3, 2019

        Oh okay, thanks for clearing that up.

  24. Tired of Y’all December 5, 2019

    Ok, since it seems that no one knows about this situation, I’ll explain. Songs For You was released on a Thursday. Thursday is the final day of the sales tracking week. Tinashe stated that the reason she released then instead of Friday was that she wanted to symbolize her no longer contributing to the Industry’s games. These sales are representative of only its first day sales. ONCE AGAIN, THESE ARE ONLY THURSDAY’S SALES! Next week’s sales should be more accurate of the first week.

  25. Happy July 4, 2020

    This is sad. She is mega talented and she is losing. Now her tour is officially cancelled for good. She has to refund everyone’s money so she does not make a dime. It has to do with units sold and if she is not selling then why? Is she not relevant? Is she not being promoted enough? I read that her contract might not be that good either. She needs a team that live for her and can recreate her like RiRi So basically she owes her label money. JS

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