Since blazing onto the mainstream scene with ‘2 On,’ Tinashe has not looked back.
Navigating the oft-complex industry can be a tall task for the even most seasoned of musical titans, yet the 30-year-old has established a revered presence by way of unfettered creativity and boundless exploration.
In doing so, Tinashe has consistently rendered herself one of the most exciting talents in the game.
That Grape Juice caught up with the starlet following her showstopping performance at BST Hyde Park 2023 in London.
During our EXCLUSIVE interview, the multihyphenate spilled on her electro-inspired new music and being influenced by the likes of Janet Jackson and Beyonce. She also opened up about how she sees success today.
Join us after the jump…
That Grape Juice: You’ve long been a force on stage, which we witnessed once again today. Who are some of your inspirations as a performer?
Tinashe: Janet Jackson is my number one. She’s the queen. She’s still consistent after all these years, still killing it on stage on tour right now. Yeah, she’s my biggest and then, there’s so many other women that I admire. Usually, my inspirations are strong women, strong women performers. Beyonce, Britney Spears, anybody who can really dance and give you that performance element as well as the costumes and all the things. I love all the drama. I’m here for that.
That Grape Juice: Your work rate is unmatched! Your fans have been fed so well, but there is still quite the appetite for new music. Any word on when we can expect it and what we can expect in the way of sound, producers, and collaborators?
Tinashe: Okay, you want to get fed juicy stuff. I have a new song coming in July. Very excited about that. It’s really soon. So, once that new song comes out, we’re going to start the rollout into my next project, which is so exciting. I’ve been working on it for a little over maybe a year and a half now. So, it’s been cooking. So, I’m really ready to release it to the world. And that’s always my favorite time is right before a song drops, because…just that excitement and anticipation is just top tier. So yeah, July is when I’ll start rolling out music. New music is coming very soon. So, thanks for everyone’s patience.
And in terms of sound, there’s no artist collaborations on this new project. It’s all me. But in terms of who’s been producing it, I’ve been working a lot with an artist called MachineDrum, who’s really amazing.
He’s kind of more in the electronic, almost techno space, which is cool and very fresh. I like that he was willing to take a risk. So, with this music, I did a lot of genre combining. I love to be able to play with different elements from different genres. And he really brought an electronic side that I loved in the production. And then I balanced that with a lot of R&B melodies and vocals. So, I hope everyone really likes it.
That Grape Juice: You’ve enjoyed much success on the charts and also lighting up the live circuit in a major way. How do you define success for yourself today?
Tinashe: I define success as putting out my best work and feeling like I put out my best work.
When I am confident in what I have put out when I feel fully fulfilled and like creative and in my creative vision coming to life, then I’m like, Oh, I was really successful in this. I think anytime that I’ve felt that I’ve made compromises in terms of what my art looks like, or what songs I put out, or whatever, then that’s the one time where you feel, if it doesn’t perform well, you’re like, I knew better. So, I think if you put out what you believe is your best work, and you put all of your energy into that, then, whatever the numbers come out to be, whatever the stats are, it doesn’t matter. Because the core of success is being able to create something that you’re proud of. 10, 20 years from now, I can look back and be like, that was really dope, that was really sick. That’s success to me.
And also, success is being able to have a long career and have longevity and be able to continue to make art for 10, 20, 30 years. That’s the goal, hopefully, if I want to. If I feel still inclined in the future, I would love to be able to. That’s success.