2000–2011: The Stunners and acting roles Tinashe scored roles in a number of TV shows, movies, and children's videos in the 2000s, including the movies
Cora Unashamed (2000),
Call Me Claus (2001),
Masked and Anonymous (2003), She also made a regular role in the
Cartoon Network TV series ''
Out of Jimmy's Head in 2007–2008 and a recurring role on Two and a Half Men in 2008–2009. Although she was uncredited in the poorly received Masked and Anonymous'', American film critic
Roger Ebert praised her performance at the film's
2003 Sundance Film Festival premiere, describing her rendition of "
The Times They Are A-Changin' as being delivered with "sweetness and conviction". In 2007, Tinashe joined
girl group,
the Stunners, founded by American singer
Vitamin C. Tinashe's bandmates were Marisol Esparza,
Allie Gonino,
Hayley Kiyoko, and
Kelsey Sanders. Six months after their formation, the group signed with
Columbia Records and later signed a production deal with
Lionsgate Entertainment for scripted television show for MTV. In October, they released a five-song EP, influenced by artists such as
Madonna,
Gwen Stefani, and
Rihanna. In 2009, they performed "Santa Bring My Soldier Home" on
The Wendy Williams Show. After signing with
Universal Republic Records, they released a single, "Dancin' Around the Truth" in 2010. The music video premiered on June 2, just before the group was announced as an
opening act on Canadian singer
Justin Bieber's
My World Tour. After Bieber's tour, the Stunners returned to the recording studio, but disbanded in 2011, and Tinashe began pursuing a solo career. After the group disbanded, Tinashe purchased recording equipment, including a camera and microphones, beginning to teach herself how to record and mix music. She wrote and recorded songs in her room studio, while she produced beats with
Logic Pro, filmed and edited her own music videos with
Pro Tools and
Final Cut Pro. Tinashe cited
YouTube as her "teacher". On June 24, she released her first solo music video, a cover of American rapper
Lil Wayne's single, "
How to Love". The song was later released as a free digital download via her official website. Tinashe was featured on her debut single, "Artificial People", by American production team
OFM, released on September 12. On November 25, she released a music video for "Can't Say No", her first original solo song. She stated that it sampled an instrumental of American singer
Britney Spears's song, "Blur". It was released for digital download on November 28.
2012–2014: Independent mixtapes, record deal and Aquarius In Case We Die, Tinashe's debut solo mixtape, was released in February 2012, recorded in her home studio. It spawned four singles; the first being promotional song, "Chainless", was released in December 2011, alongside the music video. "My High" was released for streaming through her official website, and "This Feelings music video, directed by
Cole Walliser, was released on May 1, 2012 to Global Grind. The mixtape's final single, "Boss", was released August 20, after being featured in an episode of the
VH1 series
Single Ladies; its music video was self-directed. The mixtape was received positively by the
blogosphere. On July 13, Tinashe announced that she had signed with
RCA Records. Following the record deal, her second mixtape
Reverie was released on September 6 through her official website. It spawned three singles, "Stargazing", "Ecstasy", and "Who Am I Working For?". On November 26, 2013, Tinashe released her third mixtape,
Black Water, composed of thirteen tracks produced by Dev Hynes,
Boi-1da,
Ryan Hemsworth, and Tinashe herself. The single "Vulnerable" which features American rapper
Travis Scott was declared a "Must-Hear Pop Song of the Week" by MTV's Buzzworthy on November 26. Tinashe had worked on her debut studio album in 2014, She also worked with various producers including
Clams Casino, Ryan Hemsworth,
Stuart Matthewman,
DJ Mustard,
T-Minus,
Mike Will Made It, Boi-1da, Fisticuffs,
Best Kept Secret, Ritz Reynolds, and
London on da Track. On January 13, she released her first solo single from her debut studio album, "
2 On". Produced by DJ Mustard, the song features American rapper
Schoolboy Q. It entered the US
Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 89, peaking at number 24. On June 29, Tinashe made her national television debut, performing "2 On" at the
BET Awards pre-show. Her debut studio album,
Aquarius, was released on October 7; about its theme, Tinashe said that it would combine elements of her previous work while reflecting her artistic growth, adding that it "embodies who I am and where I am creatively right now". The album's second single, "
Pretend" featuring
ASAP Rocky, was released on August 22. Upon the album's release,
Aquarius debuted at number 17 on
Billboard 200 with 18,800 copies sold in its first week. "
All Hands on Deck" became the last single off of the album on February 24, 2015. In January, Tinashe made her first fashion magazine cover appearance for
V magazine.
2015–2017: Nightride and Joyride In late January 2015, Tinashe was reported working with writers and producers from
Prescription Songs,
Max Martin, and
Taylor Parks on her then-upcoming second studio album. On March 16, Tinashe released a seven-song mixtape entitled
Amethyst for free download; it was recorded in her bedroom during her Christmas vacation and features production from Ryan Hemsworth,
Iamsu!,
DJ Dahi, Smash David, Ritz Reynolds,
Nez & Rio, and Mae N. Maejor. In between time, she invested in several self-directed music videos from
Aquarius: "Aquarius", "Bated Breath", "Cold Sweat", and "Bet/Feels Like Vegas". In September, Tinashe released a teaser for her then-second studio album
Joyride through YouTube. She told
Rolling Stone that the title reflected her evolving career, describing it as feeling like "an adventure, a journey, a ride". She also said that despite her efforts to grow her fan base, she felt "underappreciated" and "undervalued", while viewing the release as an opportunity for listeners to rediscover her. Same month, Tinashe leaked a
buzz single, "Party Favors" featuring American rapper
Young Thug, as a way to get the ball rolling from her label. On October 21, Tinashe was featured on British electronic duo
Snakeships's track "
All My Friends", which also featured American rapper
Chance the Rapper. In the summer of 2015, Tinashe joined Trinidadian rapper
Nicki Minaj's US concert,
the Pinkprint Tour. In September and October, Tinashe toured South America with American singer
Katy Perry on the
Prismatic World Tour. Tinashe announced the Joyride World Tour on January 12, 2016, in support of
Joyride. Beginning in February, it was scheduled through May including dates in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. However, the tour was ultimately canceled as she wanted to focus on making new songs for the album. On February 2, she revealed another promotional single, "Ride of Your Life". The same month, Canadian cosmetic company
MAC Cosmetics announced a limited-edition collaboration with Tinashe for its #MACFutureForward campaign, along with singers
Halsey,
Lion Babe, and
Dej Loaf. In April, Tinashe debutted on radio station
Hot 97's Summer Jam main stage during the summer. On July 15, she released a single "
Superlove", and its music video, directed by
Hannah Lux Davis and filmed in Malibu, California, made its debut in August. In September, Tinashe performed her new song "
Company" on
MTV's Wonderland. Unlike her previous work, it was written by American singer
the-Dream, without Tinashe as co-writer. She was confirmed working with Britney Spears for a remix version of Spears's song, "
Slumber Party" in October. Designer brand
Alexander Wang was collaborating with Tinashe in a video for its Fall 2016 campaign. On November 4, she released a
digital album and
short film, titled
Nightride, which she said had been in production for two years alongside
Joyride.
Rolling Stone described the album as "dark, alluring and dangerous". In March 2017, Tinashe joined American band
Maroon 5's tenth headlining tour,
Maroon V Tour. The same month,
Pepsi, in association with
iHeartMedia,
Shazam, and
Viacom, announced that Tinashe would join its music platform, the Sound Drop. On March 16, Tinashe premiered a new single, "
Flame". Following its release, she appeared in the new season of
Empire, In June, Tinashe appeared at two concerts with American singer
Aaron Carter at
Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash. On July 11, Tinashe stated that she was working on her then-second album,
Joyride, with producers namely
Mike WiLL Made It,
TM88,
Metro Boomin,
Diplo, Boi-1da, Charlie Handsome, and others. In 2018, she released two singles from
Joyride, "
No Drama" featuring American rapper
Offset and "
Faded Love" featuring American rapper
Future.
Joyride was released on April 13, receiving an average score of 66 based on thirteen reviews and debuting at number 58 on the US
Billboard 200.
2018–2020: Television, departure from RCA, and Songs for You On June 9, 2018, American record producer
Hitmaka revealed his role as executive producer on Tinashe's then-upcoming album, titled
Nashe. Its lead single was "
Like I Used To", released on July 13, and its second single was "
Throw a Fit", released on July 26 with the album's cover as the single artwork. In August, rumors of
Nashe being canceled circulated the internet, with further speculation being followed after Tinashe posted a screenshot of a page error from RCA's website on Instagram. On September 12, Tinashe was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on
season 27 of
Dancing with the Stars; her professional partner was American dancer
Brandon Armstrong. Despite consistently receiving high scores, they were the fourth couple to be eliminated from the competition on October 15. In the same month, Tinashe performed at
Austin City Limits Festival.
Fox announced a live adaption to the musical
Rent, as
Rent: Live, in which Tinashe portrayed the lead female role of Mimi Marquez, an exotic dancer who struggled with addiction and HIV. Promotional videos and series of pictures were released featuring Tinashe and other cast members in rehearsal and costumes during the lead up to the airing. As a fan of the musical since middle school, she told
Us Weekly on her role and the musical overall: "It still has a lot of the topics that are definitely not necessarily children topics, but I think it's important because they're very relevant and we deal with them in a beautiful, awesome, fun, exciting way." The musical aired on Fox on January 27, 2019, and the television special received five
Primetime Emmy Awards. In February 2019, Tinashe's manager announced she had parted ways with RCA, stating that the "positive split" was "giving her back creative control". After her departure,
HotNewHipHop published a report believing she was in the midst of being courted by multiple major labels. She signed a management deal with
Roc Nation on November 7. On November 20, she released her first self-released studio album,
Songs for You. It was described by
The Cut magazine's Kerensa Cadenas as "excellent", with
The Wall Street Journals Ben Dandridge-Lemco suggesting that it was "tough to find a negative review about the project anywhere". On July 17, 2020, nearly eight months after the release of
Songs for You, Tinashe released the single "
Rascal (Superstar)". In August, she confirmed that she would be featured on Australian rapper
Iggy Azalea's single, "
Dance Like Nobody's Watching"; it marked their second collaboration, after 2015's "All Hands on Deck" remix. On November 25, Tinashe
surprise released a Christmas EP,
Comfort & Joy, co-produced with her younger brother Quiet Child.
2021–2023: 333 and BB/Ang3l On May 28, 2021, Tinashe posted a cryptic teaser for her then upcoming fifth studio album through her social media accounts. The teaser included the caption "333", which was speculated to be the title for the album, along with a new logo designed by
Franc Fernandez. Its lead single, "
Pasadena", was released on June 4, featuring American rapper
Buddy. On July 9, Tinashe released the album's second single, "Bouncin. Following the release, she announced its accompanying tour, 333 Tour, on July 12, which began in September. On July 22, Tinashe revealed the release date of
333 as August 6, releasing the song "I Can See the Future" the same day. The album was acclaimed by music critics. Meanwhile, the song and its music video for "Bouncin gathered a lot of media attention, with the likes of British girl group
Little Mix and American rapper
Doja Cat expressing their love for the song. In July, Tinashe was announced as one of the guests to appear on the rebooted
MTV Cribs. The year ended with the announcement of her new
Facebook Watch show
Choreo Cage Fight, premiering on December 3. in 2023|alt=Tinashe dancing and wearing an orange dress For 2022, Tinashe was named in
Forbes magazine's
30 Under 30 list. On February 22, Australian musician
Flume announced his tour, Palaces World Tour, which Tinashe joined as a supporting act. On July 29, Scottish singer
Calvin Harris released the fourth single of his sixth studio album
Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 (2022), "
New to You", along with Tinashe,
Normani, and Offset. In January 2023, Tinashe made a guest appearance in the film adaptation of
House Party, alongside
Jacob Latimore,
Mya,
Kid Cudi, &
LeBron James. She was also cast in the reality-competition series
Stars on Mars, which premiered on June 5, hosted by American actor
William Shatner among other "celebronauts" where she finished as runner-up. On July 21, Tinashe released "
Talk to Me Nice", the first single from her then upcoming sixth studio album,
BB/Ang3l. On August 18, she released its second single, "
Needs". She released the album on September 8. She toured the United States in support of the album from January to February 2024.
2024–present: "Nasty", Quantum Baby and "No Broke Boys" In January 2024, Tinashe was announced as part of the lineup for festival
Coachella, performing both weekends in April. She performed on
NPR Tiny Desk on February 9. On April 12, Tinashe released the single "
Nasty", as the lead single for her then upcoming seventh album. The song achieved viral success after appearing in a dance video on
TikTok. On June 12, she performed the song on
Jimmy Kimmel Live!. It peaked at number 61 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 1 on the US Rhythmic Radio Chart, marking her second number one. "Nasty" was named TikTok's number 1 Song of the Summer in the United Kingdom and number 2 in global. On August 16, Tinashe released her seventh studio album,
Quantum Baby, part two of a three-album
trilogy starting with
BB/Ang3l;
Quantum Baby received positive reviews from critics. In support the album, she embarked on the 2024–2025
Match My Freak: World Tour, spanning across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. In May 2025, American DJ
Disco Lines shared a snippet of a
remix to Tinashe's 2024 song "
No Broke Boys", and the remix gained viral traction on TikTok. Released on June 6, the remix became a global hit and reached the top five in several countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and Germany. The song charted at number 39 on the
Billboard Hot 100, marking Disco Line's first and Tinashe's sixth overall entry on the chart. It also reached number 1 on the US
Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. ==Artistry==