New to the Tinashe Army? Listen to These 10 Deep Cuts First

This is an edition of the weekly newsletter Tap In, GQ senior associate editor Frazier Tharpe’s final word on the most heated online discourse about music, movies, and TV. Sign up here to get it free.It feels like I’ve been waiting years to say this, and now I can: it’s Tinashe Season. The LA-born singer is something of an industry journeyman, with eight albums under her belt, not to mention a four-year stint with a girl group. Pop music casuals remember “2 On” fondly but not much after, which is a shame because she's emerged as a much more interesting songwriter and sonic trendsetter in the years since, establishing herself as one of the most consistent vanguards in contemporary pop. This week, things got louder with the release of Popstar, her eighth studio album, which our cousins over at Pitchfork distinguished with a rare and coveted 9.0. I’ve been one of the ‘Nashe Faithful since at least 2015—my OG and notorious R&B expert B. Fred raved about her mixtape Amethyst back in the Complex office (not long before she appeared in a cover story with a lede I still remember to this day). It was only a matter of time until the masses caught up and her brilliance broke containment.Loyal Tap In subscribers may remember I called this shot about a month ago in the newsletter when I wrote the following: “I feel like Tinashe exists in this Charli xcx pre-2024 zone where those of us who are tapped in know she’s an elite, adventurous and wildly consistent songwriter who deserves more acclaim despite not having a hit quite as big as the one that initially launched her into public consciousness. Tap in before the bandwagon gets full, ‘cause she’s overdue for her own Brat sooner than later.”I’ve never been happier to be right. If you’ve been holding Tinashe stock, congrats on the bull market—this week’s column will feel like a victory lap. And if you’re new here, get familiar, because as great as Popstar is, an album like this doesn’t happen on a whim. It’s built on the back of underrated singles, near-misses and deep cuts, my favorites of which I enumerate below.“Vulnerable” (Black Water, 2013)Gothic, slinking and sexy—the Yeezus influence is clear down to the Travis Scott feature.“Worth It” (Amethyst, 2015)In addition to the catchy hook, the LA groove, the sax outro, and that sing-songy flow pocket she always settles into, this beat also has this hypnotic, leaky faucet sound effect that I love.“Needs” (BB/ANG3L, 2023)The Tinashe tracks that fuse pop, dance/house and hip-hop are always going to grab headlines, but my favorite of her many bags is chill and lowkey, with a pinch of LA bounce. Apart from the music, Tinashe’s always made consistently great music videos with even better choreography. Here, all three of her powers are working in concert.“Pasadena” (333, 2021)Kind of an outlier, sonically-speaking, but a nice one. T and fellow underrated Angeleno Buddy yearn for adventure and greatness, paying homage to California summers while pleading to be anywhere but home on a song that’s begging to be synced in a coming-of-age road trip movie.“Cash Race” (Songs for You, 2019)Most of us thought this would be the album that’s doing what Popstar is now. That didn’t happen, but it’s nevertheless one of her most consistent projects, stacked with heaters like this one. You’ll remember how big the beat-switch was in hip-hop at the time, and this is one of the many tracks on Songs that starts out in that laid-back second gear Tinashe excels in just to transform into a big beautiful banger made for door swangin’ and speaker systems with rattling bass.“Feelings” (Songs for You, 2019)Having said that, the album does start with a more straightforward intro that toes the line between ballad and banger. Strangely, this was one of the only times Tinashe linked up with her fellow Californian Hit-Boy, but hopefully not the last.“Tuesday Feeling” (with Blood Orange, 2015)No one misses next to Dev Hynes. The prolific singer-producer brings Tinashe into his world on a typically ethereal Blood Orange track, which is to say the kind of song that wouldn’t be out of place on a sunset drive down the PCH. A bit left-field for her sonically, but she acquits herself nicely.“Rascal (Superstar”) (2020)The type of regional hit that would’ve been a smash on Power 106 back in 2012 if it had a 16 from Tyga.“On a Wave” (with Drake, 2015)Remember when Drake strong-armed “2 On” with his own interpretation and kind of overshadowed the original? While he did pay her back with an invite onstage at OVO Fest that summer, Drake never got around to returning the favor on wax even if he intended to. The next year, a couple of songs from sessions the pair apparently held leaked, though never claimed or legitimized with a formal release.“Superlove” (2016)The most underrated song on this list: leave it to the inimitable duo of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart to lace Tinashe with a Ghost Town DJ vibe and absolutely nail it. The throwback vibes, that bubbly, soaring chorus and a Baywatch-themed video? I still don’t understand how this didn’t set up permanent residence in that summer’s Billboard Top 10.