Tinashe: 333 Tour Making Its Way to the H

Singer, writer, and dancer Tinashe is coming back with a bang–but this time, it’s on her own terms. It’s very apparent that she is all about honing her craft after her split with The Stunners. She’s engulfed herself in her solo career, dropping hit after hit.

After the split, she released her mixtape In Case We Die in 2012 which gained a lot of recognition after her song “Boss” was featured on VH1’s series Single Ladies. That same year she dropped Reverie as a way of her showing her fans her creative and artistic abilities. On her mission to pave a new way for herself, she was signed to RCA’s record label that same year.

Two years later in 2014 the Californian dropped her debut album Aquarius, which gave us the sound of Tinashe and what it meant to be a genre bender. It features hit single “2 On” with Schoolboy Q, alongside some other amazing artists like Blood Orange’s Devonte Hynes on “Bet”, Future on “How Many Times”, and A$AP Rocky on “Pretend”. 

In 2016 she released her second studio album Nightride, with notable songs “Lucid Dreaming”, which dives deep into the inner self, “Company”, with electric rhythmic beats and a flirtatious tone, “Sacrifices”, with the sexual energy of hooking up with friends you have no attachments to, and its first single “Party Favors”, which is about giving someone deeper parts of you.

In 2018 she dropped her third and final studio album on RCA Records called Joyride with features by Offset on “No Drama”, Ty Dolla $ign & French Montana on “Me So Bad”, Little Dragon on “Stuck With Me”, and Future on “Faded Love”. This album has one of my favorite tracks, “Joyride”, which (surprisingly enough) had the potential to not make it on the album. It was originally going to be given to Rihanna for album her ANTI, but I’m glad Tinashe kept it as her own because the song sets up the dark tonality within the album. You can feel the emotion Tinashe puts into this project–emotion driven by her struggles, her lack of joy, and the pain she was going through as she was making the album.

After feeling stuck in a box, she decided to reinvent herself and turned a new page  by going independent in 2019 with Tinashe Music Inc. That same year she dropped her album Songs for you, which hones in on her sexual appeal, her new found freedom, and ripping out of the box that people constantly try to put her in. This album has some super tight features; Ms. Banks appears on her first single of the album “Die A Little Bit”, “Touch and Go” features 6LACK, MAKJ is credited on “Save Room For Us” , and G-eazy features on “So Much Better”. As anticipation built up for her Songs For You tour, COVID-19 struck, causing the tour’s cancellation.

Two years later she dropped her second album after going independent: 333. It’s name comes from the angel number, 333, which symbolizes that you are on the right path. This album channels a lot of her spiritual awakening and reveals her tendency towards self-awareness and inner reflection. This project is full of songs that will get you moving, like her hit single “Bouncin”, which expresses her sexuality. The music video plays on this theme with some super sick choreography.

Pasadena (feat. Buddy) showcases LA culture and its beauty, with insane features on tracks like “X” feat. Jeremiah which explores the reality of tapping into your sensuality, “Angles” feat. Kash Paige, “333” feat. Absolutely, “Undo” feat Wax Motif, and “Small Reminders”, which is my favorite song on this project. This track is so insane both sonically and creatively, it puts you in a different mindset of reflectiveness. This album as a whole is a completely different side to Tinashe than what we’ve seen thus far. It showcases the freedom, understanding, and happiness that she found on her journey and through her struggles within the industry and her personal life. She a risk taker in every sense of the word, from her music itself, her choreography, and her artistry as a whole.

This album is the epitome of self-awareness, self-love, and reassurance, whether you need a pick me up or a “Small Reminder” to listen to your intuition. Tinashe will be taking the stage at the House of Blues this Thursday, September 16, 2021.