Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena, California to begin her career as a child actor, before later expanding into music. From 2007 to 2011, she was a member of the girl group the Stunners. After the group disbanded, she released her first solo mixtapes: In Case We Die (2012), Reverie (2012), and Black Water (2013).
After signing with RCA Records, Tinashe released her debut studio album, Aquarius (2014), which marked her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 with its lead single "2 On" (featuring Schoolboy Q). Her subsequent albums, Nightride (2016) and Joyride (2018), peaked at number 89 and number 58, respectively, on the Billboard 200. Following her departure from RCA, Tinashe released Songs for You (2019), 333 (2021), and BB/Ang3l (2023) as an independent artist, with all three albums failing to chart within the top 100. Her seventh studio album, Quantum Baby (2024), achieved moderate commercial success with the singles "Nasty" and "No Broke Boys". Her eighth studio album, Popstar, became her first to reach the top ten in the United States.
Early life Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe was born on February 6, 1993, in Lexington, Kentucky, and is the eldest child of college professors Michael and Aimie Kachingwe. Her father is a professor who teaches acting at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a first-generation Zimbabwean immigrant of Shona descent, while her mother, who is of Danish, Norwegian, and Irish descent, teaches physical therapy at California State University, Northridge. They met each other on a blind date during their time as undergrads at the University of Iowa. Tinashe, whose name means "We have God," (or "God is with us") in the Shona language, has two younger brothers, Thulani and Kudzai.
As a child, Tinashe lived in DeKalb, Illinois, and moved to Los Angeles, California with her family. She attended Crescenta Valley High School for a year before finishing early to pursue a career in music full-time. During high school, she faced bullying from her peers. She began studying ballet, tap, and jazz dancing at the age of 4, continuing to compete in various styles as a part of a dance company until she was 18.
Career 2000–2011: The Stunners and acting roles
Tinashe scored roles in a number of TV shows, movies, and children's videos in the 2000s, starting with the film Cora Unashamed in October 2000. She followed this with Call Me Claus (2001), Masked and Anonymous (2003), and two TV series: Rocket Power (2004) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (2007). 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; which sampled the instrumental of the Britney Spears 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; "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. On July 13, Tinashe announced that she had signed with RCA Records. Following the record deal, her second mixtape Reverie was released on that year, 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. American rapper Travis Scott features on the single "Vulnerable".
Tinashe had worked on her debut studio album in 2014, and its recording took place in Los Angeles, London, Atlanta, New York, and Toronto. 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.
2015–2018: Nightride and Joyride
On March 16, 2015, 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 2, she released another song "Player", featuring American singer Chris Brown. 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, and performed "America the Beautiful" as part of an event WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. In June, Tinashe appeared at two concerts with American singer Aaron Carter at Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash. In April 2018, Tinashe released her third album Joyride, which was preceded by two singles: "No Drama" featuring American rapper Offset and "Faded Love" featuring American rapper Future. The album received generally favorable reviews from critics and debuted at number 58 on the US Billboard 200.
2018–2020: Television, departure from RCA, and Songs for You