Popstar is the eighth studio album by American singer Tinashe. It was released on September 25, 2026, through her own imprint label, Tinashe Music, alongside Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records. Described as a pop record, the album was primarily produced by Ricky Reed, Zach Sekoff and Machinedrum. It was preceded by the release of four singles: "Too Easy", "Crash Out", "Melatonin" and "Pillow Fight".
Upon its release, Popstar received widespread acclaim from critics, who highlighted its variety of genre elements, including hyperpop, R&B and dance. A bonus edition of the album was released on September 27, 2026, on iTunes, featuring remixes by PinkPantheress, Nick León and Umru.
Commercially, Popstar debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, becoming Tinashe's first top ten album in the United States. The album topped the UK R&B Album Chart, reached the top ten in Australia, and the top 40 in the UK, New Zealand, Scotland, and Belgium, while charting in several other territories including Canada, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. It also became Tinashe’s highest-charting album in each of the those regions.
Background
Tinashe released her sixth studio album, BB/Ang3l, through Nice Life Recording Company and her own imprint label, Tinashe Music, as the first part of an intended trilogy in 2023. In 2024, she released the second part, titled Quantum Baby. The album's lead single, "Nasty", became viral on online social media platform TikTok; the song charted at number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100—her first entry as a solo artist. In June 2025, Tinashe released a Disco Lines remix of the album's third single, "No Broke Boys", which also gained virality on TikTok. The remix reached number 36 on the Hot 100, while peaking atop the US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Tinashe had been teasing her new project via social media platforms. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March 2026, she revealed that she was "very excited" to share a new album, which she had been working for past six months to year. Tinashe described the project as "cutting-edge, innovative, [...] something new", adding that she loved to blend variety of genres. However, she noted that it was difficult to define them, since she incorporates several genres namely R&B, pop, electronic, and dance music.
Title and packaging The album's title and artwork explore Tinashe's conception of the "pop star" as both a public persona and an identity that can be embodied. Tinashe described Popstar as "an energy" and "a persona one can embody," explaining that the album examines the contrasting experiences associated with celebrity, including the glamour and excitement of public life alongside the surveillance, judgment, and heightened self-awareness that accompany it. The album cover, photographed by Hugo Comte, features an extreme close-up of Tinashe's face with her eyes visible through glasses and stars appearing in her irises. Tinashe said the image was intended to represent the "uncanny valley" of fame and the coexistence of its positive and negative aspects. She also characterized the album's varied musical styles—including pop, R&B, hip-hop, and dance—as different expressions of the same "pop star" identity.
Promotion Tinashe first teased Popstars then-upcoming lead single during her DJ set at Coachella in April 2026. On June 5, "Too Easy" was released to digital download platforms. The second single, "Crash Out", was released on July 16, and Tinashe announced the album's release date and cover art that day. Via Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records, Popstar will be released on September 25, featuring 16 songs. On August 13, "Melatonin" was released as the third single. On September 10, the fourth single, "Pillow Fight", and promotional single, "I'd Rather Be Alone", were released. On September 17, Tinashe revealed the tracklist on her social media platforms. On September 28, Tinashe released an iTunes-exclusive bonus edition of Popstar, featuring remixes by PinkPantheress, Nick León and Umru.
Critical reception
Popstar received widespread acclaim from music critics. According to Metacritic, it received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from seven critic scores. AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a weighted average score of 8.0 out of 10 from nine critic scores.
In a full 5-star review for NME, Nicolas-Tyrell Scott states that "Popstar is an equilibrium of confidence and introspection on which Tinashe lets the world in – not to vie for their approval, but to showcase the trials and tribulations of a Black woman in Hollywood. [...] On Popstar, Tinashe doesn't run from the headlights, she realises that she's always been her own one." For Pitchfork, Anna Gaca wrote that the album is Tinashe's "best and bravest yet: more ambitious, more focused, and effortlessly in touch with the zeitgeist. It's the best pop album of the year."
Reflecting on the different genres and musical elements of the album, Kyle Denis for Billboard wrote that "musically, the 16-track set mirrors the artwork's nuanced approach to pop stardom by surveying a jaw-dropping collection of sounds, including hyperpop, R&B, dance, jazz, new age, bedroom pop, and even a little hint of country."
Track listing
Notes "Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore" contains an interpolation of "Chillin" (2009), written by Olubowale Akintimehin, Gary De Carlo, Dale Frashuer, Stefani Germanotta, Roy C Hammond, Paul Leka, Andre Christopher Lyon, Makeba Riddick, Kirk Robinson, Marcello Valenzano and performed by Wale featuring Lady Gaga. Three additional iTunes Store digital editions of the album were released: one featuring a cappella versions of all tracks, one featuring instrumental versions, and one featuring the music videos for "Too Easy", "Crash Out", "Melatonin" and "Pillow Fight".
Credits and personnel The credits were adapted from Tidal.
Musicians
Tinashe – vocals Ricky Reed – bass synthesizer (tracks 3, 7, 9-10), electric guitar (7), synthesizer (7, 10, 13), drums (9), vocoder (10) Illangelo – drums (5), synthesizer (5) Annetta Johnson – trumpet (6) Zack Sekoff – synthesizer (7) Couros – drums (8) Kingdom – bass synthesizer (10-11, 13), synthesizer (13) Casey Mattson – keyboards (14)
Production
Tinashe – executive production, vocal production (1-15) Ricky Reed – executive production, additional production (15), vocal production (3, 7, 9-10, 12-13) Ike Shultz – vocal production (1-10, 12-15) Nick Weiss – vocal production (3)
Technical
Chris Gehringer – mastering Tom Norris – mixing Ike Schultz – engineering (1-3, 5-6, 8-9), vocal engineering (1-6, 8-9, 11, 14-15) Ethan Shumaker – engineering (3, 7, 9-10, 12-13) Shane Moloney – engineering (3, 7, 9-10, 12-13) Victor Verpillat – engineering (8), mixing assistance (1-7, 9-16) Andrew Wells – engineering (16) Claude Vause – engineering (16) Tinashe – vocal engineering (1-6) Ricky Reed – drum programming (3, 7, 10, 13), programming (3, 9) Zack Sekoff – drum programming (3, 7), synthesizer programming (3, 7) Nick Weiss – synthesizer programming (3) Illangelo – programming (5) Couros – programming (8) Kingdom – drum programming (10-11, 13) Casey Mattson – programming (14)
Charts + Chart performance Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 10 French Physical Albums (SNEP) 88 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 24 US Billboard 200 6
Release history + List of release dates and formats Region Date Format(s) Edition Label Various September 25, 2026 Standard September 27, 2026 Download Bonus
References