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Tinashe is in the midst of yet another breakthrough. She landed her first Billboard Hot 100 placement 10 years ago (!) with “2 On”; then she released her debut album, Aquarius, later in 2014; she’s endured a label conflict and still emerged with the underrated masterpiece Joyride; she went independent and then released two more albums—and now a third has just arrived. Quantum Baby comes as Tinashe perches on a new level of viral fame, propelled by her TikTok-dominating hit “Nasty.” While she may be new to some audiences, her craft has been consistent.
Quantum Baby is a sexy blend of pop and R&B (the Janet Jackson influences are in the room with us) with seductive tracks and single anthems, from the subtly frantic “Getting No Sleep” to the shout-at-the-top-of-your-lungs “No Broke Boys.” Though the album lands as summer comes to an end, Tinashe proves that the “Nasty” mindset is one we must carry well into the fall. Here, two editors break down her latest release.
The Tinashessance
Erica: What has been your relationship or exposure to Tinashe up to this point? Because she’s been doing this for so long.
Sam: I actually have not been on the Tinashe train, really. I’ve listened to a couple of her albums and I think they’re great. She has never been one of my main pop or R&B girlies. So actually my first moment with her was with “Nasty,” and I really hadn’t been super exposed to her before then.
And so I kind of had this moment while listening to this album where I was like, “Oh, I should go back.” I enjoyed this album a lot. I thought it was interesting, and was, at moments, a little similar sounding, but overall a really cool project. And I think that with songs that become TikTok hits, it can sometimes be like, get this out of my life. I never want to hear this again. And I haven’t had that experience with “Nasty.”
Erica: Listening to this album also made me go back and listen to Tinashe’s earlier stuff. I have been listening to her here and there. When I was going back and listening to these albums, I was like, “Oh my God, I remember loving this song.” There are songs from Joyride, which I highly recommend. There are some from her album 333 that came out in 2021. And even last year’s album BB/Ang3l—I listen to “Treason,” the first song on the album, all the time. It’s been really interesting having her as a constant and now being hyper-focused on her ’cause she’s in this new resurgence, it’s like a new Tinashe Renaissance.
Sam: Tinashessance.
Erica: Also to bring it way back, her remix of “Jealous” by Nick Jonas. “Nick J, Tinashe, it’s the remix.”
Sam: So good.
Erica: It’s so good. So I was really excited to listen to this album. I was very surprised it was eight tracks. Usually you and I are like, “Every album is too long,” but this one could’ve used more tracks.
Sam: I was tapping through the album, looking for more, and then there wasn’t. It feels like an EP, almost.
Erica: It does. Or I could picture it as the first of a series. Like Quantum Baby 1, 2, 3… But I was pretty impressed with it. I feel like compared to other albums that I’ve heard by Tinashe, it doesn’t feel that different. But there are tinges that feel a little more modern. There are kind of hyper-poppy, PinkPantheress-y drums here and there. It feels a little more atmospheric at times. I thought that was really cool. I am also not over “Nasty.” And the second single has grown on me a lot.
“Getting No Sleep”
Sam: I think this song falls into this world I call “beep-boop tracks.” These tracks just tickle my brain a little bit, and there are these little trills or details that I am obsessed with.
That’s why I love Taylor Swift’s song “Mastermind”—which is not the same song at all. But they’re these little beep boops that remind me of the opening of The Social Network. And I love that about the song. I also think the beat of “Getting No Sleep” was anxiety-driving.
Erica: It’s very effective. In her interview with The Cut, she mentioned that Janet Jackson’s song “Empty” was an inspiration for the album, and it is the blueprint for all “beep-boop songs.” It’s so ahead of its time. And it’s on The Velvet Rope. It’s really cool seeing her follow Janet’s influence, not just on “Nasty” or being a singer-dancer, but also through sound. It also had that kind of sparseness, a kind of twinkly, celestial sound.
Sam: Planetarium pop. Throughout this album, I felt like there are many cosmic moments. That kind of out-of-this-world feature feels very true here. I also think this is a very cohesive album.
“No Broke Boys”
Erica and Sam: [scream in unison]
Sam: No offense to record labels, but I hate logging into an album stream, putting in the password, having to go back. I just find it very tedious. But I have logged back in five or six times to listen to “No Broke Boys.” It. Is. Incredible. It’s the ass-shaker on the album.
I think it’ll be played in clubs. If it’s not played in clubs, DJs get your shit together. I think it should be played at my wedding when I’m marrying a man who has a yacht. Also, her saying, “Now I got standards,” I wrote that down. It actually felt very brat summer. “This is me. I need to put myself first.” And I was sitting at my desk being transported.
Erica: I could definitely see it becoming a TikTok sound. The girlies are going to eat that up. You just want to shout it with your friends. It’s a single girl anthem. It’s also very brave to be dropping it at the end of summer ’cause she’s saying, “We’re not done here.”
Sam: As someone who has had a bratty summer, and I’ve kissed a lot of boys this summer, I feel like I want to continue that energy. And I think we will be. Tinashe’s going on tour. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan are going on tour.
Erica: It’s a nasty fall.
Erica and Sam: [in unison] It’s a nasty fall!
Sam: I need that on a T-shirt.
Tinashe’s Many Lives
Sam: I am looking at her bio. It says, “In 2019, Tinashe performed the lead role of Mimi Marquez in the Fox Television special Rent: LIVE,” which I forgot.
Erica: Okay. This woman has lived so many lives. She began as a child actress. She voiced a character in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Sam: We’re having this moment right now where we’re seeing a lot of artists have a second act, in a very exciting way. They’re finally getting the flowers they deserve, or they had gotten flowers and they’re getting flowers again. I think of Charli and “Boom Clap.” Us true Charli fans have stuck with her through it all, and she’s now having this resurgence again that’s eclipsing where she was when she started. And I think it’s happening for Tinashe, too.
Erica: It was 10 years ago when her debut album Aquarius came out. And she went independent a few years later. It’s very impressive to me.
“Cross That Line”
Erica: Lyrically, “Cross That Line” reminded me a little bit of “I Think About It All The Time” ’cause she’s says, “I can see a family, baby in the backseat,” and “I don’t want to run out of time, you could be the love of my life, I’m ready to cross that line.” It is also interesting seeing an artist step back, looking at her timeline, her life, and her choices in the context of pop music.
In Her Own Lane
Sam: I did like this album a lot. I fully intend to hit play again once it comes out. And I do think “No Broke Boys” is going to go on a lot of my playlists.
Erica: I also feel like Tinashe is very much owning her own lane. She also talked about caring more about making interesting art than becoming mainstream. She doesn’t even expect to get nominated at the VMAs anymore, or anything like that. She’s just like, I know where I stand in this landscape, and I’m cool with that. I know my fans ride for me, and that’s all I need, and I’m just going to keep pushing myself to the best that I can do.
Sam: This is a time where a lot of musicians are like, I’m just going to make music for me. And I’m going to do things I care about. And if people like it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t.
Erica: This album helped remind me—and I hope it’ll remind a lot of people—of how great she is. And there’s so much more to her. She has such a big discography, so I hope it’s just a starting point.
Sam: Beyond reminding people, I hope it also welcomes people.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Samuel is the Associate Editor at ELLE Magazine. He covers theater, music, and culture. Sam famously broke both his arms at the same time in fourth grade and was formerly the Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.