Pressed Play. Never Looked Back.

Released September 26, 2026

Of course I know of and have heard Tinashe over the years, but admittedly, I’ve never fully tuned in. Recently, I was looking around for some new music with a fresh perspective, and Popstar came across my radar. I pressed play and, well, I never pressed stop!

Popstar is the perfect name for this album because that’s exactly the vibe it gives off—hitting on different genres and styles, yet blending together seamlessly through track-to-track sequencing. Like I said, I pressed play and never looked back. That all started with “Sunglasses,” which was good, but it was quickly followed up by “Too Easy” and “Melatonin”—two absolute hits. They lean into an upbeat, dance-oriented style that I love. The mood peaks and valleys, but when it’s at its highest is what I enjoyed most.

“Empty Stadium” is cool, but “Flashbacks” starts a run of tracks that might be the best chunk of the album. The stretch from “Overdramatic” through “Twentyfive Eight” is fantastic and sequenced so well. Not only does Tinashe have incredible vocals, but the way her voice is utilized within the production kept me completely hooked. “Cloud 9” and especially “Brainrot” are two highlights toward the end, and the album wraps up with “Heavy Weight.” It’s the most acoustic-leaning song on Popstar, which isn’t typically my favorite style, but Tinashe sounded great and still made it work.

Popstar is a great album, and I’m glad I finally took the time to check out Tinashe in depth. I went in with a clean slate, and she blew me away. You can bet that moving forward, I’ll be much more dialed in and keeping up with her future releases!

Standout Tracks: “Too Easy”, “Melatonin”, “Crash Out”, “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore”, “Twentyfive Eight”

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑½ (8.5/10)