Taken from the August Issue of Dazed & Confused:

Cupid deluxe Dev Hynes: “Tinashe knows what she wants, so working with her is great. She’ll tell me upfront if what I’m doing works or not. She also has a very interesting way of harmonising that’s almost dark and a little sinister at times.”

“I never ever get nervous,” says 20-year-old R&B vocalist and girl-group veteran Tinashe while driving her Audi through Hollywood. “Not even when our group (The Stunners) opened for Justin Bieber to 30,000 people, or when I sang at the Dodgers’ stadium for 50,000. I think it’s one of my super powers!”

Now she’s working with twisted producers like Clams Casino, Dev Hynes and Mike WiLL Made It for her forthcoming major-label debut, having dodged the super-pop route after The Stunners’ 2011 split. “I try to incorporate darkness into my music and visuals because I think it’s an interesting juxtaposition,” the vibrant cult star says. “With music, I like to take harmonic, edgy sounds and mix them into songs that people can sing along to, with light, bright vocals.”

I want to be part of the new crowd

The Kentucky-born, LA-raised singer modelled as a baby and acted into her teenage years, and in 2008 landed a short recurring role in Charlie Sheen’s sitcom Two and A Half Men. She was drafted into The Stunners in 2007. “We were auditioned for the group,” she remembers. “We didn’t really have a position on which songs we sang, who sang what, who stood where, who wore what. That’s what made it so exciting when I had the opportunity to create something for myself: I realised I could really do it my way.”

Tinashe caught the ear of record-company bosses in 2012 with her independent mixtapes In Case We Die and Reverie. Both projects were fearlessly personal, skirting across R&B, pop and electronica with raw attitude, heavy bass and melancholic undertones. Tinashe directed several of the accompanying music videos herself, including her breakout track “Boss” (later remixed by Ryan Hemsworth) and the politically charged “Who Are You Working For?”

With over 45 finished songs in the running for her album, she hopes her music will inspire people to “grab life by the horns. Being a generation that’s so fast paced, people are ready for fresh things and new ideas - especially in music.” Tinashe flashes her bright smile, super powers fully intact. “I want to be part of the new crowd.”