A few artists from the 2010s consistently made great music but took a long time to be truly recognized for their talent. One of those artists is Charli Xcx, who has been making waves for years but only recently started getting the recognition she deserves. Another one is Jhene Aiko, who, in my opinion, has made awesome music for well over a decade, but finally reached number one in 2026 with Westside Whimsy. Tinashe is another artist that fits into that mold perfectly. Since the early 2010s, she has written a lot of great music for others and has dropped a lot of great music herself. Unfortunately, it has always felt like she was more of an afterthought in Pop and R&B, and she has not been recognized for her talent. Over the last five years or so, since she kind of went off on her own and stopped following trends, Tinashe’s music has shone more and more. Her last three albums have all been really cool in my opinion; 333, BB/ANG3L, and Quantum Baby all truly go against the grain, and all stand out majorly. These albums are popular among blogs and music fans online, but never gained the mainstream recognition they deserve. It seems like Tinashe is finally getting the praise she should have been getting for years. Her latest album, Popstar, has been critically and commercially acclaimed. Below, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite songs from Popstar, as well as give some thoughts on it as a whole. Please let me know in the comments how you feel about Tinashe and Popstar.

MELATONIN

This album starts on a very strong note. I could easily have written about the first two tracks, ‘Sunglasses’ and ‘Too Easy,’ as they are both very good in their own right. The first track that I definitely need to talk about, though, is the banger that is ‘Melatonin.’ ‘Melatonin’ was one of the singles for this album, having come out a few weeks before the release. It almost immediately went viral on TikTok because it is such a fun track. The instrumental has a glitchy HyperPop sound that stands out majorly. There is not much of a melody to the actual instrumental, with it instead focusing more on the weird beat. The vocals on this track are fast and abrasive in the same way as the instrumental. There are so many catchy parts of the vocals, with the catchiest section coming during the first verse when Tinashe sings. On ‘Melatonin,’ Tinashe sings about her grind and how no one can stop her shine.

EMPTY STADIUM

‘Empty Stadium’ has almost the opposite sound and style from the song that precedes it. Whereas that one is lyrically and sonically upbeat, this song is more mellow and melancholy. The melody for ‘Empty Stadium’ is very airy and whimsical. The main synths that drive this have a whistling element to them, and they are complemented by some deeper, more violin-style synths. The beat is pretty glitchy and kind of has a Hyperpop tempo, but it is pretty subdued for what it is. The vocals on this track are very pretty, taking on the same kind of whimsical element as the instrumental has. On ‘Empty Stadium,’ Tinashe kind of sings about the downfalls of the music industry, not experiencing the success she has wanted and performing for minimal audiences.

FLASHBACKS

‘Flashbacks’ is another song with a bit more of a laid-back feeling to it. This is the first track I picked that does not feel strictly Pop, taking on more of a Hip Hop feeling than the first two. The melody for this song is simple and complex at the same time. The main element of the melody is provided by a sort of downtrodden piano riff. There are weird sound effects and synths sprinkled in all over the melody, though, adding emphasis to it. The beat does have some glitchy elements to it, but mainly has more of a Trap sound to it. I really love the vocals on this track. Tinashe hits some pretty high notes that add so much character to the track. On ‘Flashbacks,’ her love and her sexuality have her partner craving for more.

CRASH OUT

‘Crash Out’ was another one of the singles that drove excitement for this album before it came out. When I first heard this one, I knew that once again Tinashe was on to something. This song actually kind of reminds me of the earlier music in her career. This one has a sound that is definitely reminiscent of the Pop R&B that was big in the early 2010s. The melody for this song has a very low and dark tone. It feels very murky and funky, and reminds me of a night out on the town. The beat is pretty fast-paced and steady, and may be the driving thing that gives the track that nostalgic feeling. Tinashe’s vocals on this one are not the most prominent, but the way she fluctuates between low and high tones does give the song life. On ‘Crash Out,’ Tinashe sings about how she is fed up with everyone and everything, and just wants to explode.

POPSTAR

The title track from this record is another one that really stands out(which is saying a lot because the whole album is full of great music). The main reason this one stands out is that it just has a different feeling than most of the rest of the album. Whereas most of the other songs have either a very modern sound or more of a 2010s sound, this one is actually more reminiscent of the 1990s. There is a bit of a current flair to the mix and some of the synths, but it is still totally influenced by the music of people like Janet Jackson or Mariah Carey. The melody fo this song is so calming and ethereal. The synths that drive this one literally sound like they are coming out of Heaven. As I said, the beat is mostly retro, but it does have some glitchiness to make it current. Tinashe’s vocals totally match the energy of the instrumental. Her high pitch gives the track such a sweetness. On ‘Popstar,’ Tinashe sings about how the lifestyle she lives is not the easiest for someone to want to be with her.

BRAINROT

When I first listened to this record, ‘Brainrot’ was one of the songs that I immediately loved. This song has such a weird and cool sound that really pops. It straight up sounds like something out of the future. The melody for this song is very simple but so cool. It sounds like something out of a video game from the 1990s. I think of playing the PlayStation back in the day when I listen to this one. The beat for this song is so weird and cool. It is super glitchy, and fluctuates in pace as the song moves along. At times, it has more of a Trap tempo, while at others, it kind of sounds like HyperPop. As cool as the instrumental is, the coolest thing abou this track is the vocals. Tinashe raps the verse with this strange high pitch that adds so much weird texture to the track, and she hits some high and powerful notes at some other points throughout the song. On ‘Brainrot,’ Tinashe sings about how her career and career path have made it tough for her to find friendship and love.

Considering my previous affinity for Tinashe’s music and the reception this album has gotten from the start, it is safe to say my expectations for this one were pretty high. I am happy to say that Popstar more than exceeded my expectations. This album had a couple of great albums to compete with for the potential status of best of the year. Olivia Rodrigo, Beabadoobee, and Don Toliver all put out albums that I thought were great as well. But if you were to say that Tinashe’s Popstar is your number one album of the year, I would not argue and you would not be the only one. Everything about this record rules. Tinashe has been great at making instrumentals that go against the grain and push boundaries for years. She does so more than ever with this record. There are so many beats and melodies that are so cool and just unlike anything else being done. Even though the album is full of so many different sounds, it does not feel scattered at all. In fact, it flows extremely well. As I sort of alluded to in my list above, picking favorite songs from this project was honestly tough. In addition to ‘Sunglasses’ or ‘Too Easy,’ I also could have gone with ‘Nobody Wants To Dance Anymore’ or a few others for the list. To be honest, every song on the album has quality. Tinashe’s vocals on the record are awesome. She shows off so many styles of her vocal ability throughout the project. She goes from rapping on some songs to showing off her range on many others. Lyrically, Tinashe opens up throughout the project as well, letting listeners into how she is feeling right now about her life and career. Overall, Popstar is an excellent album from a true pop star. All of the hype around it is warranted, as Tinashe proved she is indeed a step ahead of a lot of her peers on this record.