After breaking free from her girl group, The Stunners, and creating several mixtapes, the 21-year-old Tinashe showcased her solo career on her debut album Aquarius. All 18 songs prove that the soft-voiced singer was well groomed and is prepared for the music industry. Here are three reasons why the album shows promising signs about Tinashe’s future.
1. Ability to sing different styles
Singing soft, soulful tunes to up-beat dancing songs, Tinashe is mastering what other artists are only getting the grasp of on their fourth albums: the ability to change beat and do it well. She didn’t learn this overnight, however. She models after the legendary R&B artists Aaliyah and Janet Jackson and the trend-setter rapper Drake. Track no. 3, “Cold Sweat,” mimics Aaliyah’s soft voice and slow tempo. She’s then able to switch the mood to pop. One of the most popular songs of the summer, “2 On,” (track no.7) is a popular collaboration with rapper ScHoolboy Q that expresses Tinashe’s spunky side. Tinashe knows fans get bored with the same genre.
2. Appropriate use of interludes
More artists create their albums in a sequential pattern, deciding to include interludes to introduce the next “section” or “scene” of the album. However, this only works if the interludes are neither too obvious nor they are too confusing. Tinashe effectively uses the interludes to create vivid pictures in the listener’s mind of what world the album is going to take them to. Her “What Is there To Lose” Interlude (track no. 7) signals the listener that the next couple of songs will be heart-felt. “In a world so overcome with hatred and greed, what is there to lose in love?” Tinashe said in the interlude with a soft tone. This introduced the next song, “Pretend” featuring A$AP Rocky, which is considerably the best song on the album.
3. Correctly choosing who to feature
No album is successful without the people in parentheses. Featuring artists can seem miniscule, but if you are just blossoming into a solo artist and you don’t have the help of promising musicians, your album can seem more like a bad mixtape. Successful artists such as Devonte Hynes, Future and ScHoolboy Q aided the young star on her debut album by contributing fresh verses. A female artist would have been promising, but perhaps it takes time to collaborate with another female.
