Tinashe’s ‘POPSTAR’: All 16 Tracks Ranked

There’s a war brewing in pop music — and Tinashe is on the front lines.

As the 2020s barrel through its second half, two major archetypes of female pop stardom have come to dominate the scene. On one side, there are confessional songwriting, guitar-toting singer-songwriters who, in several ways, seem perpetually frozen in high school; on the other, we have sleazy, debaucherous party girls who revel in sex and drugs in quest of liberation and, ultimately, understanding.

As it stands, both factions are startlingly white, leaving little room in the mainstream for Black female pop stars who make Black music foundational elements of their music as opposed to simply mining it for muted samples. From Al Sharpton notoriously deeming Whitney Houston as “Whitey Houston” ahead of her being booed at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards to the recent social media discourse surrounding Ravyn Lenae’s claiming of the “pop” label for her new Blue Island era, the debate over who can claim — let alone be widely perceived as — a “popstar” has been raging for decades. Eight albums in, Tinashe is addressing the conversation head-on.

Popstar, the official follow-up to 2024’s Quantum Baby, arrived on Sept. 25 via Nice Life, Atlantic and Tinashe Music, marking the latest entry in a catalog that has not-so-quietly shaped global pop music for the last 10 years. Her 2016 “Superlove” music video became a touchstone for late-2010s K-Pop visuals, and the artwork for 2019’s Songs for You established a new go-to aesthetic for early-2020s pop releases. During the Quantum Baby era, Tinashe transformed that oft-underrated impact into a pair of hits that brought her back to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in a decade. “Nasty” rode a viral dance trend to a No. 61 peak, and “No Broke Boys” soared to No. 36 on the back of a Disco Lines remix that dominated EDM clubs and festivals last summer.

“There’s a lot of attention, there’s a lot of discussion,” she told Rolling Stone in a profile ahead of POPSTAR’s release. “People are ready for it, which is a new feeling.”

There are probably more eyeballs on Tinashe pre-album release than ever before, which is precisely why she delivered a blazingly confrontational project that contends with stunted understandings of what pop music can sound, look and feel like. The artwork — which zooms in on a literally starry-eyed Tinashe gazing into the distance with headphones on — has drawn ire from fans for its decidedly unglamorous approach to pop music imagery. But that’s the point. The headphones call back to Tinashe’s dazzling production skills, the stars in her eyes represent the dizzying allure of pop stardom, and her facial expression sits somewhere between awe, bewilderment, determination, and wonder. It’s the portrait of a pop star who’s been grinding for years to dismantle and redefine pop stardom in her own image.

Musically, the 16-track set mirrors the artwork’s nuanced approach to pop stardom by surveying a jaw-dropping collection of sounds, including hyperpop, R&B, dance, jazz, new age, bedroom pop, and even a little hint of country. In a testament to her sequencing skills, the album seamlessly shifts through this variety of sounds across 40 minutes (a longer runtime than her last two projects combined), but it’s the disarming lyricism on cuts like the introspective “Empty Stadiums” or the emotion-purging “Heavy Weight” that help anchor the record’s loftier ambitions. Yes, a pop star can pull from Janet Jackson and Britney Spears as liberally as she pulls from Santigold, Ciara and Dawn Richard; if she’s turning the personal into the universal through undeniably earworm hooks, then why not?

Popstar is sneakily sarcastic and gloriously sassy, but Tinashe, unlike quite a few of her contemporaries, can actually commit — and back it up.

Here’s how Billboard ranks every track on POPSTAR, Tinashe’s eighth studio album, from worst to best.

• “The Show Must Go On”

  A smart, cheeky 19-second interlude, “The Show Must Go On,” literally interrupts Tinashe’s self-reflection with an ever-intensifying chant of “popstar, popstar, popstar.”

• “Pillow Fight”

  Like “Flashbacks,” “Pillow Fight” brings Tinashe back to the bedroom, cooing about how she can go “round after round” and “take you down to the ground before you tap out.” Definitely one of the project’s frothier cuts, but those moments of sensual levity keep things in balance.

• “Cloud 9”

  Reminiscent of Charli xcx’s mixtape era, POPSTAR’s brash, hyperpop-infused penultimate track is the rare moment where the album veers into feeling over substance. Tinashe is evidently on “Cloud 9,” and the euphoric production reinforces that, but she never specifies the “something” that she’s “finally” feeling. Presumably, it’s the connection and good sex she alludes to in the first verse and bridge, but “Cloud 9” mostly feels like the last random stop on the scenic route before the album’s proper closer.

• “Brainrot”

  There are some dance-pop offshoots already being called “brainrot music,” so it was only a matter of time before an established pop star made a song literally titled “Brainrot.” On this edgy, electronic number, Tinashe bridges the 2020s social media concept of “brainrot” (essentially, mind-numbingly stupid content) with classic, debaucherous pop motifs like “F—k around, don’t even care/ Smoke some, drink some, party.”

  Two interesting things are happening here. First, Tinashe hints at the evolution of the surveillance state and how it interacts with partying, singing: “And I hope you caught it on camera.” Nashe’s night out no longer ends when she leaves the club; it’s eternally on that camera — and she wants it to be. The girls can’t take her, and she wants hard proof! On the other hand, the opening line “I don’t wanna die no more” presents a pop star in touch with both their mortality and the transcendental power of a sexy, shameless night out. There may not be a more intriguing song on POPSTAR.

• “Flashbacks”

  A steelier, glitchier older cousin to “Nasty” and “Bouncin’,” “Flashbacks” finds Tinashe chanting sweet nothings and seductive whispers over a relatively sparse beat that combines loungey keys with metallic synths and her slightly staccato delivery. It’s an unassuming track that feels more like an interlude, but it does flow nicely into “Overdramatic.”

• “Overdramatic”

  The jazz lounge undertones of “Flashbacks” come out in full force at the top of “Overdramatic,” a 44-second interlude that begins with soulful brass that quickly transforms into a trap-infused reminder: “I want something, I’m gonna grab it.” Someone call up Ariana to remix this into a full-length song!

• “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore”

  Just a few weeks after Miley claimed that “kids don’t wanna dance no more,” Tinashe expands the conversation, saying that “nobody,” in fact, “wanna dance anymore.” Though the song barely lasts over two minutes, the track curiously blends Tinashe’s ever-so-slightly punk-pop delivery with new wave-inflected production that doesn’t exactly send folks running to the dance floor. “Between a late night and sweet romance/ Can’t lie, I’d rather just dance,” she sings in the chorus, positioning herself as the dancefloor’s resident saviour on this surprisingly midtempo offering. Throw in the pre-chorus’ lift of Lady Gaga’s “Chillin'” hook, and you’ve got yourself one weird little earworm.

• “Melatonin”

  The best pop songs thrive on juxtaposition — like Tinashe pairing a four-on-the-floor beat that’s not too far removed from the ballroom scene with lyrics that compare those still sleeping on her with “Melatonin.” “In a different country, pull up to the back door/ Can’t vacation with me, you ain’t got a passport,” she snarls in the second verse over subtly dark production that blends hyperpop and techno. With Ricky Reed, Zach Sekoff and Nightfeelings teaming up on production, “Melatonin” nails that slightly left-of-center, but still accessible pocket that Tinashe has come to own.

• “Twentyfive Eight”

  People don’t like to hear it, stars tend not to express it, and some listeners still can’t wrap their heads around it — but being a pop star is legitimately hard work. Yes, it’s sparkly and star-studded and, no, you’re putting your life on the line every morning, but it’s intense in the very specific way it chips away at things like family, privacy and self-worth.

  “All I want to do is what I was meant to do/ Spendin’ the days and nights/ Climbin’ the ladder to nowhere/ Get so emotional thinking ’bout who I used to be,” Tinashe opens the first verse, perfectly encapsulating the paradox of gratification and sacrifice that comes with her personal pop star grind. “Twentyfive Eight” is an introspective number that slightly recalls Kelela in its honesty and snap-laden sparseness, making it one of the standouts on the back half of POPSTAR.

• “Too Easy”

  The rest of the global pop industry seems to be perpetually scrambling to reheat Nashe’s nachos — but, for her, this is all truly just “Too Easy.” A bite-sized tune that makes light of how second-nature it is for Tinashe to produce and write an undebatable banger, “Too Easy” arrived as the first taste of POPSTAR, and it’s still one of the best songs. From the K-pop-esque “la la la” ad-libs to her cavalier delivery in the verses, “Too Easy” drips with attitude and swagger, immediately establishing Tinashe as someone who’s able to dismantle common understandings of “pop” because she so intimately understands them. We’re far past aspiration over here.
  

• “Crash Out”

  When it comes to pop stardom, everything revolves around the somewhat inevitable “Crash Out” moment. You either crash out and come back stronger, completely wither away into D-tier anonymity, or successfully avoid it altogether despite the media and the public trying their hardest to force a breakdown on you. Tinashe’s “Crash Out” isn’t only about allowing herself to lose control; the trap&B banger is an exaltation of the freedom that comes when you buck expectations and fully commit to your own path.

  And when it comes to American pop stardom, some of those expectations will never be met by a Black woman — and that’s why Tinashe throws them out the window. “I don’t wanna be humble/ I don’t wanna be sweet no more,” she declares. “I don’t wanna be a good girl/ I don’t wanna be nice, f—k being polite.” Even though “Crash Out” arrived back in July as POPSTAR’s second single, it’s still one of the strongest and most important cuts on the album.

• “Sunglasses”

  Naturally, POPSTAR begins with a hook — one that doubles as the grounding mantra for the entire affair. “Eyes straight forward, I see tunnel vision/ Speaker so loud, music my religion,” she sing-chants as Arca’s glitchy, shapeshifting electronic fantasia begins. Being a pop star takes hard work and dedication; hence Nashe’s tunnel vision and religious commitment to her music.

  But being a pop star doesn’t mean stifling your truth for palatability; “I’m opinionated, but I’ll never be a hater,” she coos. “There’s a billion others but only one of me/ Independent shawty, and they so intimidated by you.” “Sunglasses” is an arresting entry point; one that confronts its listener with classic pop star imagery (sunglasses on in the club) that’s infused with hip-hop-steeped braggadocio and nuggets of truth that lift the veil piece by piece.

• “Empty Stadium”

  After spending the first three POPSTAR tracks committing to the fantasy of pop stardom, Tinashe crashes back down to Earth, finding herself singing to an “Empty Stadium.” When she sings, “In an еmpty stadium, looking at the walls, seeing no exits/ When I realize I’m alone, I’ve been singing so long and nobody hears it/ And I’m standing on stages waiting for applause that will never exist,” those lines pack a weightier punch from someone who’s navigated and overcome the major label system in the public eye, but still finds herself being called “underrated” and “overlooked.” The bustling drum and bass-nodding production and sweeping strings echo the tumult in her mind and heart, but she still finds “bliss” in the silence of that stadium; after all, every pop star’s first fan was themselves.

• “I’d Rather Be Alone”

  Aquarius fans will eat up “I’d Rather Be Alone,” a more traditional, electric guitar-inflected R&B ballad that finds Nashe letting go of a man who no longer serves her — and may have never. On an album where she opts for softer, more fluttery vocal delivery, it’s a real treat to hear Tinashe open her throat and belt to the rafters on this cut. The writing here is startlingly direct: “So I’d rather rip the Band-Aid off than scratch it ’til it bleeds, oh-woah/ It gets to a point where believing you’ll change is a foolish assumption.”

  Her songwriting isn’t packed with Easter eggs and hyperspecific allusions to her life as a private citizen, but it still captures the ever-elusive “authenticity” that so much of contemporary pop is obsessed with and shackled by. A good pop star should be able to simplify a complex combination of emotions in a three-minute song; thankfully, Tinashe is always up for the challenge.

• “Popstar”

  It’s a ballsy move to name your album POPSTAR — and it’s an even gutsier move to deliver a title track to it. But, again, this is Tinashe we’re dealing with here, so buckle up. “Popstar” finds Tinashe living the Hollywood version of her life while laying bare the sacrifices, compromises, trade-offs an evils that come with finally securing the pop stardom you’ve spent your life chasing.

  The second verse houses some career-best songwriting: “Social climbers ain’t my type/ But I do know how to fake it,” she quips. “I can make myself participate to get a seat on the table/ Still, I dress it up, but it’s all a mirage/ Gonna park my worry in my parents’ garage.”

  In an era of contrived, feigned relatability foregrounding essentially every corner of popular music, it’s a real treat to hear a pop star so plainly acknowledge the innate artifice of the industry. Somehow, a warning that’s also aspirational, “Popstar” reflects its lyrical push-and-pull through a melody that purposely falls just short of anthemic. She doesn’t want you to buy into this “popstar” concept as much as she wants you to interrogate what you think you may know about the potential and possibilities of pop stardom in general.

• “Heavy Weight”

  Even our most audacious pop auteurs know when it’s time to strip things down and keep it simple. Over acoustic guitar, Tinashe closes POPSTAR with a heartfelt rumination on burnout — and what a fitting final topic it is. “I know everyone relies on me to keep it all together/ And I’m killing myself trying to make it better,” she divulges in the second verse. “So I just work hardеr/ I’m the oldest daughter/ And nothing’s еver gonna change.”

  Somewhere along the line, songs like these became the primary focus of pop albums, instead of smart supplements to a larger, more nuanced concept or narrative. The delicate honesty of “Heavy Weight” is as effective as it is because it exists alongside snarkier cuts like “Too Easy” and “Popstar.” It’s that range and dimension that makes pop an eternally dynamic space, and Tinashe nails it with this gorgeous album closer.