Tinashe Doesn’t Want to Die Underrated
On September 25, 2026, long-standing pop singer Tinashe released ‘Popstar’, her eighth studio album since her debut song “2 On” back in 2014. You can say she has come a long way in the more than decade-long career she has had, but Tinashe herself would say this album is where she feels most comfortable in her individual journey.
In multiple interviews and deep dives during the first few weeks of her album release, Tinashe has made her stance clear on her public image and the desired outcome of this album: she is letting this album roll out on its own and is excited to see where the course of this release will take her. She claims that with this release, she feels not only the most like herself, but the most confident in her individual talent and grit that she has built up over the years.
Surprisingly enough, the more laid-back role she has taken on during the rollout of this album has proved to give her some of the most positive reception from listeners, at least compared to her previous releases. This role has let the album speak for itself: expressing her inner thoughts, cutting vulnerably deep, and simultaneously pushing you onto the dance floor, ‘Popstar’ is an amalgamation of chasing the dream, the very dream the album is titled after.
Tinashe is not afraid of letting her emotions out on the dance floor. Heart-hitting and nostalgic, the title track, “Popstar,” goes over the singer’s own reflections on how her life looks these days, the glamorous mixed in with the insecurities of wanting too much. The first track, “Sunglasses”, shows Tinashe’s “tunnel vision” of pursuing her dreams and staying in the game, no matter for how long. “Melatonin”, a standout on the album, takes us through multiple beat drops and makes it impossible to sit still. She claims that listeners have been “sleeping on her” until now, and she is right. ‘Popstar’ proves this by debuting at #6 on the Billboard charts and earning a 9.0 out of 10 on Pitchfork; her bonus edition of the album, which included remixes of four songs, charted above Taylor Swift’s recent alternate-version release of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’.
However, ‘Heavy Weight’, the final song in the original version of the album, reveals the gritty and realistic feelings of insecurity in the competitive field of always chasing the top and the desire to fit into an industry that feeds off of this chase. Reminiscent of Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’, which shook the world with its duality of subject matter and straightforward party music, Tinashe’s ‘Popstar’ opens up the conversation about what being a popstar means today. The sixteen-track album reflects other artists who have been having this same conversation.
With the likes of Rebecca Black, Zara Larsson, and newer stars such as ADÉLA, Tinashe joins the movement of breaking free from enforced humility in appreciating one’s own craft. Recently, the shift in pop music, seemingly being placed into the mainstream with the release of ‘Brat’, has been moving toward a more raw look at what a chase for appreciation really looks like.
In track four on ‘Popstar’, “Empty Stadium”, Tinashe strongly claims that she does not want to die underrated. With the reception that her recent album has received, we can confidently say this will not be an issue; by keeping the conversation alive regarding being an artist who is looking for a place to fit in and feel like she is leaving a lasting impact on her listeners, Tinashe is contributing to the ongoing portrayal of the female artist who is confident in her own work, just like the aforementioned charting singers with similar messages in their recent works. The argument that you are proud of your work and that you are completely okay with it is a refreshing change of perception that I am excited to see more of, especially in the pop genre with both new artists and those who are reclaiming their fame after years of proving their worth.
Timothee Chalamet’s 2025 speech of acceptance at the SAG Awards received a great reception, calling him a real and starving artist by claiming that he wants to be “one of the greats”. When artists like Charli XCX do it, however, the response is not so loving in the majority. Seeing a shift in taking over the status quo, especially by female pop artists who have famously received arguably the most criticism and disagreement in the music industry, is not only empowering but simply fun. Being proud of your own art is cool again, and the girls are doing it better than anyone.