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\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> I made all these songs in my bedroom. I was producing some of the tracks, and then I was collaborating with people that I met on Twitter. Those projects were really special in that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>What are some things that you apply in your process now that you did then that kind of help you connect with that version of yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>It\u2019s about reclaiming that spontaneousness, of being able to just make stuff from your soul and from your heart, and not really be so confined to what\u2019s going to pop.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>If there\u2019s anyone in the music industry who knows what it\u2019s like to have independent thought, and then have a bunch of people come in and start to tweak and tell you what to do, I feel like it\u2019s you. I watched your Complex <\/em>interview, where you spoke about Aquarius<\/em> and Joyride,<\/em> and you were like, \u201cWhen you\u2019re working with the Diplos and the Timbalands and the Max Martins, everyone has an idea of what you should do and be.\u201d I\u2019m curious about that process.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>When I was initially creating music, it was \u201cI don\u2019t care. It\u2019s whatever I want to do.\u201d Finding the discernment to be able to know \u201cOK, this is what I need to do.\u201d I felt the pigeonholing in terms of genre. I felt that really held me back. They didn\u2019t leave room for nuance. I\u2019m happy to see that it is improving. Especially as a Black woman, a lot of times they see you and place you in certain areas.\u2026 When I went independent, and just started making my own art, that\u2019s really when I was able to reclaim that for myself and get back to making things from an instinctual perspective. Do you ever feel like the genres placed on you sometimes either hold you back or help you?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t20250916 Rolling Stone Musicians on Musicians MoM x Amaarae x Tinashe_Forge Studios, Los Angeles, CA<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption>Amaarae: Shirt by New Bedstuy. Pants by Ernest Baker. Shoes by Dsquared2
\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> I just want to take all of the things that made me feel something as a child and reimagine them. No one was telling me what to do because I started off funding my own music. \u201cSad Girlz\u201d went crazy independent. So after that, I had the cards. I think the first thing that I said to the label I ended up signing to was \u201cI don\u2019t want my music touched.\u201d I came in with Fountain Baby<\/em> finished.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> Honestly, for me, it wasn\u2019t an in-your-face denial of what I wanted to do. It was sneaky in a way. \u201cOK, well these are the types of records that you can make. But if you want the money, funding, and platform, these records aren\u2019t going to get you there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>What is a pop platform? There\u2019s recognizability, which there are artists who have far more recognizability than me. I believe I will get to that with more sharpening. You don\u2019t know pop until it slaps you in the face.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> I agree. My music went through a period where it was challenged to be simpler and less complex. There were a lot of times where people were like, \u201cOh, we really don\u2019t understand you. You\u2019re very confusing.\u201d How do you think your fans feel in terms of the shift in direction?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> Some found it very jarring. But either y\u2019all are going to get it now or eventually, but that\u2019s something that I\u2019m willing to wait on. Some people just said it flat-out sucked. I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s cap.\u201d But I\u2019ve seen the tide turn.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>When I first listened to [Black Star<\/em>], I noticed the commitment to the style and the feeling of the album.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>I don\u2019t like to be perceived as someone who doesn\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>How early on in the process did you know that this was the direction that you wanted?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>I was making stuff like this for Fountain Baby<\/em>. I went to Miami, and I worked with El Guincho. And I brought him samples. I was like, \u201cAll right, this is what we about to do.\u201d \u201cStarkilla,\u201d that\u2019s a song I heard when I was 13.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing to the strip club is like going to church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amaarae<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>You just had a vision?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> It started with the sample, and then we took the sample out and rewrote it for Bree Runway to redo it. It was a lot with the drum patterns.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> As a dancer, and as someone of African descent, I feel like I\u2019m very drawn in by the drums and how they make me feel. Black Star<\/em> feels like almost basically every single track is a song that you could dance to. Is that intentional?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>Absolutely. You know why? Because I be onstage bored.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>You have to put songs in that you have fun performing.<\/p>\n\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>This is the most fun I\u2019ve ever had performing an album, because it\u2019s so bouncy and so upbeat, and it never stalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>I think the drums really drive the song. A lot of times, they\u2019re really the heartbeat of what the record is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>I will either start with a concept, or I\u2019ll start with the melody. I have a song on Black Star <\/em>called \u201cB2B.\u201d I went to my co-writer, and I was like, \u201cYou know how the DJs be going B2B [back-to-back], right? There\u2019s the meme on Twitter where the girl is masturbating, but she\u2019s DJ\u2019ing.\u201d And I was like, \u201cIt would be so fire to make a song about two girls going B2B, and the B2B is the sex, but can we write it as if it\u2019s DJ\u2019ing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>Do you just sit in your room and think about it? What\u2019s your process for coming up with concepts?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>The strip club. I\u2019m not even joking. So many songs for Black Star<\/em> were born in the strip club or in the midst of baddies.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> Where\u2019s your favorite strip club? Let\u2019s get into the good stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>The two best strip clubs in life that I\u2019ve gone to? Hole-in-the-walls. One is Macombos in D.C. Shout-out to Pink. She got the pineapple tattoo.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>Where\u2019s the second one?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> Austin, Texas. I went to Austin City Limits. I don\u2019t even remember the name of this joint. But let me tell you something. Do you know why I like those two? The hosting was crazy. So Macombos, they all line up and come and shake the hand of every single patron and say, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>That\u2019s so kind, so thoughtful, polite. Five stars on Yelp.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/p>\n
\u201cI have so much respect for the artist that I was when I first got in the game, because nobody could tell me anything. I was so determined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tinashe<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> And shout-out to Lil T in Austin, Texas. Lil T is maybe slightly shorter than you, tatted-up white girl, no ass. But she shook that motherfucker\u2026. Oh, man, she shook that motherfucker.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>I feel like every time I\u2019m at the strip club, I always bond with them on a personal level.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> Going to the strip club is like going to church. That\u2019s my tithe for the year. I go to the strip club to tithe. Yes, ma\u2019am. And as you can see, the ideas are free-flowing, by the grace of God. Seriously, the strip club is a very big influence for me, but also just being in the midst of beautiful women.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>Are you more locked in when you\u2019re in love or when it\u2019s toxic?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> Fountain Baby<\/em> was toxic. Black Star<\/em>, I was just in a cleaner, much more reciprocal love. I don\u2019t think that people really stop to think about how GOAT\u2019d you are. Songs for You<\/em> was 2019. That was your first independent release?<\/p>\n\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>Mm-hmm. I\u2019ve been focused in the past five years on just following an instinctual part of me and not really considering what was holding me back. I think that I really achieved that. I think on a spiritual level, people can feel when the music is coming from a genuine place. I have so much respect for the artist that I was when I first got in the game, because nobody could tell me anything. I was so determined. I had this unwavering sense of what I wanted to achieve, and that\u2019s something that\u2019s been tested over the years, but it\u2019s never something that I\u2019ve lost. I think that is the sole reason why I\u2019m still in the game.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>Do you like touring?<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> I love touring. But I have a really hard time doing both at once. Some people can make a project and be on tour at the same time. I feel like I have to give all my energy to the project, and then all my energy to promoting it, and then all my energy to the tour. Do you like touring?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>I love to perform. I hate to tour. I\u2019m a real homebody. I don\u2019t really go out even.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>I mean, your music sounds like you go out.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> I have a shell personality, and that\u2019s who Amaarae is. All the music that you guys hear is just my imagination of a personality.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> Really?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>Twenty percent is the persona within. It\u2019s not something that I just made up, but it\u2019s something that\u2019s within. But 80 percent of who I am, I\u2019m very quiet. Touring completely just discombobulates me.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>I can definitely relate to having different personalities. There\u2019s your true self, and then there\u2019s also your artist self. My artist self isn\u2019t any less of my true self. It\u2019s just a different part of my true self.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>You know Severance<\/em>? That\u2019s my artist self when I get into that split. When I\u2019m done, I don\u2019t even remember 500 percent of what happened because when I come back to myself, I really have to be just Ama. How have you been able to navigate changes in the industry as time goes on?<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> It\u2019s always maintaining a sense of who you are, your own identity. At the end of the day, trends come and go. If you\u2019re too tied to what\u2019s popular, you can easily lose yourself.<\/p>\n\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>What do you think is down the line for you?<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>Five years down the line, I think I\u2019ll still be creating music. I still have a lot that I want to share and give and create, and achieve. I\u2019m definitely still writing this story. Ten years from now? I can\u2019t predict. I think it could go so many different directions. I just love creating things. I don\u2019t have a very rigid plan. Do you?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>I have zero plans, but what I do know is that my body can\u2019t tour forever, so we\u2019re going to have to call it quits at some point. I really want to get into executive production for other artists. I love having a vision and deconstructing it just to put it back together. Are there any other businesses that you\u2019re into that are helping to keep your music career going?<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>I\u2019ve got some things that I\u2019m working on. They\u2019re still secret.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> Are any parts of your body insured? Are your vocal cords insured?<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>No. Oh, my God. Are you insured?<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae: <\/strong>Oh, yeah. But you know what? My mom owns an insurance company with my brother. Do you have life insurance?<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe:<\/strong> Yeah. The whole me is insured, but not specific things.<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> Your legs, because you\u2019re a dancer. Wow. You got to get on that.<\/p>\n\n\tTinashe: <\/strong>You\u2019re not wrong!<\/p>\n\n\tAmaarae:<\/strong> You can call us. GGMB Insurance! We got you. Car, house, anything. [Both laugh<\/em>.]<\/p>\n\n\n \t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
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Production Credits<\/p>\n
AMAARAE<\/strong>: Styling by AARON CHRISTMON<\/strong> and MARQUISE MILLER<\/strong>. Hair by MAYKISHA BOWERS<\/strong>. Makeup by ASHLEY CLARKE<\/strong>. TINASHEE<\/strong>: Styling by ALEJANDRA LAPILUSA<\/strong>. Hair by MITCHELL CANTRELL<\/strong>. Makeup by WENDI MIYAKE<\/strong>. Photographic assistance COLIN JACOB<\/strong> and ALIAH ANDERSON<\/strong>. Digital Technician\u00a0 SEAN MOORE<\/strong>. ROBBY MILLER<\/strong>. Video Director of Photography JOSH HERZOG<\/strong>. Camera Operators HALEY MIN YOUNG KREOFSKY, HIRAM BORGES, DUSTIN SUPENCHECK.<\/strong> Gaffer ANTHONY BOYD<\/strong>. Audio Engineer GLO MARIE<\/strong>. Location: THE FORGE LA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A maarae is scrolling through the Notes app on her phone, which is crammed with questions and observations about Tinashe. When she was a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":49730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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