Welcome To Tinashe's Metaphysical World

By Jaelani Turner-Williams


Tinashe is back and better than before.


Two years since the release of her 2019 album Songs for You — also Tinashe’s first project as an independent artist — the singer-songwriter has returned with her long-awaited effort 333. Named immediately after Tinashe’s life-path number 3, a divine number calculated from her birth date, the album sonically encompasses her journey to enlightenment through spirituality, metaphysics, and creative alignment.


“[The album] is the ideal developments of not only my sound, however also a lot of concepts that I’ve previously touched on in my other work,” Tinashe told MTV News. “In terms of thinking about the nature of reality, I’ve been dabbling in that concept since 2012 [when] I put out my second project, Reverie, which was about potentially living in a dream and what it could be like if this were all a dream. What does that mean in terms of which reality is real? How are we able to navigate through these different, adjusted states of consciousness? For me, I think that idea has continued to progress and evolve — that’s really where 333 lands conceptually.”


Ending her contract with RCA Records in 2019, Tinashe constructed the narrative of 333 to speak to her self-discovery, complete with evocative, hallucinogenic production and visual references to psychedelics through earthy album artwork. On the cover, the singer transforms into a triumphant awakened being, possessing 1/3 eye with a understanding of her human nature. In reality, Tinashe balances her energy through an equilibrium of crystals (specifically amethyst), ferns, and high vibrations to keep her focused while in quarantine.


“In 2020, I was doing a lot of self-exploration, a lot of meditation — that’s probably one of the greatest rituals that I was incorporating. [I was] spending a lot more time with myself,  looking at my own thought patterns, how I’m moving about the world, and why I’m psychologically moving through my life. Taking those things all into consideration If I was creating the album gave it a thread of connectivity,” she said.


Right after her Songs for You tour was canceled because of the pandemic, Tinashe contained livestream concerts through virtual reality platform Wave to reside in touch with fans. Recreating an immersive live-concert experience was high on Tinashe’s to-do list, and also studying alternate dimensions.


“I was listening to a lot of podcasts, doing a lot of studying online on new technologies about space travel, A.I., [And] VR. I was going down YouTube rabbit holes like every day,” she mentioned. “I learned that [these are] very serious discussions that are imagined by a lot of real, well-respected scientists in terms of simulation theory and why [they’re] right now thinking about the nature of reality. Over the course of the next three to five years, there will be even increasingly and more open discussion about the nature of reality and potentially the fact that we’re living in a simulation and why all of these things intersect moving forward.”


Inspired by technology and video games, 333 not only reworks the advancement of universal consciousness however heavily references virtual reality in promotional visuals, including the VSCO-partnered music video for “Pasadena” featuring Compton rapper Buddy. In the summertime anthem, Tinashe celebrates her California roots through a breezy perspective. Growing up close to Hollywood, the singer got a firsthand account of her hometown’s carefree influence, which she honors in the bouncy elements of her music.


“Sonically, the West Coast has a real character and real vibe. I’ve certainly experimented with plenty of West Coast sounds, whether that be in “2 On,” “I Can Visualize the Future,” or having artists like Buddy and [songs like] “Pasadena” that really celebrate L.A. Culture and the aesthetics of the city as instead of the glitz and glamour-y Hollywood version. It’s nice have the ability to bring that energy and sense of authenticity through,” she said.


With spirituality as a point of reflection while in 333, intertwined with themes of ego death and freedom, Tinashe accredits the VR headset as an aesthetic, and a way to question the experience of life and the ability to be able to see further.


“The VR headset symbolizes the idea that maybe each of those songs take place in a separate universe and, somehow, they all feel a piece of one grander universe, one big master plan. That’s how I look at my art a lot of the time — it’s all these different parts of me that are segmented, feel different, and have different sonic influences — however [they’re] all identically crucial and make up who I am,” she mentioned. “I don’t like to quota myself to one fashion or one sound, and I think that, categorize in attempt to have that thread of continuity, it makes brilliant sense that it would all be coming from this one headset that can transport you into different moods or experiences.”


Follow-up single “Bouncin” maintains the upbeat vibe, and the song’s video features energetic trampoline-oriented choreography conceptualized by the singer herself. Tinashe admits that while the choreography was painful — leaving her and backup dancers with short-term bruises — it was worth the sweat.


“I certainly think it was one of my most unique approaches to choreography, that and ‘All Hands on Deck’ [with the] storage crates,” she mentioned. “I habitually love to up the ante, in terms of my visuals and my music videos, and attempt to think of a new, fresh approach. Like, ‘Where [should] I dance that I’ve never danced before? I know, on a trampoline!’ That was an idea that I had for months.”


Like “Pasadena,” collaborations on 333 resemble Tinashe’s chameleonic approach, whether joined by Dallas R&B singer Kaash Paige or Grammy-winning Canadian dance-electronic producer Kaytranada, possibly alluding to the singer’s belief in parallel universes.


“When I approach collaborations — especially right now as an independent artist — I really lean into, who is gonna make the song sound the ideal? Who is gonna add to this song sonically in a way that I can’t do on my own?” Tinashe mentioned. “I really appreciate having these features, because I think that’s a special thing that some days you don’t habitually get. Some days, you get a plug-and-play, like, ‘These two artists would work good together,’ although the magic really happens as soon as it’s all about the song. That synergy is there and yes it makes the music way better.”


That synergy begins with Tinashe, an independent artist, being able to create her own creative decisions. With newfound confidence and a upcoming tour, the singer’s belief in 333 is undeniable.


“In the past While I was signed to a record label, there could be moments any time Whenever I would question if I was actually good enough to steer my own ship creatively. Any time you’re in rooms with really big producers and you’re just a young girl, it’s easy to be persuaded to create decisions that you think are calculated nevertheless aren’t necessarily in your best interest as soon as it comes to being who you are,” she mentioned. “I’ve come into my own a lot more as an independent artist. I think my ideas are good ideas, I stick with my ideas, and I visualize them through. I think that the fans can tell the distinction, as well.”


Excited to give fans the possibility to question their own beliefs and expand their 3-D dimensions, Tinashe seeks for 333 to give listeners a higher class of understanding of themselves and their oneness with the universe.


“I hope that old fans will [listen to] 333 and visualize the developments of me as an artist, as a person and have the ability to appreciate how far I’ve come in my journey. From my mixtape days to right now, from Aquarius to right now, from ‘2 On’ to right now — I think there’s a lot of growth, and my core fans will visualize it,” she mentioned. “For new fans who are getting introduced to me, I hope 333 offers a nice segue into who I am now. I think it encompasses where my headspace is at and hopefully it’ll inspire others to get into the art.”