CALIFORNIA, Jan 26 — Twenty-year-old rising singer Tinashe has been enticing listeners with a string of mixtapes showcasing her sultry R&B. Last week she made her major label debut with single “2 On,” heralding an upcoming album on RCA Records.

Who?

Tinashe Jorgenson Kachingwe aka Tinashe (Tee-NAH-shay), a native of Kentucky, is an LA-based actress and singer who began her music career as a member of the girl group The Stunners, which disbanded in 2011. In 2012 she released two mixtapes — “In Case We Die” and “Reverie” — that turned heads and sparked several high-profile remixes. After a third, highly buzzed mixtape, “Black Water,” in November 2013, the time was ripe for a taste of her debut album, which came last week in the form of single “2 On,” featuring emcee Schoolboy Q and produced by DJ Mustard.

Why the buzz? 

Tinashe's brand of alt-R&B mixes in pop and indie for a contemporary sound. Vibe calls her “R&B's next princess” and Hillydilly echoes the sentiment: “Best described as an Aaliyah x Cassie offspring, her sultry vibe and buttery smooth voice will score your next slow grind, indefinitely. ...I truly think Tinashe could take the reign as the new alt-R&B princess given the right amount of punch.”

The new single shows a slight change in style that seems geared toward a wider audience but is still pleasing critics.

Earmilk writes, “'2 On' is definitely a foray into the more mainstream R&B ring for Tinashe, but she delivers an easy to digest slice of club R&B gold.” The Fader reviews, “DJ Mustard's beat is a little more lasers at the club and less the laptop glow of 'Black Water,' but Tinashe still brings her charge and easy confidence.”

MuuMuse says “2 On” “sees Tinashe drifting away from her more moody, hazy offerings of the past few years and stepping foot into the club with a more radio-friendly, chilly electro-R&B thumper. .... The end result is something like a female version of Tyga‘s “Rack City” and 2 Chainz‘ “I'm Different” (both also produced by Mustard) mixed with the icy flow of Cassie‘s “Me & U,” blending #TurnUp club culture (TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?!) with hypnotic minimal beats - it's all sorts of sexy.” 

What to listen to? 

Tinashe's three mixtapes are available to download via site.tinashenow.com/music. “2 On,” as well as several others tracks, can be found on SoundCloud, and the single is also available on iTunes. Tinashe features on Canadian DJ and producer Ryan Hemsworth track “One For Me,” from his album “Guilt Trips,” and you can also listen to remixes of her songs by XXYYXX, Ryan Hemsworth, and AUS$AP Mob artists. 

Where to see? 

According to her management, Tinashe will be performing in the US and Europe this spring and summer. Follow Tinashe's latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr or at tinashe2on.com. — AFP-Relaxnews