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Tinashe

Crafting her own brand of inventive, left field R&B from her bedroom, Tinashe has grown from a child actor into a creative, pop maverick who melds together big beats, deconstructed '90s chart anthems and down-tempo, neo-soul ballads. Born in Kentucky but raised in Los Angeles, she began acting and dancing at the age of four and first came to wider attention a few years later when she finished second on the NBC television contest 'America's Most Talented Kid' in 2003. She also appeared in the sitcom 'Two and a Half Men' when she was 16 and toured with Justin Bieber as part of teen girl-group The Stunners, but decided to focus solely on her own music and began writing and recording tracks in her small, home studio. This led to her self-releasing mixtapes 'In Case We Die' and 'Reverie' in 2012 and signing a major deal with RCA before working with Schoolboy Q on her debut single '2 On' in 2014 and reached number 17 in the US charts with the album 'Aquarius'. Citing Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera as major inspirations, Tinashe was also influenced by her father's Zimbabwean roots and his love of African artists like Fela Kuti and Ladysmith Black Mambazo and her second album 'Nightride' sounded more eclectic and sonically adventurous than most of her R&B peers. She featured on the single 'All My Friends' by electro producer Snakehips, which reached number five in the UK charts. She also penned tracks for Fifth Harmony and Kelela before turning her attentions to her hero Britney Spears' track 'Slumber Party' and a tour with Katy Perry and Maroon 5. Always an upbeat, positive thinking character and a high energy performer full of balletic, jaw-dropping dance moves, she returned in 2018 with new album 'Joyride' featuring guest spots from Little Dragon, Future and Offset.