Tinashe performs at the Howard Theatre in Washington. “Aquarius,” her debut album, was released earlier this year and featured the Top 40 hit song "2 On."
At some point this year, you probably heard Tinashe’s “2 On” — an enviably lean DJ Mustard-produced track carried by a sparse bass line and the former child actor and model’s delicate murmurings about indulging in the drink and the smoke. If you’ve heard the hit, or any of the tracks from Tinashe’s debut, “Aquarius,” you’ve also likely heard the influence of singers such as Janet Jackson, Aaliyah and even Diddy protege Cassie (remember her?).
New artists don’t love being compared to established ones, no matter how flattering those comparisons may be. But for Tinashe, a huge part of her appeal lies in her ability to recapture the magic of R&B past. At the Howard Theatre on Wednesday night, the 21-year-old Los Angeles native took the best elements of R&B/pop from the late-’90s and early-’00s — light pop vocals, dance beats, exposed midriff — and coated it all in an otherworldly, sci-fi aesthetic.
She emerged wearing a sparkly face mask with cat ears and mewled her way through “Vulnerable,” from her mixtape “Black Water,” singing “don’t stop looking at me” over and over, as if casting a spell on the small, but enthralled, audience.
Tinashe, who got her start making mixtapes in her bedroom, was given roughly two years to work on her album, as the story goes, and that care showed on the sultry “Bet” and the hazy, sprawling “Far Side of the Moon.” Catchy sing-songy R&B pop lyrics that sound like gibberish aren’t going anywhere, but Tinashe’s thoughtful words are refreshing. “Sky’s on fire/Lightning, the stars come/You know I tried to tell you/Attempted to warn you/And we’ve been praying for the rain,” she sang on “Bet.”
“Aquarius” is sprinkled with verses from some of the most popular rappers of the moment — Schoolboy Q on “2 On,” Future on “How Many Times,” A$AP Rocky on “Pretend.” But during Tinashe’s live show, those prominent guests aren’t missed. Her music pares down the proportions of the hip-hop/R&B collaboration so that the rap verses become pleasant garnish.
“Bated Breath” was her ballad offering, but her physical acrobatics — standing on a stool — were more impressive than her vocal ones. Despite being in possession of a lovely voice, Tinashe sounds best singing over something more propulsive than a sad, slow love song.
Her encore was naturally, “2 On,” but the highlight was her performance of “How Many Times” where she pokes at the Janet Jackson comparisons by reinventing Ms. Jackson’s “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun),” reworking the moody, pensive original into a sexy romp that asks “how many times can we make love in one night?” It was old, it was new, it was everything.
