Tiny Desk Premiere: Tinashe

By Alanté Serene

Published February 9, 2024 at 5:47 AM EST

Tinashe has never been one-dimensional. With the many titles of singer, songwriter, producer, engineer and dancer under her belt, she came to the Tiny Desk and proved just that. A snow storm may have kept many Washington, D.C. natives in their home that day, but Tinashe was at the office bright and early with an infectious smile and spirit that would warm up any chill in the building.

Since starting her music career in 2007, Tinashe has created songs in genres spanning from pop to electro-R&B. And as the Aquarius said herself, "at this point, I've really demonstrated that I don't necessarily fit into one genre." At the Tiny Desk, Tinashe presents cuts from several different projects. First, comforting the crowd with the vulnerability of "Treason," from her album BB/Ang3l, accompanied by a vibraphone which she plays live for the first time ever. Tinashe switches gears with "Unconditional," the Kaytranada-produced track off her album 333. Then the artist performed one of her self-proclaimed favorite tracks, "Touch And Go," from her album Songs for You. To conclude her high-energy set, Tinashe performed her breakout single, "2 On," right on time for its 10-year anniversary. As I sang, danced and cheered along with the rest of the crowd, I thought to myself, this is a show worth trekking through the snow for.

SET LIST

"Treason"
"Unconditional"
"Touch & Go"
"2 On"

MUSICIANS

Tinashe: vocals, vibraphone
Darion Ja'Von: drums/musical director
Zach Fenske: mandolin, electric guitar
Sean Rosati: acoustic guitar
Edwin Carranza: bass
Phil Lewis: keys
Caleb Vaughn-Jones: cello
Crystal Alforque: violin

TINY DESK TEAM

Producers: Bobby Carter, Alanté Serene
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Catie Dull
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins