Tinashe

Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe (born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena, California as a child, where she pursued work in entertainment.

Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe was born on February 6, 1993, in Lexington, Kentucky, and is the eldest child of college professors Michael and Aimie Kachingwe.

Her father is a professor who teaches acting at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a first-generation Zimbabwean immigrant of Shona descent, while her mother, who is of Danish, Norwegian, and Irish descent, teaches physical therapy at California State University, Northridge.

Her parents met each other on a blind date during their time as undergrads at the University of Iowa.

Tinashe's name means "We have God (or God is with us)" in the Shona language.

She has two younger brothers, Thulani and Kudzai.

As a child, Tinashe lived in DeKalb, Illinois.

She and her family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was eight years old.

She attended Crescenta Valley High School for a year before finishing early to pursue a career in music full-time.

During high school, she faced bullying from her peers.

She began studying ballet, tap, and jazz dancing at the age of 4, and continued to compete in various styles as a part of a dance company until she was 18.

Tinashe scored roles in a number of TV shows, movies, and children's videos in the early 2000s, including the movies Cora Unashamed (2000), Call Me Claus (2001), Masked and Anonymous (2003), and two TV series: Rocket Power (2004) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (2007).

Although she was uncredited in the poorly received Masked and Anonymous, Roger Ebert observed at the film's 2003 Sundance Film Festival premiere "the one performer in the movie whose performance actually was applauded; that was a young black girl named Tinashe Kachingwe, who sings 'The Times They Are A-Changin'' with such sweetness and conviction that she is like a master class."

He concluded his review of the movie: "If I had been asked to serve as consultant on this picture, my advice would have amounted to three words: more Tinashe Kachingwe."

Her notable roles include a motion-capture performance in the animated film The Polar Express (2004), Robin Wheeler in the Cartoon Network television series Out of Jimmy's Head (2007–2008), and a recurring role in the CBS series Two and a Half Men (2008–2009).

From 2007 to 2011, Tinashe was a member of the girl group the Stunners.

These led to a regular role in the Cartoon Network TV series Out of Jimmy's Head in 2007–2008 and a recurring role on Two and a Half Men in 2008–2009.

In 2007, Tinashe joined girl group the Stunners, founded by Vitamin C.

Her bandmates were friends Marisol Esparza, Allie Gonino, Hayley Kiyoko, and Kelsey Sanders.

Six months after their formation, the group signed with Columbia Records, and later signed a production deal with Lionsgate Entertainment for scripted television show for MTV.

On March 18, 2009, they released a single and video, "Bubblegum."

In October, the group released a five-song EP, influenced by artists such as Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and Rihanna.

The music video for their promo single, "We Got It", was released on February 22, 2010, and they performed the song on The Today Show and The Wendy Williams Show.

After signing with Universal Republic Records in 2010 they released a single, "Dancin' Around the Truth."

The music video premiered on June 2, 2010, just before the group was announced as an opening act on Justin Bieber's My World Tour.

After the Bieber tour the Stunners returned to the recording studio, but disbanded in 2011, and Tinashe began pursuing a solo career.

After the Stunners disbanded, Tinashe "bought a bunch of equipment, a camera, and microphones", and began to teach herself how to record and mix music.

She wrote and recorded songs in her room studio.

She produced beats with Logic Pro, and also filmed and edited her own music videos with Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro.

Tinashe cites YouTube as her "teacher".

Following their disbandment, she released her first two alternative R&B mixtapes, In Case We Die (2012) and Reverie (2012) to positive critical reception.

She released her third mixtape, Black Water (2013) to further recognition as she then signed with RCA Records.

Her 2014 debut single, "2 On" (featuring Schoolboy Q) peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It preceded the release of her debut studio album Aquarius (2014), which received generally favorable reviews and moderate commercial response.

Her 2015 collaboration with Snakehips and Chance the Rapper, "All My Friends", won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song the following year.

That same year, Tinashe also appeared on Britney Spears' single "Slumber Party", which topped Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.

Tinashe's second studio album, Nightride (2016), reached number eight on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the US.

Her third album, Joyride (2018) peaked at number 58 on the Billboard 200 and reached number six on the UK R&B Albums chart.

Since departing RCA, Tinashe has independently released the albums Songs for You (2019), 333 (2021) and BB/Ang3l (2023).