For Tinashe, the resurgence started years ago. The singer, songwriter, producer and DJ had first broken out in 2014, when her debut album Aquarius (RCA) and its breakout single “2 On” feat. ScHoolboy Q, which peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, announced her as a new voice to watch. But a series of albums that produced diminishing returns saw her leave her record label and strike out on her own as an independent artist, with a devoted fan base but not much commercial chart success to show for it.
That changed in 2024, when her single “Nasty” exploded on social media and marked her return to the Hot 100 for the first time in a decade. The following year, her song with dance DJ Disco Lines, “No Broke Boys,” became her first top 40 hit since “2 On,” peaking at No. 36 on the Hot 100. And now, the resurgence is complete: Her new album, Popstar, released through Nice Life Recordings in partnership with Atlantic Records, has been lauded as one of the best albums of the year, and became the highest-charting album of her career, debuting this week at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with 35,500 equivalent album units, a major success story for an artist who has seen all sides of the music business over the past decade. And that success helps her manager Simonne Solitro earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Solitro speaks about that journey through the industry, the career resurgence that has seen Tinashe reach new heights and why Popstar has been such a successful release for her. “Ultimately, you can release a million variants, but if you don’t give the fans and media something interesting to listen to, watch and discuss, it just won’t sell,” Solitro says. “In this case the art was always more important than the sales. The sales were just a luxury of a project that was absolutely worth listening to over and over and over again.”
This week, Tinashe landed the highest-charting debut of her career and her first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 with Popstar. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?
While there is never a surefire way to know how the public might respond to a project, you can take many things into account before a release to ensure you are building a strong foundation and success model from the jump. The music industry moves fast, and people consume music and media at a rate that is very hard to keep up with. We constantly need to think outside the box and build intriguing, fresh campaigns.
Tinashe had a very specific vision and intention behind this project. I really wanted to make sure she and her story were supported in the best way possible. While there were many things we did, a few of the impactful elements included teasing the music early through new, innovative methods both online and in person. Having strong visuals that translated not only elements of the songs but also the album’s context as a whole. Consistently making a strong impact on her social media while ensuring the content added a creative layer of understanding to the overall narrative she wanted her fans to absorb. Having strong physical products like vinyl and CDs. We take pride in packaging that is outside the box and can become a collector’s item. We recognize fans spend their hard-earned money on physical products, and we want them to resonate beyond even the creative content they have seen online so far.
Ultimately, the project held deep significance for Tinashe. From the genre blending and the story she wanted to tell, to the industry norms she was fighting to challenge and change. The biggest takeaway I can offer is to never underestimate the power of a detailed marketing plan. I had amazing people on the team, each with individualized understandings of different ways to reach current and new audiences both in person and online. I strived to ensure elements of each approach were in our plan every step of the way. As the navigator of the ship, it was my duty to ensure everyone on the team had a voice, was heard, and contributed effectively to the plans. Lastly, campaigns do not stop upon the release date. Having a robust long-term plan that doesn’t feel exhausting for the consumer is also important. It’s the beauty in being a creative and working with other fabulous creatives. The industry doesn’t need to be so mechanical all the time. We are all creatives and need to find the value in collaborating within each step. Even as someone behind the scenes, I always try to remain in the eyes of the consumer and never stop learning.
The album earned 35,500 equivalent album units, her best week yet, with 22,000 in album sales, also a personal best for her. What was your release strategy in terms of streaming and having eight vinyl and CD variants and a few expanded editions available digitally?
A big thing we took into consideration with the release plan was the cadence of released songs and their impact on discovering the overall sounds of the album. Again, this was part of a larger conversation about the overall album narrative, which was then broken down into how someone would sonically digest the project. “Popstar” was one of the first songs teased about a year ago, and the impact was immediately felt with the fan reaction. Making that song’s intro the theme song for the rollout effectively set the tone. “Too Easy” set the tone as a disrupter in conversation. It was in-your-face, braggadocious, fun and also challenged people’s ability to absorb music in various lengths. “Melatonin” speaks for itself as a one-in-a-million track that blends all elements of Tinashe’s abilities as a genre-blending creator, showcasing the strength she has in making a sound her own and iconic. “Crash Out” being a true banger brought the traditional heat. “Pillow Fight” and “I’d Rather be Alone” as a two-pack was meant to give an element of surprise within the rollout and again show two altogether different sonic sides to the project. By this point, we wanted people to understand that Popstar was deeper than just bangers or just hits; it held weight that would be discovered through the lyrics and the blended sounds of her extremely detailed tracklisting. It was a traditional word for a very non-traditional-sounding project.
How did you want to roll out this album differently from previous Tinashe projects?
I never approach rollouts the same way. To me, copying is never a good idea in this industry; innovation is always the way. This isn’t easy and takes time and patience, but it’s always rewarded. Understanding your artist is the most important thing, along with always prioritizing the art first. Developing a campaign should incorporate elements of where an artist is currently, what they want to share with the world, and who you are trying to reach. Media can be narrow-minded, but there are endless possibilities in how to reach people. Taking the core values in your art and finding ways to expand your story and spread awareness is what’s important in making an impactful campaign. That and always staying authentic, truly. Building characters can be fun but can be hard to change later. Being authentic really allows your listener to build a long-lasting bond with you.
This commercial resurgence really started in 2024, when “Nasty” became her first Hot 100 hit as a lead artist in over a decade, then continued last year with her Disco Lines collaboration “No Broke Boys,” which became her first top 40 hit since 2014, peaking at No. 36. How were you able to build on that momentum in the lead-up to Popstar?
I did not take either moment in her career lightly. “Nasty” was an awesome opportunity to reach new audiences with the social media craze that followed the song. We made sure she connected with all the new fans globally while touring for almost a year straight on the Match My Freak global tour. “No Broke Boys” was an unexpected fun summer splash that allowed even more new fans to discover her and her extensive catalogue. Tinashe is no newbie to dance music; she has a long history of dance hits in her discography and is a producer and DJ herself. While we had been soft launching this side of her business for a year or so, we decided to lean in harder around this time to properly catapult her into the space, which allowed for additional avenues of music discovery. Whether it was through flipping old songs, blending two of her tracks together or even secretly teasing new music, she is constantly keeping listeners on their toes and excited for what she might put in her sets. It’s been amazing to add another creative outlet for her fans to get a deeper look into the creativity that lingers in her head. It’s absolutely one of the biggest reasons, as a fan, you want to stay tuned and engaged in whatever she is creating.
Tinashe spent a few years on a major label, then went independent, then partnered with Atlantic for this album. What did you guys learn from being independent, and how has Atlantic helped to charge this release?
Going independent is no easy feat for an artist. So much rides on the artist’s shoulders; it can be daunting. Tinashe’s journey is no different. Having a strong team is everything when it comes down to it. I have always been the biggest supporter of hers and will continue to be. I have listened deeply and I have advocated beyond measure, even when traditional business around me might have disagreed with my thoughts and decisions. I have supported her and her vision for her art first, never trying to sway her into being anything other than herself. I have positioned myself only as an extension and tool to uplift her and maximize her audience as best I can. There was never pressure from me for her to return to a label even when it was financially tough, because her ability to create at her own speed on her own terms and release what she wanted musically meant more. I instead searched harder for collaborations with amazing people who were inspired by her and found new ways to generate income.
We took the art and marketing very seriously, as that was always our biggest tool in our campaigns. Ultimately, it ended up paying off deeply. She remained independent while I garnered untraditional yet highly supportive deals with stellar teams like Atlantic and Nice Life, who play pivotal roles in the success of the project. These teams consist of extremely creative minds that excel in their departments and helped support Tinashe’s vision the same way I always have. They truly saw who she was, and their only goal was to uplift her and her creative choices. It’s rare to find such teams, and we appreciate every member’s hard work in making this moment possible.
This album has received rave reviews across the board. How do you keep the momentum going?
As mentioned, a proper campaign should never stop after the album’s release. I made it a priority for the team to develop an extensive and robust plan to ensure that Popstar remains active in people’s timelines in a multitude of ways for the months to come and beyond. Everyone should be excited about how and where they will see Tinashe in the next year. Our top priority right now is using this magnificent album of the year to continue growing her audiences.
