Songs for You

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For the James Morrison album, see Songs for You, Truths for Me.
"Story of Us (song)" redirects here. For the Taylor Swift song, see The Story of Us (song).
Songs for You
Studio album by
Tinashe
ReleasedNovember 21, 2019 (2019-11-21)
RecordedJune 2018 – October 2019
StudioTinashe's home studio (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length52:50
LabelTinashe Music
Producer
Tinashe chronology
Joyride
(2018) 		Songs for You
(2019) 		Comfort & Joy
(2020)
Singles from Songs for You
  1. "Die a Little Bit"
    Released: October 24, 2019
  2. "Touch & Go"
    Released: November 7, 2019
  3. "So Much Better"
    Released: November 21, 2019
  4. "Stormy Weather"
    Released: December 27, 2019
  5. "Save Room for Us"
    Released: February 14, 2020

Songs for You is the fourth studio album by American singer Tinashe, released independently through her own label Tinashe Music Inc. on November 21, 2019. It is the first project since her departure from RCA Records in February 2019. The project features collaborations with Ms Banks, 6LACK, and G-Eazy. The album has received positive reviews, with publications praising her creativity, production and songwriting, as well as for releasing music independently.[2][3]

Background[edit]

After Tinashe's previous album Joyride was released, she started recording her follow-up mixtape. The mixtape was based on Tinashe's alter-ego, Nashe. Both Tinashe and Hitmaka, an executive producer on the mixtape, promoted Nashe through snippets of songs from the track list.[4] Further promotion continued with its singles, "Like I Used To" and "Throw a Fit", both of which used the mixtape's artwork.[5][6] Promotion for Nashe ceased without reason;[7] however, speculation arose after Tinashe posted a screenshot on Instagram of a page error from RCA's website with a broken heart as the caption to the post.[8] According to Hitmaka, the mixtape was shelved.[9] The cancellation of Nashe, described as a "failed course-correction" by Paper, became a turning point in her decision to depart from RCA, among other reasons.[10] In February 2019, Tinashe's then-manager Mike Nazzaro announced her departure from RCA, citing: "We initiated for her to be released. It was a positive split for her. It's giving her back creative control." After her departure, HotNewHipHop.com published an article reporting that she was in the midst of a bidding war with multiple major labels. Tinashe would eventually sign a management deal with Roc Nation on November 7, 2019.[11] Her new team includes Roc Nation's artist management Simonne Solitro.

Songs For You features three songs — "Link Up", "Feelings", and "Cash Race" — originally intended for Tinashe's 2018 summer project Nashe, produced by Hitmaka. MadeinTYO was originally featured on the tracklist after it was teased throughout the listening parties, but the collaboration was scrapped after the producer gave the beat to another artist.[12]

Recording[edit]

The album was recorded in Tinashe's home studio in Los Angeles. She considered her home studio as the location for the album recording as "[bringing] people into my experience, my world," and added, "I think that already set the tone for [the album], like 'OK, this is gonna be really real. This is gonna be raw.' It was truly me and that was all I was bringing to the studio, my emotions."[13]

Release and promotion[edit]

On September 30, 2019, Tinashe announced the project along with a trailer on YouTube. Between October and November 2019, she held listening parties for her project in London, Los Angeles and New York, and stated during the parties that Songs for You is her most vulnerable project to date. In an interview with Hip Hop Mike, she stated her direction for the album as, "a real experience that they could really sink their teeth into. There are a few moments that are in your feels. I had to really open myself up. It’s the most vulnerable project I’ve ever put out."[13]

The album was released on November 21, 2019 on a Thursday instead of the music industry's customary releases of Friday. Tinashe stated in an interview with Billboard that she wanted to emphasize her stance in the music industry as "not part of the system".[12] The album topped the iTunes Albums chart on the night of its release; the album reached the number 1 spot in multiple countries including the US, making her the first independent artist to do so since Frank Ocean's 2016 album Blonde topped the chart.[14][10]

Singles[edit]

The first single, "Die a Little Bit" featuring Ms Banks, was released as the lead single from Songs for You on October 24, 2019, with an accompanying music video directed by C Prinz. The second single, "Touch & Go" featuring 6lack, was released on November 7, 2019. "So Much Better" featuring G-Eazy was released as the third single on November 21, 2019, alongside its music video directed by Mynxii White. "Stormy Weather" was released as fourth single on December 27, 2019 with the release of an accompanied video. "Save Room for Us" was made the fifth and final single on February 14, 2020 with the release of an accompanying video, and an additional remix by Makj himself. An acoustic video for album track, "Remember When", was released on April 21, 2020.

From June 26, 2020 to July 10, 2020, a remix of a song from the album would be released each Friday. "Hopscotch" with American R&B duo THEY., "Die a Little Bit" featuring Ms Banks, with producer Zhu and "Touch & Go" featuring 6lack, with producer TARRO were released respectively a week apart from each other. All remixes came with their own accompanied short visual.

Tour[edit]

In February 2020, Tinashe announced her Tour for You in support of the album.[15][16] Within one week, half of the dates were sold out.[17][18] Additional tour dates were added in the United States in late February.[19]

The Phoenix venue was moved from the Crescent Ballroom to The Van Buren due to high demand.[17] On April 1, 2020, Tinashe announced the postponement of the tour, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20]

Tour dates[edit]

List of tour dates
Date City Country Venue
North America[15][16][17]
April 20, 2020 Detroit United States Saint Andrews Hall
April 21, 2020 Chicago House of Blues Chicago
April 22, 2020 Pittsburgh Spirit Hall
April 23, 2020 Silver Spring The Fillmore
April 24, 2020 Boston Blue Night Live
April 25, 2020 Philadelphia Theatre of Living Arts
April 26, 2020 Brooklyn Warsaw
April 27, 2020 New York City Gramercy Theatre
April 29, 2020 Toronto Canada Danforth Music Hall
May 9, 2020 Denver United States Summit Music Hall
May 11, 2020 Houston House of Blues Houston
May 12, 2020 House of Blues Dallas
May 15, 2020 Phoenix The Van Buren
May 16, 2020 Los Angeles The Belasco Theatre
May 17, 2020 San Diego Observatory North Park
May 18, 2020 Santa Ana Observatory
May 19, 2020 San Francisco August Hall
May 22, 2020 Vancouver Canada Commodore Ballroom
May 23, 2020 Seattle United States Neptune Theatre

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
HotNewHipHop81%[22]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[23]
Rolling Stone[24]
NME[25]
Paste7.9/10[26]
Pitchfork7.7/10[27]

Songs for You received positive reviews from music critics. Stereogum's Chris DeVille regarded the album as sonically "[feeling] like freedom. Liberated from label meddling, she has assembled a fine reminder of what made her so likeable in the first place," and compares the overall sound for the album as "the vibe is that of an extremely talented R&B artist getting back to cooking after a deep, cleansing exhale."[28]

Madeline Roth from MTV describes Songs for You as "Tinashe taking full creative control over her work; something she was finally able to do [...] The result, it seems, is music that comes straight from the soul."[29]

Nylon's Allison Stubblebine said that "Tinashe is the R&B superstar we've been looking for, and now that her first-ever independent album Songs for You has dropped, it's time to throw it on repeat and give her the praise she deserves. There's not a single bad song on the record: Concluding at 51 minutes, the 15-track release showcases everything Tinashe does best."[30]

Year-end lists[edit]

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Revolt Top R&B Projects of 2019
5
 [31]
HipHopDX The Best R&B Albums Of 2019
6
 [32]
Tracklist 15 Best International Albums of 2019
13
 [33]
Paste Best Pop Albums of 2019
14
 [34]
Rated R&B The 30 Best R&B Albums of 2019
23
 [35]
Complex The Best Albums of 2019
45
 [36]
The Fader The 100 Best Songs of 2020 ("Save Room for Us")
43
 [37]

Track listing[edit]

Credits adapted from Apple Music and Tidal.[38][39]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Feelings"
3:06
2."Life's Too Short"Tinashe
  • Kingdom
3:11
3."Hopscotch"
  • Tinashe
  • Alec King
  • Boston
  • Killah B
3:11
4."Stormy Weather"Tinashe
  • Oliver Malcolm
  • Todd Pritchard
3:10
5."Save Room for Us"
2:45
6."Story of Us"
  • Tinashe
  • DeLaney Harter
Oz2:45
7."Die a Little Bit" (featuring Ms Banks)
  • Tinashe
  • Parrish Warrington
  • Thyra Oji
  • Rook Monroe
  • Vaughn Elsas
  • Trackside
2:45
8."Perfect Crime"
2:56
9."Cash Race"
  • Tinashe
  • Go Grizzly
  • London Jae
  • Tariq Beats
  • Turn Me Up Josh
  • Pooh Beatz
  • Landstrip Chip
  • Mayila
  • Lorenzo Chatmon
  • Timothy Michael Wells, Jr.
  • Quinton Lamar Cook
  • Hitmaka
  • Go Grizzly
  • Poo Beatz
  • Turn Me Up Josh
4:34
10."Link Up"
  • Tinashe
  • Hitmaka
  • Chrishan
  • London Jae
  • Smash David
  • Landstrip Chip
  • Smash David
  • Hitmaka
3:28
11."Touch & Go" (featuring 6LACK)
Killah B4:15
12."Know Better"
6:57
13."You (Interlude)"TinasheTinashe0:06
14."So Much Better" (featuring G-Eazy)
  • Myles Morgan
  • Malcolm
  • Pritchard
4:50
15."Remember When"Tinashe
  • Darion Jovan
3:50
Total length:52:50

Notes[edit]

  • "Hopscotch" contains a hidden track called "Like Me" starting at 1:53.
  • "Cash Race" contains a hidden track called "All Eyes On Me" starting at 1:38.
  • "Link Up" contains a hidden track called "Naked" starting at 2:08.
  • "Know Better" contains a hidden track called "Did You Notice?" starting at 2:53. [40]
  • "So Much Better" contains a hidden track called "Soul Food" starting at 2:50 and resung lyrics from "Midnight Sun", written by Tinashe, Craig Balmoris and Julian Nixon.[41][42]

Charts[edit]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[43] 147
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[44] 21
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[45] 20

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 21 November 2019
Tinashe Music [46]
27 March 2020 Vinyl [47]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tinashe: Songs for You Album Review". Pitchfork. December 4, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2020. Songs for You feels effortless, drifting between subterranean trap, airy dance-pop, and R&B ballads.
  2. ^ Roth, Madeline. "Tinashe Takes Control On Her Genre-Hopping New Album Songs For You". MTV News. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  3. ^ "Tinashe's 'Songs For You' Is Your Next Favorite Album". NYLON. 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  4. ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 13, 2018). "Hear Tinashe Unload on Ex on New Single 'Like I Used To'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. ^ Rincón, Alessandra (July 13, 2018). "Tinashe Is 'On a Wave' With Surprise Track 'Like I Used To': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  6. ^ Pimentel, Julia (July 27, 2018). "Tinashe Brings Out Her Spicy Alter Ego on 'Throw A Fit'". Complex. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  7. ^ Renshaw, David (21 November 2019). "Tinashe shares Songs For You". The FADER. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  8. ^ "Tinashe's Trials And Tribulations In The Music Industry". Lindah Kiyeng Communications. August 9, 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  9. ^ Caraan, Sophie (21 November 2019). "Tinashe Is Creatively Rejuvenated in New Album 'Songs for You'". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b x Michael, Michael (22 November 2019). "Tinashe Is Under New Management: Her Own". PAPER. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Tinashe Signs With Roc Nation Management". Vibe. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  12. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (21 November 2019). "Finally Free: Tinashe is Leaving Her Label Issues in the Past & Making the Music She Loves". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Stream Tinashe's New Album 'Songs for You'". Rap-Up. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  14. ^ "#SONGSFORYOU by @Tinashe reaches #1 on iTunes USA!". MusicNewsFact. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  15. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (22 May 2020). "Tinashe Will Embark on a Tour For You: See the New Dates". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  16. ^ a b Caraan, Sophie (22 May 2020). "Tinashe Announces 'Tour For You' North America Dates". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  17. ^ a b c "All these Songs For You, baby on Instagram: "Half the shows are completely sold out already 😻😻😻😻..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  18. ^ Saponara, Michael (11 February 2020). "How Tinashe Toed the Line Between 'Sexy & Classy' on Her G-Eazy Collaboration". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Guess what y'all! We're adding a southern leg of #TourForYou! Fan club tix on sale today, GA available Friday.I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU GUYS pic.twitter.com/WPH8S75WS5". @Tinashe. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  20. ^ "All these Songs For You, baby on Instagram: "Soooo saaaaaaaad to finally announce this, but I've been stalling, hoping for a different outcome..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Songs For You by Tinashe review". Metacritic. November 22, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  22. ^ Lyons, Patrick (November 26, 2019). "Tinashe "Songs for You" (Review)". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  23. ^ Taylor, Chris (November 28, 2019). "Tinashe's Songs For You is infectious, supremely confident R&B". The Line Of Best Fit. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  24. ^ "Songs For You by Tinashe review - Rolling Stone Review". Metacritic. January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  25. ^ Hobbs, Thomas (November 29, 2019). "Tinashe – 'Songs For You' review: underrated pop star hopscotches from one sound to the next". NME. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  26. ^ Bote, Joshua (November 26, 2019). "Tinashe Finds Success on Her Own Terms on Songs For You". Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  27. ^ "Tinashe, Songs for You". Pitchfork. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  28. ^ DeVille, Chris (November 21, 2019). "Tinashe Takes Matters Into Her Own Hands". Stereogum. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  29. ^ Roth, Madeline (November 21, 2019). "Tinashe Takes Control On Her Genre-Hopping New Album Songs For You". MTV News. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  30. ^ Stubblebine, Allison (November 21, 2019). "Tinashe's 'Songs For You' Is Your Next Favorite Album". Nylon Magazine. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  31. ^ "9 top R&B projects of 2019". Revolt TV. December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  32. ^ "The Best R&B Albums Of 2019". HipHopDX. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  33. ^ "s 15 melhores álbuns internacionais de 2019". Tracklist MTV. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  34. ^ "The 15 Best Pop Albums of 2019". Paste Magazine. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  35. ^ "The 30 Best R&B Albums of 2019". Rated R&B. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  36. ^ "The Best Albums of 2019". Complex. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  37. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". The Fader. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  38. ^ "Songs for You by Tinashe on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  39. ^ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  40. ^ Aldridge, Darryle (29 November 2019). "Tinashe is at her most free on 'Songs For You'". The Cavalier Daily. The State News. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  41. ^ "it just felt right... haha also I wanted it to be a cool Easter egg for OG fans". @tinashe. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  42. ^ Brissett, Danielle. "Tinashe Releases Seductive Visual for 'So Much Better' Featuring G-Eazy". ratedrnb.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  43. ^ "Tinashe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  44. ^ "Tinashe Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  45. ^ ""Tinashe Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  46. ^ "Songs For You". Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  47. ^ "Tinashe's 'Joyride' on Vinyl". March 27, 2020. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
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