Tinashe has officially reached pop star status with a new career high — and she’s rightfully emotional about it.
The singer’s latest album, Popstar, debuts at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, making it her highest-charting album ever on the tally and her first top 10 appearance. The milestone was enough to leave Tinashe “cryinggggg” as she celebrated the news on social media on Monday (Oct. 5).
“I’m so unbelievably grateful, this is CRAZY! #6 BILLBOARD DEBUT,” she wrote on X, adding a flood of crying emojis before thanking fans “so soooooo much” for their love and support, before finishing off with: “I’m cryinggggg.”
The congratulations quickly rolled in. Among those celebrating was fellow singer Victoria Monét, who quote-tweeted Tinashe’s post with an enthusiastic message of her own: “YESSS! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! Flowers and rockets to the moon my girl. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!” including a plethora of emojis to showcase her support.
The No. 6 debut is quite a significant jump for Tinashe, whose Billboard 200 journey stretches back more than a decade. Her 2014 major-label debut Aquarius previously held her career-high position on the chart, debuting and peaking at No. 17. Her subsequent albums Nightride and Joyride peaked at Nos. 89 and 58, respectively, while her independent releases continued to keep her name circulating within the R&B/pop music space.
Her 2024 album Quantum Baby arrived at No. 199 on the Billboard 200 — making the leap to No. 6 with Popstar all the more striking.
Tinashe has been spending the past few years steadily turning renewed attention into some pretty big chart numbers. Her 2024 single “Nasty” became a viral sensation and reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 — her first solo entry on the chart in roughly a decade.
Then came “No Broke Boys,” her collaboration with Disco Lines. The song eventually reached No. 36 on the Hot 100, giving Tinashe her first top 40 hit on the chart since “2 On” in 2014. It also spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
That trajectory made Popstar feel like more than another album release for Tinashe. It’s another installment of a long-lasting career for the singer, one that has seen the star move between R&B, pop and dance without staying neatly inside any one box. In a recent Billboard feature examining the longevity of R&B artists including Tinashe, the singer was highlighted as part of a generation of artists reaching new heights more than a decade after their initial breakthroughs.
