Quantum Baby

''Quantum Baby'' (also referred to as ''BB/Ang3l Pt. 2 – Quantum Baby'') is the seventh studio album by American singer Tinashe and was released on August 16, 2024, via her independent label Tinashe Music and Nice Life Recording Company. ''Quantum Baby'' is the second installment of a planned album trilogy, following her 2023 album ''BB/Ang3l''. It includes the hit single " Nasty".

Background

On April 3, 2024, it was announced Tinashe signed a worldwide publishing deal with Position Music, obtaining the publishing rights to her future releases from that point forward and her previous album ''BB/Ang3l''. On April 8, Tinashe announced via her social media that the album was set to release soon, to which she would announce the album's lead single the next day. On June 28, hours after the release of her song "Getting No Sleep", Tinashe announced that the album would be released on August 16.

Composition

''Quantum Baby'' incorporates elements of pop and R&B, with some critics noting stylistic similarities to the work of Janet Jackson. The album includes both rhythmically driven and melodically assertive tracks. "Getting No Sleep" has been described as subtly urgent, while "No Broke Boys" features a more energetic and outspoken tone. Although released near the end of summer, the album maintains a consistent thematic and sonic character throughout.

Promotion

Singles

" Nasty" serves as the lead single from the album and it was released on April 12, 2024. The release date coincided with her performance at the 2024 Coachella Music Festival. In late April, a Twitter user posted a video with the song behind a video of a man and woman dancing together. The video went viral across Twitter and TikTok, to which Tinashe herself recreated the video, causing the song to gain traction on both apps. The song's popularity gradually increased and resulted in the song entering the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 90 on June 15, 2024. Three weeks later, the song peaked at number 61. The song has also since peaked at number 18 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming Tinashe's first entry on the Hot 100 since her 2016 collaboration with Britney Spears on "Slumber Party". It also marked her fifth entry overall, and her first entry as an independent artist.

"Getting No Sleep" serves as the second single and was released on June 28, 2024. It was reviewed in ''Billboard''s article, "Queer Jams of the Week". The article reads, "Over a skittering beat and cool synth chords, Tinashe confidently lets her lover know that after a long work week, she's ready to stay up 'til dawn with them. It's might be a long night, but don't worry, you'll have Tinashe's excellent new track to keep you company."

Other songs

" No Broke Boys" received an official music video post album release. Although it did not reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, like its predecessor "Nasty", it managed to reach ''Billboard''s Hot R&B Songs chart, debuting and peaking at number 25 as well as peaking at number 13 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart becoming her twelfth and eleventh entries on the charts respectively. In New Zealand, the song debuted and peaked at number 25 on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart. The song was described as "infectious" by ''Slant Magazine''. Furthermore, American DJ Disco Lines remixed the song which was released on June 6, 2025. The remix went viral and would go on to chart in Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Ireland.

Tour

On August 6, 2024, Tinashe officially announced the Match My Freak: World Tour with the presale opening August 7 and general sale opening August 9. The tour began its North American leg in Anaheim, California on October 14 and concluded in Sacramento, California on November 25. The tour began its second leg in Hesse, Australia on December 29 and concluded on January 15, 2025 in Tokyo. The European leg ran from February 13 to 25 beginning in Copenhagen and concluding in Dublin. Its fourth and final leg is set to take place in Asia and run from August 19 in New Taipei City, Taiwan to August 28 in Quezon City, Philippines. The venues for this tour are the biggest Tinashe has had as a main act in her career which contain a crowd as large as 6,000 people, which is likely attributed to the success of "Nasty". Raveena performed as Tinashe's opening act.

Reception

''Quantum Baby'' was received positively by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on twelve reviews. Steven J. Horowitz of ''Variety'' complimented the album's thematic versatility. The themes of the album led to comparisons to Christine McVie by ''Spins Alfred Soto and to Janet Jackson by ''Pitchfork''s Tarisai Ngangura. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Andy Kellman described the album as, "providing another highly concentrated shot of material that shows her moving with ease -- sometimes blurring the line -- between sensual slow jams and pop-flavored dance tracks."

In a year-end, "10 best albums of 2024," Russell Falcon for KTLA in Los Angeles ranked "Quantum Baby," the 10th best album of the year, writing that the album "finds the R&B-pop master contemplating love in a softer and more vulnerable way that ever before," and praising the album's "spacey" instrumentation as "some of the best atmospheres heard across any of Tinashe's work."

Year-end lists

Track listing

Notes
* signifies an additional producer

Personnel

* Tinashe – vocals
* Alicia Abboud – vocals (track 7)
* Nakisa Kachingwe – vocals (track 7)
* Phoelix – keyboards (track 7)
* Ricky Reed – programming, vocal production (tracks 7, 8)
* Zack Sekoff – programming (tracks 7, 8)
* Ike Schultz – mixing, engineering (all tracks); vocal production (tracks 1–7)
* Ethan Shumaker – engineering (tracks 7, 8)
* Shane Moloney – engineering assistance (track 7)
* Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

References

{{Tinashe

2024 albums
Albums produced by Ricky Reed
Sequel albums
Tinashe albums
Albums produced by Nosaj Thing