Rationale (musician)

Tinashe Fazakerley (born 4 April 1984), now professionally known as Rationale, is a Zimbabwe-born British singer and songwriter, formerly known as Tinashé. He is known for his R&B and indie pop style, with electronic influences. Under his alias Tinashé, he was known for his synthpop sound and African influences.

Early life

Fazakerley was born in the Harare township of Highfield. At the age of nine, he and his three siblings moved to the United Kingdom in the Camberwell district of London, where his single mother was working as a nurse. Later, at the age of eleven, he moved to the London borough of Hackney and music began to play a more significant role in his life as he learned to play the guitar. His influences varied, ranging from Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Pat Metheny, Donnie Hathaway, and Al Green, to Tupac Shakur, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Notorious B.I.G.

Career

Tinashé and singing hiatus (2009–2014)

In 2010, after releasing two EPs and three singles, Fazakerley released the album ''Saved'' under the name Tinashé, but it had limited success.

He took a break from singing and went on to become a songwriter and producer, working with producer Mark Crew while writing songs for blues artist Rag'n'Bone Man, among others. He also wrote songs for the Swiss version of the talent show '' The Voice''.

Rationale (2015–present)

In 2015, Fazakerley relaunched his career as Rationale, releasing songs such as "Fast Lane" and "Something for Nothing" on SoundCloud and Spotify. It was on these streaming platforms that he gained recognition, with a mention by Pharrell Williams on his Apple Music Beats1 radio show, ''OTHERtone'', calling him someone who had "found the beauty in their voice". This helped elevate "Fast Lane" to No. 2 within its first week on the Spotify Global Viral Chart, reach No. 1 on Hype Machine, and amass more than 1.3 million views on SoundCloud. Rationale also received praise from Justin Timberlake and Elton John. He became one of the first artists to be signed to Dan Smith of Bastille's new record label, Best Laid Plans.

Rationale's debut, self-titled album was released on 6 October 2017, under exclusive license to Warner Music UK.

Rationale is credited as a songwriter and producer on Katy Perry's 2017 album, ''Witness'', on the song "Act My Age". His single "Tethered" has been covered live by Ellie Goulding.

In 2019, Rationale was featured on Big Wild's album ''Superdream'', on the song "6's to 9's".

In 2021, he was featured on Model Man's self-titled album, on the song "Esc (Holding Back)".

Discography

As Tinashé

Albums
* ''Saved'' (2010)

EPs
* ''Saved'' (2009)
* ''Mayday'' (2010)
* ''Zambezi'' (2010)

Singles
* "Mayday" (2010)
* "Zambezi" (2010)
* "Saved" (2010)

As Rationale

Albums
* '' Rationale'' (2017)

EPs
* ''Fuel to the Fire'' (2015)
* ''Vessels'' (2017)
* ''High Hopes'' (2018)

Singles
* "Fast Lane" (2015)
* "Re.Up" (2015)
* "Fuel to the Fire" (2015)
* "Something for Nothing" (2016)
* "Palms" (2016)
* "Prodigal Son" (2016)
* "Vessels" (2016)
* "Reciprocate" (2017)
* "Tethered" (2017)
* "Deliverance" (2017)
* "Loving Life" (2017)
* "Into the Blue" (2017)
* "Losing Sleep" (2017)
* "Somewhere to Belong" (2017)
* "Oil & Water" (2017)
* "Phenomenal" (2017)
* "Tumbling Down" (2018)
* "One by One" (2018)
* "Kindred" (2018)
* "High Hopes" (2018)
* "73" (2018)
* "Say What's on Your Mind" (2019)
* "Hurts the Most" (2019)
* "Whiskey Regrets" (2020)
* "Wash Over Me" (2022)
* "Freedom" (2022)
* "Every Mountain" (2023)
* "Feel It Coming" (2024)

Songwriting and production credits

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rationale
1984 births
Living people
21st-century Black British male singers
21st-century British male singers
British male singer-songwriters
Zimbabwean emigrants to the United Kingdom
Musicians from Harare