Tinashe thee POPSTAR at All Things Go
With a hot pink GCDS purse, a microphone tucked inside, and a DJ set, Tinashe knew exactly how to put on a show.
Less than 72 hours after releasing Popstar, Tinashe took the stage at All Things Go and made it very difficult to stand still. Backed by a troupe of dancers, she delivered a set packed with choreography, club ready production, and the kind of stage presence that makes you wonder why she isn’t headlining every festival she plays. She was infectious. And just when you thought you had seen what she had to offer, she headed to the DJ setup and kept the party going.
Held September 25–27 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, All Things Go is a three day music festival featuring artists across pop, indie, and alternative music. It has also become a major gathering place for women and queer music fans, with a lineup that brings together established artists and emerging acts. This year, Tinashe arrived with a particularly good reason to celebrate: her eighth studio album, Popstar, had just dropped.
Tinashe has spent much of her career making music that doesn’t fit neatly into one category. She first broke through with “2 On” in 2014, but her sound has continued to evolve through projects like Songs for You, 333, BB/ANG3L, and Quantum Baby. After leaving RCA Records in 2019, she released music independently, building a loyal following while maintaining greater control over her creative direction. Then “Nasty” took off in 2024, bringing her music to a new audience and giving the internet another reason to pay attention.
Still, there’s something funny about the way Tinashe’s career has unfolded. She’s often described as underrated, despite being an artist whose influence keeps turning up in conversations about contemporary pop. K-pop fans, in particular, have joked for years that she’s always on the moodboard. Her choreography, visuals, and approach to blending R&B with electronic pop have made her a reference point for other artists, even when she hasn’t always received the same level of mainstream recognition herself.
Popstar seems well aware of that contradiction. The album moves between electronic production, house, alternative R&B, and pop, while touching on the pressures of fame and the work that goes into being an artist. But at All Things Go, Tinashe didn’t need to make a statement about any of it. She just had to perform.
She opened with “Too Easy,” and the theatrics started early. Tinashe came out carrying a hot pink Golden Goose purse with her microphone hidden inside. It’s such a small detail, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes a performance memorable. The purse wasn’t just an accessory; it was part of the entrance. She knows how to have fun with the idea of being a popstar, and she isn’t afraid to lean into the theatrics.
That sense of playfulness and theatrics carried through the set. Tinashe and her dancers moved through tightly synchronized choreography, but they also seemed to genuinely enjoy being onstage together. Between routines, they played off one another, joking around and occasionally poking fun at the audience, even pretending to tease us from the stage. It all felt spontaneous, like a group of friends hanging out and dancing together, even though every move and interaction was carefully choreographed. That balance of precision and personality made the performance feel less rehearsed and more like we were in on the fun.
When she asked the crowd, “Do we have any nasty girls in the house?” before launching into “Nasty,” the response was exactly what you’d expect. The song became a viral hit in 2024, but it has clearly grown beyond its life on social media. Live, it has the energy of a song people have been waiting all day to hear.
But one of the best parts of the set came when Tinashe made her way to the DJ table. Watching her take over the decks was a reminder that there’s more to her than the choreography and the hits. She’s a singer, dancer, songwriter, and producer, and she knows how to bring all of those parts of herself into a live show. Rather than simply performing over a backing track, she stepped behind the controls and became part of the music in a different way.
It felt especially fitting for an album like Popstar, which moves between sounds without seeming particularly concerned about where one genre ends and another begins. Tinashe has never been an artist who stays in one lane for long, and her performance reflected that. She could lead a dance routine at the front of the stage and then switch gears behind the DJ decks without losing the crowd.
For all the production, though, one of the sweetest moments came when she signed a fan’s Popstar vinyl. The album had only been out for a few days, and here she was, performing songs from it in front of a festival crowd while taking time to sign a record someone had brought along. It’s a small interaction, but those moments can mean a lot to fans, especially when they’ve followed an artist through different eras of their career.
Tinashe’s path to this point hasn’t been straightforward. After years of label frustrations and independent releases, she has continued to make music on her own terms, building an audience that appreciates her willingness to experiment. The success of “Nasty” brought renewed attention, but Popstar doesn’t sound like an attempt to recreate that moment. Instead, it sounds like an artist who is comfortable taking risks and trusting that her audience will follow.
And that’s what made her All Things Go set so satisfying. She wasn’t trying to prove that she could be a popstar. She was having fun being one.
Between the purse reveal, the dancers, the hits, the DJ table, and the signed vinyl, Tinashe gave the crowd plenty to remember. She has the music, obviously, but she also has the instincts of someone who understands that a great performance is about more than getting through a setlist. It’s about the little surprises, the moments that make you laugh, and the songs you find yourself replaying in your head long after you leave.
Photography and Article by Deki Namgyal
