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BB/Ang3l (2023)

Where the lyrics of BB/Ang3l take you, and where it was really made.

Tinashe pared this sixth album down to seven tracks on purpose, saying it is sometimes good to streamline an album and cut the fat.

Key places

Recorded at Tinashe's home studio in Los Angeles (2023)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album's recording place is listed as Tinashe's home studio in Los Angeles. The point sits at city-center level and does not mark the building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• BB/Ang3l (pronounced "Baby Angel") is the sixth studio album by American singer Tinashe
• Released 8 September 2023 by her independent label Tinashe Music and Nice Life Recording Company
• A concise electronic R&B project of seven tracks
• Tinashe describes the album as highly personal, emphasizing raw emotion and a streamlined approach
• Includes two singles, "Talk to Me Nice" and "Needs"
• Accompanied by a visual project titled The BB/Ang3l Experience

Background

• Tinashe shared the tracklist on 31 August 2023, after featuring on Shygirl's song "Heaven"
• In an interview with Nylon she said the album strips away excess and focuses on raw emotion
• On Good Morning America she said the album "represents who I am right now and everything I've been going through"
• She kept the album to seven tracks on purpose so listeners could appreciate every song
• The Tinashe & Shygirl co-headlining tour was cancelled, and Tinashe announced the BB/Ang3l Tour on 14 November 2023
• The sequel album Quantum Baby was announced on 8 April 2024 and released on 16 August 2024

Recording

• Tinashe performed all vocals herself
• Credits list Tinashe Music as the recording location for all tracks
• Ike Schultz engineered and mixed all tracks, and Chris Gehringer handled mastering

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe on February 6, 1993, in Lexington, Kentucky; raised in Los Angeles area.
• Began career as a child actor, appearing in film and TV from 2000 onward.
• From 2007 to 2011 was a member of girl group the Stunners, founded by Vitamin C.

Career

• Released independent mixtapes In Case We Die (2012), Reverie (2012), and Black Water (2013).
• Signed with RCA Records; debut studio album Aquarius (2014), whose single "2 On" featuring Schoolboy Q was her first Billboard Hot 100 entry.
• Later albums Nightride (2016) and Joyride (2018) followed; left RCA in 2019 and released later albums independently.
• Released Songs for You (2019), 333 (2021), BB/Ang3l (2023), and Quantum Baby (2024).
• "Nasty" (2024) reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the US Rhythmic chart; "No Broke Boys" remix reached number 36 in 2025.
• Eighth album Popstar (2026) debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200, her first US top 10 album.
• Known for R&B-tinged pop and alternative R&B, often self-writing and self-producing her work.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Pitchfork's Dylan Green described BB/Ang3l as "as stylish and focused as a runway walk"
• Green wrote that the album's sense of intimacy combined with her thriving confidence makes it "so potent"
• The Line of Best Fit's Sam Franzini argued the album "might be her strongest work"
• Franzini noted that Tinashe explores contemporary R&B and trap styles without introducing new ideas
• Franzini still found a spark in the songs that makes them hard to miss

Reappraisal

• HotNewHipHop praised the album as a project that may appeal to Tinashe's audience as well as R&B listeners
• The album appeared on several year-end lists that recognized both the album and its singles

Records

• Failed to chart on the Billboard 200
• Reached number 32 on the US Top Album Sales chart
• The Forty-Five placed the album at number 32 on its list of The Best Albums of 2023
• The Fader ranked "Needs" at number 10 on its list of The 100 Best Songs of 2023
• i-D placed "Talk to Me Nice" at number 27 on its year-end roundup
• Paper listed "Treason" at number 4 in its Favorite Songs of 2023
• Pitchfork placed "Needs" at number 46 on The 100 Best Songs of 2023 and at number 4 on The Best Pop Music of 2023

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The BB/Ang3l Tour was announced on 14 November 2023 after the co-headlining tour with Shygirl was cancelled.
• Tinashe said that artists spend so much time working on albums that giving it all away in one swoop can feel crazy.
• The album came in a 6-panel digipak with a clear tray liner.
• Tinashe served as creative director of the visual project The BB/Ang3l Experience, with Mike Ho directing.
• The music video for "Talk to Me Nice" shows Tinashe with honey-blonde hair peeling a layer of dead skin from her face.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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