The young artist Tinashe joins Blended Entertainment for an interview.

How did you get your start in the music industry?

I always knew that I wanted to be a singer, for as long as I can remember. Professional acting and dancing occupied my time as a kid and when I was 14 I joined a girl group called the Stunners. We were together for four years, had a single ft the New Boyz, and toured with Justin Bieber… but as of last fall we all kind of felt like it was time for us all to branch out and move on to solo endeavors.

There are many interested in knowing your cultural background, can you let our readers know?

My mother is a mixture of Danish, norwegian Irish etc and my father is from Zimbabwe. My name is Shona– the native language– meaning “God is With us”

What went into your decision to branch off into becoming a solo artist?

It was a mutual decision amongst the entire group to end– but I always had had plans of a solo career anyways, so I was excited for the opportunity!

In one of your Ask Tinashe videos, you  mentioned being bullied. How has that impacted your life and what advice would you give to the those who may possibly be going through something like that?

Growing up i was always a straight -A student with lots of friends. As soon as the bullying started, that all changed. The entire student body, ur seemed, had alienated me. It really made me hate going to school and everything about it, including my studies. I completely stopped trying in class and even failed a couple. The next year, i tested out of school completely. I would tell anyone else being bullied in school to remember that it’s only temporary and no matter how sad it makes you or how bad it seems, trust that that particular season in your life will pass you by in a blink of an eye, as all do.

You’ve covered tracks from some of today’s top artists. One in particular that caught my eye was the video for”How to Love”. Was there any controversy?

Not at all! Everyone’s been really supportive of all of my work. My fans are so sweet.

If you could work with any artist, who would it be?

Hmm..as of today I’d say – the weeknd.

What can you tell fans about your debut album?

It will be everything they ever imagined.. but way more.

What’s an interesting fact that we’ve yet to learn about you?

I don’t think people know that I paint…and I’m good at it! ha

Where do you see yourself as an artist 5 years from now?

Nominated for 12 Grammys!

Is there anything you’d like to tell your fans and people who will be exposed to you for the first time?

I’d like to first thank my wonderful TeamTinashe for all of their unconditional love, and secondly, I want everyone to keep checking out TinasheNow.com for new material..I’m always working, writing, performing, in the studio…so there’s always new material to check out.