Joyride is the third studio album by American singer Tinashe. It was released through RCA Records on April 13, 2018. Following her 2014 debut album Aquarius and her 2016 album Nightride, the creation of Joyride is marked as complex development period spanning over three years, during which Tinashe recorded an estimated 100 songs and dealt with multiple challenges, such as record label decisions and changes to the album's proposed singles. Tinashe stated that the album's title reflects her career as "an adventure, a journey, a ride" following years of constant travel and experience.
In an interview on March 30, 2018, Tinashe claimed that releasing "Flame" as the lead single was a decision initiated by her label, which she agreed to by choosing to "trust" their judgment at the time. After the single failed to achieve the expected results, she said the experience prompted her to take "back into the driver's seat".[3] Additional complications arose around the album's title track, which Tinashe had initially co-written with Travis Scott and Hit-Boy. According to Tinashe, she had expressed interest in using the song as the album's namesake, but communication with Scott became difficult after he began dating Rihanna, who later acquired the track. Although the song ultimately went unused, Tinashe later regained the rights to it and reworked the piece, removing Scott's contributions before finalizing it for the project.[4]
Release and promotion
Young Thug (left) was featured on "Party Favors", while Chris Brown (right) was featured on "Player", which was initially intended to be the album's lead single.
On September 2, 2015, Tinashe released a teaser for Joyride on YouTube.[5][6] On September 9, Tinashe leaked the buzz single, "Party Favors", featuring rapper Young Thug.[7] On October 2, Tinashe released another song, "Player" featuring Chris Brown,[8] as the first intended to be the lead single of the album.[9] On October 21, Tinashe was featured on British electronic duo Snakeships' track, "All My Friends".[10] A few weeks later, on November 17, Tinashe held a breakfast listening party for Joyride at the Sony Club in New York City, which was attended by reporters and various other members of the music industry.[11] At this event, she played at least one song that wound up on the final version of Joyride: the album's closing track, "Fires and Flames."[11]
After a few months without releasing new music, Tinashe released a new intended lead single for the project, entitled "Superlove". The song was released on July 15, 2016,[12] and the music video directed by Hannah Lux Davis debuted on August 12.[13] Tinashe stated that the song was created to promote positivity and celebrate uplifting, joyful energy.[14] On September 15, with a MTV Wonderland performance, Tinashe released "Company" as the album's intended second single.[15] However, the song ended up being included in her 2016 album Nightride, among "Party Favors" (without Young Thug), "Ride of Your Life", "Sacrifices", "Soul Glitch", "Ghetto Boy" and "Touch Pass".[16] On March 16, 2017, Tinashe released yet another intended lead single for Joyride, which was also initially premiered at Joyride's November 2015 listening party, "Flame".[17][18] After continuing to work on the album through the summer of 2017, Tinashe announced the release of three new singles from Joyride on January 12, 2018.[19]
On March 16, 2018, Tinashe revealed the Joyride artwork on her Instagram and announced the album would be released on April 13.[20] On April 25, a special edition of Joyride was released exclusively in Japan, which includes the first three original intended singles, "Player" which features AK-69 instead of Chris Brown, "Superlove", and "Flame" as bonus tracks, as well as new track "L-O-V-E".[21]
Tinashe announced the Joyride World Tour on January 12, 2016, to support the album. Beginning in February 2016, it was scheduled through May 2016 including dates in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.[34][35] However, the tour was ultimately canceled, as Tinashe chose to prioritize completing new material for the album, noting that she expected to finish the "final touches" on Joyride by the end of May and return to touring afterward.[36] She also explained that the postponement stemmed from "unexpected recording commitments", adding that the tour had originally been planned to support Joyride, which had not yet reached a stage she felt ready to release.[37][38]
Writing and recording
Max Martin (left) and Taylor Parks (right) were among the writers and producers Tinashe worked with during early phases of recording and writing for the Joyride.
The writing and recording for Joyride went through several phases. In late January 2015, Tinashe was reported to be working with writers and producers from Prescription Songs (Cirkut, Ammo, Rock City, Jakob Kasher, Chloe Angelides), Max Martin[39] and Taylor Parks on the album.[40][41] After months of silence after the release of the album's then-latest lead single "Flame", Tinashe confirmed that she was still working on her new album with producers, such as Metro Boomin, Boi-1da, Charlie Handsome and others, on July 11, 2017.[42] In an April 5, 2018, article of Vulture, Tinashe explained that once she brought producers and writers into the process, she was working in the studio daily, an experience she described as a creative "turning point". She recalled regaining a strong sense of confidence and purpose during that period, adding that it was when she felt, "Okay, I'm doing this", and fully committed to making her best music. Tinashe admitted that "three [different] versions of this album exist" and that there "are probably 200 songs" total that were recorded over the course of a three-year period.[43]
Music
On the album's opener, Tinashe repeatedly delivers the refrain "Keep your eyes on the road".[44] The title track "Joyride" is a "foreboding" song[45] that features Tinashe singing in a "lower register", described as having a "slightly devilish lilt", over Hit-Boy's "slightly abrasive drums".[46] "No Drama", a trap-styled song,[46] features brash, rapped verses over a lopsided beat, positioning it as a stylistic successor to 2014's "2 On".[47] "He Don't Want It" is a "sleepy" song,[45] which stands out for its "seductive hooks" and detailed production.[46] "Ooh La La" is a breezy midtempo track centered on unrequited love,[45] featuring a sample of Nelly and Kelly Rowland's "Dilemma" (2002).[47] "Me So Bad", which features a guest verse from French Montana, recalls Rihanna's delivery of "naked naked naked" on "Wild Thoughts".[48] While "Ain't Good for Ya" is the "flute jam" record,[49] "Stuck with Me" is a "fun, stripped-down" song, drawing comparison to Janet Jackson.[45] "Salt" is a "smoldering" and "slightly bluesy" track[46] that showcases Tinashe's "maturing vocals",[45] adding a darker tonal shade to the album.[46] Featuring Future, "Faded Love" is a "bounding", "bittersweet"[46] and "club-ready" song,[49] which balances emotional tension with forward momentum.[46] "No Contest" evokes a style associated with artists such as Ciara.[46][50] "Fires and Flames", a piano-led ballad, is characterized as "sweetly aching", emphasizing emotional restraint and vulnerability.[46]
Title and packaging
I always had it in the back of my head, but it started to become more and more relevant to my current state of my career. With all this traveling I've done this past year and everything I've gone through, it just really feels like an adventure, a journey, a ride.
– Tinashe discussing the inspiration behind the album's title
Tinashe explained to Billboard that the title reflects her career as "an adventure, a journey, a ride" following her travels and experiences over the past year.[51] About the album cover art, it was made by Amber Park,[52] and features Tinashe posing in a "futuristic gown" along with a spike-covered jetpack emerging from her back.[53] The last page of the Joyride booklet as part of the CD features a page dedicated to her thanks, including her long-time attorney Dina LaPolt, who has previously worked with Fifth Harmony, Britney Spears, Deadmau5, among others.[54]
"Thank you Dina LaPolt and Danielle Price for all you have done to finally push this project out. My fans and I are forever grateful."
Joyride received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 66 based on thirteen reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[56]
Israel Daramola of Spin wrote in a positive review that the album is "a cool and sexy record", and "well-crafted and ambitious."[60] For Exclaim!, Ryan B. Patrick characterized it as "a stop-start journey" that, while not completely stalling out, felt like some ground had been lost.[45] Andy Kellman of AllMusic stated that the album's highlights were "filled with rich details and seductive hooks". Kellman also argued that the songs "Salt" and "Fires and Flames" effectively invalidated claims that Tinashe is "one-dimensional".[46] In a positive review, Zoë Madonna of The Boston Globe stated that "the most fascinating offerings" on the album were tracks which the singer recorded herself in her home studio, adding that "in these tracks, she touches something stellar".[61] In another positive review of the album, Hannah Mylrea of NME called the album "brilliantly good fun", and "mainly worth the two year wait".[49]
In a mixed review of the album, Ben Devlin of MusicOMH noted that the album's intro and hard-edged title track initially "create a sense of concept". However, Devlin argued that this concept was quickly "discarded for the song 'No Drama'", and that a sense of adhesion "never quite returns to the album".[62] In another mixed review of the album, Roisin O'Connor of The Independent noted that Joyride contains "its shining points", and it tries to "remain true to a cohesive, moodier tone". However, the author concluded that the album was "missing the strong, catchier elements that helped Tinashe rise in the first place".[44]
In Europe, Joyride reached number 78 on the UK Albums Chart,[68] making it her first album to chart since 2014's Aquarius, as it peaked at the same ranking with that album.[69] In Australia, the album reached number 76 on the ARIA Charts.[70] On the Dutch Albums chart, the album peaked at number 103, becoming the singer's first album to chart on it.[71]
↑Josephs, Brian (November 4, 2016). "New Music: Tinashe – Nightride". Spin. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2025. The previously released "Company" and "Party Favors" (the latter is now sans Young Thug) are included here.
↑"BMI | Repertoire Search". BMI. Select "TITLE", type "Song" in the search engine, and click "Search". Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
