Quantum Baby is the seventh studio album by American singer Tinashe. It was released on August 16, 2024, through her independent label, Tinashe Music Inc., and Nice Life Recording Company. The album is the second installment of a trilogy that began with BB/Ang3l (2023), and was recorded at Tinashe's home studio in collaboration with producers including Nosaj Thing, Billy Lemos, and Ricky Reed. Inspired in part by Janet Jackson's song "Empty", the project blends elements of pop, R&B, and trap, and explores themes of duality, self-exploration, and the balance between confidence and vulnerability.
Quantum Baby features eight tracks, including the singles "Nasty", "Getting No Sleep", and "No Broke Boys". Its music ranges from atmospheric, Brandy-inspired ballads to bass-driven dance tracks, with critics noting its genre-blurring production and Tinashe's dynamic vocal performance. The album was supported by the Match My Freak: World Tour across North America, Europe, and the UK, and received generally positive reviews for its concise structure, stylistic diversity, and continuation of the artist's conceptual trilogy.
Commercially, Quantum Baby reached number 199 on the US Billboard 200 and number 23 on the US Top R&B Albums chart, while its singles achieved recognition on both US and international charts. The album and its lead single, "Nasty", were also featured on several year-end lists by publications including People, Paper, Time, and Rolling Stone.
Background
Quantum Baby is about getting to know me on a deeper level [...] It's about exploring who I am as a person and who I am as an artist. I've never been one to be put into a box, so the name 'Quantum Baby' encompasses all the different parts that make up who I am as a creative.
– Tinashe talking about the album's theme and meaning of the title
On April 3, 2024, it was announced Tinashe signed a worldwide publishing deal with Position Music, obtaining the publishing rights to her future releases from that point forward and her previous album BB/Ang3l (2023).[1][2] Marking as the second part of trilogy which began with BB/Ang3l,[3][4]Quantum Baby was described as a project centered on deeper self-exploration, highlighting that the album reflects both her personal growth and the multidimensional nature of her artistry. In a press release, she stated that she has "never been one to be put into a box", noting that the title Quantum Baby as a title that encompasses all the different parts of who she is as a creative.[3][5][6]
In an interview with Elle, Tinashe expanded on the meaning behind the album's title, explaining that being a "quantum baby" symbolizes the dualities she is embracing at this stage in her life—"living in this catch-22 between being very strong and also being very vulnerable".[7] In another interview, she drew inspiration from the "quantum" paradox—how things become contradictory when examined at their smallest scale—and she related this idea to the conflicting elements within her own creative process. She highlighted that the album intentionally balances confidence and vulnerability, using this contrast to explore the opposing forces that define her artistic perspective.[8]
Recording
Quantum Baby was recorded at Tinashe's home studio.[9] During the recording, she collaborated with experimental producers including Nosaj Thing,[3][10]Machinedrum,[5] and Billy Lemos.[3][10][11] She noted that these producers encouraged creative risk-taking and exploration, as they "embody that freedom" and were "unafraid" to try new approaches. Tinashe further explained that she maintained an open approach at the start of an album, welcoming collaboration and diverse directions, which resulted in strong synergy with her team.[11]
Composition
Janet Jackson (left), whose song "Empty" inspired elements of the album, and Brandy (right), whose vocal style influenced the opening track "No Simulation".
Quantum Baby incorporates elements of pop and R&B.[12] Tinashe noted that Janet Jackson's song "Empty" served as an inspiration for the album.[12][13] She also described the album as a continuation of BB/Ang3l, noting that it is "a lot more 808-heavy", "a little bit darker", and features "more hip-hop elements".[14] Although the album was released near the end of summer, critics noted that it carries the "Nasty" mindset well into the fall.[12]
A 17-second sample of "Nasty". Tinashe repeats "match my freak" from the song, reflecting on the idea of aligning love languages and being intentional in a relationship.[15]
The album opens with Brandy-inspired ballad,[16] "No Simulation", noted as an atmospheric opening track that features Tinashe harmonizing over moody, contemplative instrumentation.[9] "Getting No Sleep" is a electronic pop,[17] bass-driven and airy R&B track which evokes the singer's signature style as a follow-up to "Nasty".[18] According to Billboard writer Stephen Daw, the track has "cool" synth chords and "skittering" beats.[19] While "Thirsty" is a woozy,[20] sultry and trapsoul track,[9] "Red Flags" maintains a "hypnotic vibe",[21] as it addresses intimate disappointments like "No Broke Boys".[16] "Cross That Line" is a sleek, dance song[22] which invigorates Jersey club bassline,[21] as Tinashe divides genres by blending pop enunciations with R&B-driven beats.[23] "When I Get You Alone" is draped in a lusty, late-night haze that unfolds more gradually.[20] "No Broke Boys" features a more energetic and outspoken tone.[12] The final track of the album, "Nasty" serves as the instructive piece of the puzzle, functioning similarly to how "Needs" operated on BB/Ang3l.[24] Chris Kelly of Washington Post says the song's beat, bass, melody, message, and attitude synchronize "like clockwork".[25]
Lyrics
Even with this project, there's a lot of songs that feel kind of strong, and they feel in your face, and they feel confident. But then there's also, on the flip side, those songs that feel so vulnerable, and having that juxtaposition between those two things that make me human. I think that's just a really interesting place to focus on.
— Tinashe in Apple Music interview discussing Quantum Baby's themes[26]
On "Getting No Sleep", Nosaj Thing's introspective downtempo production gives the song a "melancholic bounce", while Tinashe delivers her lines in "flirty sing-talk", including "Head to toe in Versace, yeah / Take you back to the lobby, yeah".[27] The opener "No Simulation" focuses on her search for truth "over a funky, distorted bassline", where she asks, "What's next?"[27] and "Lessons I've learned",[28] and responds, "Just to go deeper",[27] a sentiment echoed in her line "These days I wanna feel it, no simulation / It's gotta be true".[16][23] Although the lyric may suggest she is "looking for real love", Pitchfork notes that Tinashe is "a comedic and peculiar storyteller", implying that when she pledges "to go deeper", the phrase may carry more "explicit directions".[16] "When I Get You Alone" features her "frosted vocals" gliding over "muted, thunderous drums" as she expresses a desire for intimate time with a lover: "Let me be your baby... I'ma lay you down, take it nice and slow".[29] In the song's second part, after the relationship ends, she acknowledges lingering desire, singing, "Just can'f go from friends to enemies... You know we gon' f**k eventually... How the hell you gon' let me go?"[29] On "No Broke Boys", Tinashe delivers what Spin calls "a model of poise", opening with the line, "The ex is on the line / Just as I expected / No one ever gets over me".[30]
Promotion
On April 8, 2024, Tinashe announced the album via her social media with the caption saying "BB/Ang3l Pt. 2 — Quantum Baby" (in all caps).[31] To celebrate the upcoming release of Quantum Baby, Tinashe hosted an exclusive listening party at Levi's House in Los Angeles, where attendees previewed the album.[32] On June 28, hours after the release of "Getting No Sleep", Tinashe announced that the album would be released on August 16.[10][5] The album's tracklist was revealed on August 1.[33]
Singles
"Nasty" serves as the lead single from the album, released on April 12, 2024.[34] The release date coincided with her performance at the 2024 Coachella Music Festival.[35][36] In late April, a Twitter user posted a video with the song behind a video of a man and woman dancing together.[37] The video, whose background music was replaced to "Nasty", went viral across social medias, to which Tinashe herself recreated the video, and it caused the song to gain traction.[38][39] On May 22, the song reached over 600k streams[40] and entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 on June 15, 2024,[41] becoming Tinashe's first entry on the Hot 100 since her 2016 collaboration with Britney Spears on "Slumber Party".[42][31] It eventually peaked at number 61 on Billboard Hot 100[43][44] and also peaked at number 15 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[45] Tinashe performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, after the release of Match My Freak EP.[10] "Getting No Sleep" was released on June 28, 2024, as the second single from the album.[5] Co-written with Billy Lemos and Nosaj Thing,[3] the music video was released on same day.[46]
"No Broke Boys" was released on August 29 with a lyric video alongside the album's release,[47] and its music video was released on October 18.[48] Although the original song did not chart in Billboard Hot 100, it reached Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart, debuting and peaking at number 25[49] as well as peaking at number 13 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart.[50] The former became her twelfth entry on the chart.[51] In New Zealand, the song debuted and peaked at number 25 on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart.[52] American DJ Disco Lines remixed the song and it was released on June 6, 2025.[53] The remix went viral and finally peaked number 45 on Billboard Hot 100[43] and number 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart,[54] as well as number 2 on UK Singles Chart[55] and number 1 on UK Dance Chart.[56]
Other songs
On December 11, 2024, Tinashe released a music video for "Cross That Line", directed by Jonah Haber.[57] The music video continues the story from her "No Broke Boys" video and touches on themes of perception and surveillance.[58]
Quantum Baby was received positively by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on twelve reviews.[67]
Some reviewers evaluated the album through the lens of its conceptual framework and its place within Tinashe's planned trilogy. Writing for Slant Magazine, Nick Seip noted that the project, paired with the concise BB/Ang3l (2023), "starts to feel more substantial".[20] Julissa James of the Los Angeles Times similarly praised the album as a confident continuation of the trilogy, observing that it presents Tinashe as an artist who thrives in ambiguity and leans into the complexities of her own desires and needs.[70] At The Line of Best Fit, Sam Franzini wrote that while the record is "not, technically, Tinashe at her best" and feels more like a capstone than a full era, it nonetheless reinforces her consistency as "an athlete, sex icon, visionary, and artist rolled into one". Franzini also pointed to the contrast between BB/Ang3l's experimental tendencies and Quantum Baby's alignment with the rest of her discography, suggesting that the interplay between these modes shapes its overall character.[69]
Other critics highlighted the album's stylistic fusion, vocal performance, and production choices. For AllMusic, Andy Kellman described Quantum Baby as "providing another highly concentrated shot of material that shows her moving with ease – sometimes blurring the line – between sensual slow jams and pop-flavored dance tracks".[68] Kitty Empire of The Observer called it an eight-track set that is "simultaneously playful, featherlight and nagging", shaped by '90s influences and modern trap elements.[17] Tarisai Ngangura of Pitchfork deemed it a "lean and muscular eight-song accompaniment" to BB/Ang3l, praising the Brandy-inspired opener "No Simulation" and its layered vocal arrangement.[16] In Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield noted that the album builds on "Nasty" with "moody electric-blue pop and sultry alternative R&B", adding that its 22-minute runtime "doesn't overstay its welcome".[28] Alfred Soto of Spin described the project as eight "crisply sung and programmed lessons in pre- and post-coital self-presentation", brief but fully inhabited.[30]
Some reviewers focused on the album's sense of duality and the balance of its contrasting sonic identities. Kyann-Sian Williams of NME argued that while the record confirms the playfulness introduced by "Nasty", its blend of cheeky moments and ethereal, brooding textures "doesn't weld these two sides of Tinashe successfully", instead serving as an enjoyable step toward a future "sweet spot".[21]
Year-end lists
Quantum Baby appeared on several year-end lists. People ranked the album at number seven on its Top 10 Albums of 2024.[71]The Forty-Five placed it at number 38 on its Best Albums of 2024 list,[72] while Paper ranked it second on its Best Albums of 2024.[73] It was also included on year-end lists by Okayplayer and Vulture.[74][75]KTLA featured the album at number ten on its 10 Best Albums of 2024,[76]Hypebae ranked it fourth on its Best Albums of 2024,[77] and Rated R&B placed it nineteenth on its 25 Best R&B Albums of 2024.[22]
The album's lead single, "Nasty", also received year-end recognition. Time ranked the song second on its 10 Best Songs of 2024,[78] and The Hollywood Reporter placed it third on its 10 Best Songs of 2024.[79]Vibe featured "Nasty" at number five on its 25 Best R&B Songs of 2024,[80] while Rolling Stone ranked it seventh on its 100 Best Songs of 2024.[81] The track also appeared on year-end lists by Billboard (14),[82]Pitchfork (33),[83] and NME (22).[84]
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