The next season of Dancing With The Stars is going to be a crazy one. The cast for season 27 includes comedian Nikki Glaser, 34, Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch, 27, Dukes of Hazzard actor John Schnieder, 58, Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, 50, Zombies star Milo Manheim, 17, and more. Among those vying for the coveted mirror ball trophy is R&B singer Tinashe, 25. Her songs — like “All Hands On Deck” and “2 On” — has earned the praise of fans and critics alike. Will she be able to win over the judges? Ahead of DWTS’s new season, premiering on Sept. 24 on ABC, get to know more about Tinashe.
1. Before finding success in music, she landed some acting roles. Born Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe in Lexington Kentucky in 1993. From the age of 5, she was a budding actor and dancer. He family moved to Los Angeles to help her pursue her career. “I was very aware of my parents and our financial situation,” she told The Guardian in 2017. “We always figured it out, but I knew we couldn’t afford to live in Los Angeles. My parents are from Iowa, and we were barely getting by in LA.” Success soon came, as she landed roles in a handful of movies – like Masked and Anonymous, The Polar Express, Avatar: The Last Airbender – which led to some recurring roles on Out of Jimmy’s Head and Two and a Half Men.
2. She used to be in a girl group. Tinashe joined the Stunners, a group founded by Vitamin C (remember the “Graduation” song?), in 2007. The group released an EP in 2009 and were tapped to open up for Justin Bieber during his “My World” tour. They broke up in 2011, and Tinashe pursued a solo career.
3. She’s a critically acclaimed singer. Tinashe released two self-recorded mixtapes – In Case We Die and Reverie in 2012, earning the praise of music critics and fans alike. The first tape landed her a deal with RCA. She put out one more mixtape – Black Water – in 2013, before releasing her debut album, Aquarius. She announced the follow-up, Joyride, in 2014 but it would take four years before its release.
“It’s not like it’s sitting in a vault locked up, it’s always getting better and improving,” she said in 2017. “I plan on doing a solid few more months recording then hopefully getting it out this year… It’s going to be great. They’re going to be the best songs!” The album, which came out in April 2018, did receive generally positive reviews.
4. She called out on the idea that there’s only room for a couple of successful black female artists. “It’s kind of like sport; people feel like they have to pick a side,” she told The Guardian. “There are hundreds of [male] rappers that all look the same, that sound the same, but if you’re a black woman, you’re either Beyonce or Rihanna. It’s very, very strange. … It felt like they almost had to sacrifice someone because there wasn’t enough room, which isn’t true. Ciara’s an amazing artist, Beyoncé’s an amazing artist, Rihanna’s an amazing artist, and they’re all very different!”
5. She used to date Ben Simmons. While Kendall Jenner doesn’t seem like someone who would be into DWTS, she has more incentive to skip this season. Tinashe used to date Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons. It seemed for a moment that Ben was cheating on Tinashe was Kendall, but it was just a case of “overlapping.” Since then, Ben and Kendall have seemingly splt up, but don’t expect her to celebrate any DWTS glory with him. Tinashe “will not be giving Ben a second chance,” a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife.com.