Why Tinashe’s tour costs and prep might shock you

Tinashe just revealed how much it costs for her to tour and the numbers will surprise you.

First week of Coachella is over and now music lovers are waiting impatiently to see their fave acts hit the stage for the second week. One of those acts to return to the Coachella for the second weekend is Tinashe. But the pop star just let the world in on what the costs are for these performances and fans are shook.

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The “Nasty” singer is no stranger to touring, with four headlining tours under her belt and four tours as a supporting act for artists like Flume, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Maroon 5. Record labels are meant to support artists creatively and financially, typically giving funding for touring, but since Tinashe went independent in 2019, she’s been funding her tours on her own. That means, her tour with Flume and her 333 and BB/Ang3l tours came out of her pocket.

So what does that cost look like? Well, according to Tinashe, it costs a pretty penny to tour the way she does.

“I was conceptualizing [this tour] for at least six months,” Tinashe said for Nylon. “For an artist like me, who isn’t on a major label, I’m funding everything, pretty much. After I tour, I usually lose a couple hundred thousand dollars.”

It’s safe to say that touring independently is an investment. So after conceptualizing the tour, how does it all come together?

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“We have to hire new choreographers, new dancers,” Tinashe added. “We have new screens, new production. That’s aside from the logistics — the bus, lighting directors, production design, people that put it up and take it down every night, people that load it onto trucks, different drivers.”

While fans see the finished product of dance routines, rehearsed live vocal arrangements, and track mixes, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to creating a tour, let alone one show.

“It ends up being a lot, but I also don’t have the luxury of being able to spend months in rehearsals,” Tinashe said. “So we plan, we plan, we plan — but we had five days of rehearsal, and then two days of tech.”

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Let that sink in. While Tinashe is pretty much a household name in most queer households, the grind never ends for independent artists. From her start in girl group the Stunners, alongside fellow queer pop star Hayley Kiyoko, to landing her first solo hit “2 On” to cultivating a die hard fanbase in love with her experimental sound, Tinashe continues to captivate fans.

With 1 EP, 4 mixtapes, and 6 albums to her name, she’s ready for her Quantum Baby era to officially begin. Additionally, her new era comes with a new label, Nice Life Recording Company. While Tinashe may no longer be independent, needless to say, fans were shocked to learn about the financial and physical investment in her touring, but also quick to give her the flowers she deserves.

BB/Ang3l Pt.2 – Quantum Baby comes out later this year.

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