Tinashe Has One Rule Before Agreeing to Be an Opening Act: Here’s Why Harry Styles Made the Cut

For Tinashe, opening up for an artist isn’t just about getting onstage in front of a huge crowd. She wants to know that the artist, as well as their fans, will actually give her room to be herself.

So when Harry Styles came calling, she was ready to say yes.

Speaking at the Spotify x Coach event in New York City on Wednesday (Sept. 16), Tinashe talked about joining Styles’ on his upcoming Together, Together stadium tour, noting that she’s already opened for some of the music industry’s biggest names, including Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Maroon 5.

“I reached the point where I was like, ‘I’m not gonna open for anyone unless I feel like they really understand what I’m about,’” she said.

Styles, she added, fits that criteria. Tinashe praised the singer for being “very open to the artistry” and focused on making sure fans have a good time. She points to the fact that that’s something she sees as the heart of live music and performances.

“I’m excited to be able to get up there in Phoenix,” she said, before imagining the scale of the shows. “I never perform my songs in a stadium.”

Tinashe will open both of Styles’ April 2 and 3 shows at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, kicking off the North American leg of his expanded Together, Together tour. The 2027 stadium run will also bring Styles to Pasadena, Dallas, Toronto, Atlanta and Chicago, with a different special guest joining him as a supporting act in each city.

The timing also finds Tinashe as she’s entering a new era. Her fifth studio album, Popstar, is due Sept. 25, following 2024’s Quantum Baby. Her “No Broke Boys” collaboration with Disco Lines also became her second U.S. top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 39.

Watch the full video of Tinashe’s response below.