Tinsley is a Seattle-based singer and songwriter who weaves together emotion-driven lyrics and memorable melodies to tell stories of love, loss, and lessons learned.
Tinsley’s songs have garnered radio play on Seattle radio stations 90.3 KEXP, 107.7 The End, and C89.5, as well as support from American Songwriter, Atwood Magazine, Ones to Watch, and This Song Is Sick. Tinsley has played the major Seattle music festival, Capitol Hill Block Party in 2024 and 2022, as well as The Bite of Seattle in 2024, and Belltown Bloom in 2022.
Tinsley frequents many of Seattle’s most iconic music venues, including Neumos, Barboza, Sunset Tavern, and Madame Lou’s. Her indie-pop-leaning music has secured her multiple direct support slots for touring acts such as Sam Fischer, Sheppard, Salt Cathedral, and Girl Ray.
Tinsley got her start by sharing her original songs on YouTube and Instagram, performing in church bands, and playing acoustic shows around Seattle. She quickly became a sought-after vocalist and songwriting partner to some of Seattle's most prominent electronic producers. Now, she is pursuing a more organic sound inspired by her favorite artists, including Feist, The Cranberries, and Sharon Van Etten.
She is currently working on her debut album.
You got your start in music by sharing original songs online, performing in church bands, and playing smaller acoustic shows around Seattle. Now you’re regularly performing at venues like Barboza and Neumos. What were some key moments that helped shape your career?
The first was reuniting with my current guitarist Brandon Parker. We played in a high school worship band together and I ran into him again in 2017 outside of El Corazon. I saw he was pursuing being a professional guitarist and playing shows, which I had always wanted to do. He was nice enough to grab coffee with me and then invited me to play some cover songs with him at a brewery in Woodinville - my first performance! That led to two other acoustic shows at Funhouse and El Corazon. Another key moment was connecting with the electronic producer Jake Crocker via Instagram, who was interested in having me write for and sing on pop/dance songs that he was working on. That was the first time I'd worked in a studio-style environment and it also led to some great performance opportunities, like joining him onstage at the Neptune, Capitol Hill Block Party, and Bumbershoot. Another key moment was releasing my first single, "In Bloom" in 2018.
You’ve experimented with different styles in your recent singles, from indie rock in "Distract Me" to country in "Good Ride (Mechanical Bullshit)." How do you decide which genres to explore, and what inspired these shifts?
I love all kinds of music! I started feeling like I was getting too pigeonholed into the dance-pop space, which wasn't what I originally intended to make, even though I do love it. My original intention as an artist was actually to make more singer/songwriter or indie folk style tracks, so the genre experimentation comes from the desire to make something that feels entirely "me" - and I'm learning that it's okay to be multi-faceted. There's this notion that you have to "choose a lane" and double-down on a genre as part of your brand in music marketing, but I want to make whatever kind of music I feel inspired to make.
Do you have a favorite song you’ve written?
I have soft spots for all of them, but right now my favorite is probably Distract Me.
August was the one year anniversary of your EP, Love Songs. What were some of your favorite parts of making that EP? Do you have any special plans to celebrate the anniversary?
I loved working with Timothy Robert Graham and recording live drums! That was a really special part of the process, incorporating more live/organic instruments into the track. I didn't do anything too special for the anniversary, besides getting ready to release my debut album, which includes one of the songs from the EP, "Just Three Words."
I saw that in some older press coverage you’ve mentioned that “Classic” has a Taylor Swift 1989-inspired sound. We actually included it in our ‘RIYL Taylor Swift’ playlist (but as being similar to Red). How did this influence manifest in the production and arrangement of the song?
Taylor Swift is one of my biggest songwriting inspirations and the reason I taught myself guitar in high school. I worked with Andrew Vait on Classic and sent him a lot of Taylor Swift reference tracks, but he added his own magic to the arrangement and production.
Your most recent single, "Hard to Love", touches on themes of heartbreak and toxic relationships. Despite the heavier lyrical content, the song itself is actually fairly upbeat with a lot of electronic influences. What made you decide to have this contrast between the lyrics and the sound?
"Hard to Love" is the first song I've written that started as an idea I produced in Logic vs. being born via acoustic guitar chords. My intention for the song was to create something Robyn inspired and "Dancing On My Own" does such a great job of being a heartbreaking track that's also super dance-able.
You're currently working on your debut album. Can you give us some insight on what to expect from it?
Yes! I am so excited; it's now available for pre-order on Bandcamp! The album is 8 tracks long on vinyl, with a 9th bonus track on streaming services. A few of them have already been released as singles. It's an amalgamation of my favorite genres and feels really representative of who I am and want to be as a musician. The whole story of my debut album still feels like a dream to me. When I was emailing my music to KEXP DJs, DJ John Richards responded and asked me if I was planning a full length album release on vinyl. I said it was definitely a goal of mine but I was working on building out my song collection and saving up funding (in other words, it was a pipe dream and there was no way I could afford to pull it off in the near future or ever). Then he said he wanted to give me a check to help fund the vinyl pressing of my album and share it with his record club members. It was a miracle!! I quickly pulled together my collaborators, Jesse Field and Timothy Robert Graham; bandmates, Brandon Parker and Jesse Gallaway; and session musicians, Sean T. Lane on drums, and Owen Thayer to make five new tracks to make it happen.
What was the creative process like for the five new songs?
It was definitely a pedal-to-the-medal moment to meet the deadline of getting vinyl done by early 2025, but it was so much fun! Some of the songs had existed as acoustic demos of mine for a while, while others were net-new and written days leading up to our sessions at Studio X.
Are you planning an album release party?
Yes! It will be performed live in Seattle at my release show at Neumos on January 9 and there will also be a listening party at Life on Mars on January 30. For those in Tacoma, I'll have another on February 14 in Spanish Ballroom. There will also be tour stops in Portland, Vancouver, Bellingham, and Spokane!
Your pre-sales for the album are already running low—congrats! Are you planning a second run if they all sell through?
Thank you! I have more set aside to be sold at shows and online on the release day. Half of the run is going to members of DJ John Richards' The Record Club, so if the interest for more records is there, it's something I will definitely consider.
Do you have any plans to release the vinyl in stores?
Yes, a limited number will be available at Easy Street Records and Sonic Boom Records.
Who, or what, has most influenced your music and artistic style?
I pull from my personal experiences for my songs' lyrical content, but for musical/artistic inspiration, my favorite artists are Feist, Sharon Van Etten, Alvvays, The Cranberries, Taylor Swift, and Maggie Rogers.
What are you listening to currently?
Slugger - SASAMI, Tuesday - Toro y Moi, I Go Out at Night - Ratboys, Taste- Sabrina Carpenter
Check out Tinsley's discography now.
Photo Credit: Will Harvey @will_har
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