Rationale (musician)

Rationale
Birth name Tinashe Fazakerley
Born (1984-04-04) 4 April 1984
Highfield, Harare, Zimbabwe
Genres Indie pop, synthpop, R&B, acoustic
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Singing, synthesizer, guitar, mbira
Labels Best Laid Plans, Warner Music UK, Universal Island
Associated acts Bastille, Jakwob, Noisettes, Rag'n'Bone Man
Website iamrationale.com

Tinashe Fazakerley (born 4 April 1984),[1] now professionally known as Rationale, is a Zimbabwe-born British singer-songwriter, formerly known as Tinashé.[2] He is known for his soulful R&B and indie pop style with electric influences.[3] His alias Tinashé was known for his synthpop sound[2] and his African influences.[4]

Early life

Fazakerley was born in the Harare township of Highfield. At the age of 9, he and his three siblings moved to the United Kingdom in the Camberwell district of London, where his single mother was working as a nurse. Later, at the age of 11, he moved to the London borough of Hackney and music began to play a more significant role in his life as he learned to play the guitar. His influences were varying, ranging from Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Pat Metheny, Donnie Hathaway and Al Green, to Tupac Shakur, A Tribe Called Quest and the Notorious B.I.G.[1]

Career

Tinashé and singing hiatus (2009–2014)

In 2010, after releasing two EPs and three singles, Fazakerley released the album Saved under the stage name Tinashé, but it had limited success.

He took a break from singing and went on to become a songwriter and producer, working with producer Mark Crew, while writing songs for blues artist Rag'n'Bone Man, among others. He also wrote songs for the Swiss version of The Voice talent show.[5]

Rationale (2015–present)

In 2015, he relaunched his career as Rationale, releasing songs such as "Fast Lane" and "Something for Nothing" on SoundCloud and Spotify. It was on these streaming platforms that he gained notable recognition, with a mention by Pharrell Williams on his Apple Music Beats1 radio show, OTHERtone, calling him someone who had "found the beauty in their voice".[6] This elevated Fast Lane to No. 2 within its first week on the Spotify Global Viral Chart, reached No. 1 on Hype Machine, and amassed more than 1.3 million views on SoundCloud. Rationale also received praise from Justin Timberlake and Elton John.[7] He became one of the first artists to be signed to Dan Smith of Bastille's new record label, Best Laid Plans.[5]

His debut self-titled album was released on 6 October 2017,[8] under exclusive license to Warner Music UK.[9] Fazakerley is credited as a songwriter and producer on Katy Perry's 2017 album, Witness on the song, "Act My Age".[10] His single "Tethered" is often covered by Ellie Goulding at her concerts.[11]

Discography

Singles

As Tinashé

  • "Mayday", March 2010
  • "Zambezi", June 2010
  • "Saved", September 2010

As Rationale

  • "Fast Lane", April 2015
  • "Re.Up", May 2015
  • "Fuel to the Fire", July 2015
  • "The Mire", September 2015
  • "Something for Nothing", January 2016
  • "Palms", June 2016
  • "Prodigal Son", November 2016
  • "Vessels", December 2016
  • "Reciprocate", January 2017
  • "Tethered", February 2017
  • "Deliverance", March 2017
  • "Loving Life", July 2017
  • "Into the Blue", September 2017
  • "One by One", September 2018

Albums

As Tinashé

  • Saved, September 2010

As Rationale

  • Rationale, October 2017

EPs

As Tinashé

  • Mayday
  • Zambezi
  • Saved

As Rationale

  • Fuel to the Fire, September 2015
  • Vessels, February 2017
  • High Hopes, 2018

Songwriting and production credits

Title Year Artist(s) Album Credits Written with Produced with
"Guilty" 2014 Rag'n'Bone Man Wolves EP Co-writer Rory Graham, Mark Crew, Daniel Priddy -
"Wolves" Rory Graham, Mark Crew, Daniel Priddy -
"Life in Her Yet" Rory Graham, Mark Crew, Daniel Priddy -
"Disfigured" 2015 Disfigured EP Rory Graham, Andrew Jackson -
"Love Is a Drug" Markus Feehily Fire Markus Feehily, Steve Anderson -
"Only You" Markus Feehily, Steve Anderson -
"Wash the Pain Away" Markus Feehily, Steve Anderson -
"Cut You Out" Markus Feehily, Any Pilai -
"Dynamite"
(featuring Pretty Sister)		 2016 Nause Non-album single Jacob Criborn, Leonard Scheja, Sacha Skarbek -
"Act My Age" 2017 Katy Perry Witness Co-writer/Producer Katheryn Hudson, Mark Crew, Sarah Hudson Ilya, Mark Crew
"Paralyzed" 2018 Kwaye Love & Affliction EP Kwayedza Kureya Henry Guy

References

  1. 1 2 Smyth, David (7 June 2016). "Rationale, interview: 'I'm a very pessimistic character, which helps to write the songs I want to write'". London Evening Standard.
  2. 1 2 Lester, Paul (21 January 2010). "New band of the day: Tinashé (No 709)". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Mack, Jonno (20 January 2017). "Live Review: Rationale // King Tut's, Glasgow – 20.01.17". Riot Mag.
  4. ↑ Richman, Simmy (22 August 2010). "Album: Tinashé, Saved (Island)". The Independent.
  5. 1 2 Studarus, Laura (7 June 2016). "Dinner and a Show: Get to know Bastille's first signee, The Rationale". Live Nation TV.
  6. ↑ Pell, Mike (8 June 2016). "Pharrell Williams Loves Him. We Love Him. Get To Know Rationale..." MTV.
  7. ↑ Earls, John (8 June 2016). "Meet Rationale: The new Brit soulman loved by Pharrell, Timberlake and Elton". Loaded Magazine.
  8. ↑ Issom, Eric (24 November 2016). "Rationale Continues To Shine With New Single 'Prodigal Son'". Pigeons and Planes.
  9. ↑ Rossignol, Derrick (7 June 2016). "Rationale announces debut album and shares "Palms"". Pigeons and Planes.
  10. ↑ Feeney, Nolan (14 July 2016). "Breaking Big: Rationale wants to be the next Pharrell Williams — and Katy Perry is already a fan". Entertainment Weekly.
  11. ↑ Kelley, Caitlin (5 October 2017). "Rationale Brings the Drama in Gospel-Infused Track 'Oil & Water': Exclusive". Billboard.
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