“You always knew I’d be a star.”

This line from the title track of Tinashe’s newest album, “Popstar,” feels like an announcement to the world that Tinashe finally knows exactly who she is as an artist. “Popstar” — her first major-label project since “Joyride” in 2018 — marks a triumphant return to the spotlight of the music industry. And this time, it’s firmly on her own terms.

While independence has inevitably led to commercial stagnancy and even obscurity for countless other artists, Tinashe has leveraged it into her greatest asset. Commencing her career as a child actress before joining the girl group “The Stunners,” Tinashe has spent almost her entire life navigating an unforgiving entertainment industry. She released a series of solo mixtapes before signing with RCA records and releasing her breakout debut album, “Aquarius.” While these projects were commercially successful, they came with increasing tension over her artistic direction, culminating in her departure from RCA in 2019 and a return to the DIY approach to writing and production that had first distinguished her music.

So, after nearly a decade of battling for artistic agency, Tinashe finally returns to the major label system with “Popstar” — not searching for an identity but rather asserting one.

“Popstar” is Tinashe’s most consistent, cohesive, yet experimental album to date. There are shades of hyperpop, hip-hop, and EDM all over the project, yet she manages to sculpt a sound that feels fun, honest, and unmistakably her own. Some of the tracks carry an abrasive, dance-infused energy reminiscent of Charli xcx’s “BRAT,” while others pull elements of the trap and hazy R&B production that dominated the airwaves during the 2010s.

The album’s opening track “Sunglasses,” commences with a glitchy, warped soundscape, which eventually transforms itself into the song’s harmonic foundation. Tinashe’s vocals — possessing both an ethereal and laidback quality — starkly contrast the song’s stuttering drum groove, thereby eliciting a subtle sense of unease from the listener. Singing that “There’s a billion of us, but there’s only one of me,” Tinashe’s writing exudes nonchalance and confidence, foregrounding the themes of fame and ambition that underpin the album.

The third track of the album, “Melatonin,” is one of Tinashe’s strongest tracks to date. The central vocal loop of the song is chopped, resampled, and repeatedly recontextualized throughout each section. This gives the track a consistently evolving sense of momentum. In many ways, the song feels like a remix of itself, with Tinashe continually dismantling and rebuilding the same musical ideas.

“Overdramatic” and “I’d Rather Be Alone” see Tinashe leaning into her trap production tendencies, with 4-step hi-hat patterns and thumping 808s providing the rhythmic foundation for both tracks. Indeed, the relatively simple production on “I’d Rather Be Alone” allows Tinashe’s songwriting to shine, singing that “I’d rather rip the bandaid off than scratch it ‘til it bleeds.”

“Crash Out” is another one of Tinashe’s most memorable songs. Lines such as “Now they sitting on the internet, hating” and “All my enemies getting in my head” hold a distinct earworm quality, making even her anxieties feel catchy and singable. The writing is upfront, playful, and self-aware, while the production pulls elements from both 2000s RnB and crunk — a Southern hip-hop subgenre.

The album’s closing track, “Heavy Weight,” serves as a significant sonic departure from the rest of the project. Admitting that she is “being too prideful,” Tinashe evokes a vulnerability and tenderness that starkly contrasts the bravado of “Crash Out” and “Melatonin.” In doing so, Tinashe invites the listener to consider the insecurity that lingers beneath the confidence and self-assurance of “Popstar.” This intimacy is accentuated by the acoustic guitar accompaniment, as well as the absence of the jittery drums and synthesizers that define much of the album’s sonic profile.

Ultimately, “Popstar” is the artistic statement that every independent artist dreams of creating. In a year that has been relatively dry for quality pop albums, “Popstar” feels genuinely alive. Although the album’s abrasive production style can feel somewhat unpolished, Tinashe takes more than enough creative risks — and lands enough of them to make up for it. The restless energy of “Popstar” is incredibly infectious, and even when the album settles, it never feels stagnant or uninspired. After years of fighting to sound like herself, Tinashe finally does, and “Popstar” is all the better for it.

—Staff writer Alexander J. S. Chieng can be reached at [email protected].