Tinashe

Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe was born on February 6, 1993, in Lexington, Kentucky, and is the eldest child of college professors Michael and Aimie Kachingwe. Her father is a professor who teaches acting at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a first-generation Zimbabwean immigrant of Shona descent, while her white mother, who is of Danish, Norwegian, and Irish descent, teaches physical therapy at California State University, Northridge. Her parents met each other on a blind date during their time as undergrads at the University of Iowa. Tinashe's name means "We have God (or God is with us)" in the Shona language. She has two younger brothers, Thulani and Kudzai. As a child, Tinashe lived in DeKalb, Illinois. She and her family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was eight years old. She attended Crescenta Valley High School for a year before finishing early to pursue a career in music full-time. During high school, she faced bullying from her peers. She began studying ballet, tap, and jazz dancing at the age of 4, and continued to compete in various styles as a part of a dance company until she was 18.