Tink (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tink
Tink performing at NXNE in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Trinity Laure'Ale Home
Born	(1995-03-18) March 18, 1995 (age 30) Calumet City, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Midwestern hip-hop R&B
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Epic Mosley Music Makasound Machine Sony RED Empire

Trinity Laure'Ale Home (born March 18, 1995), who is better known by her stage name Tink, is an American rapper and R&B singer from the Chicago, Illinois area. She is known for mixing rap and R&B music to tell stories about life and relationships.

Tink first got major attention when she signed with the famous producer Timbaland's record label, Mosley Music Group. She released her first single, "Treat Me Like Somebody," in 2014. Her 2015 song "Million" became very popular. However, she and Timbaland had different ideas about her music, so she decided to leave the label in 2017 to become an independent artist.

In 2015, the magazine XXL chose Tink to be in its "Freshman Class," which highlights the most promising new artists in hip-hop.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Trinity Laure'Ale Home was born on March 18, 1995, in Calumet City, Illinois, a city near Chicago. Her friends in elementary school gave her the nickname "Tink," and she has used it ever since.

Tink's love for music started early. She began singing in her church choir at age five and was writing her own songs by age 11. In high school, she attended Simeon Career Academy, where she sang in the choir and performed in talent shows. She enjoyed her English classes, which helped her become a better songwriter.

At 15, she started rapping and recording music in a studio her father had set up in their basement. When she was 16, she and her brother posted a video of her freestyling on Facebook. The video quickly became popular in her local area and helped start her music career.

Music Career

2011–2014: Early Mixtapes and Working with Timbaland

Tink officially started her career in 2011 while still in high school by releasing a collection of songs called a mixtape. It was titled Winter's Diary. Over the next two years, she released three more mixtapes: Alter Ego, Blunts & Ballads, and Boss Up.

Her hard work paid off. Her fifth mixtape, Winter's Diary 2: Forever Yours, was praised by both Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines as one of the best R&B albums of 2014.

In 2014, she performed at the famous South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. That same year, she signed a record deal with producer Timbaland's label, Mosley Music Group, which was part of Epic Records.

2014–2017: Label Problems and Becoming Independent

Tink's first album with the label, called Think Tink, was planned for release in 2015. She released the single "Million," which sampled a famous song by the singer Aaliyah. The song was a hit and made fans excited for the album.

However, Timbaland decided to delay the album's release. Tink felt frustrated because she wanted to share her new music with her fans. So, she went back to releasing mixtapes on her own. She released Winter's Diary 3 in 2015 and Winter's Diary 4 in 2016.

By 2017, Tink wanted more control over her music. She worked to get out of her contract with Mosley Music Group. At the end of the year, she and the label agreed to part ways. Tink was now an independent artist and owned the rights to her unreleased music.

2018–Present: Success as an Independent Artist

After becoming independent, Tink took charge of her career. In 2018, she released her first EP, Pain & Pleasure. An EP is like a short album with just a few songs.

In 2019, she started her own record label called Winter's Diary. Through her label, she released the mixtape Voicemails in 2019 and the album Hopeless Romantic in 2020.

She continued to release new music, including the album Heat of the Moment in 2021, which was produced by Hitmaka. Since then, she has released more successful albums like Pillow Talk (2022), Thanks 4 Nothing (2023), and Winter's Diary 5 (2024), proving that she can succeed on her own terms.

Musical Style

Tink is often compared to great female artists like Lauryn Hill and Da Brat because she is skilled at both singing and rapping. Her early mixtapes were mostly R&B, but she soon began to mix rapping into her songs.

Her music often tells stories about real-life feelings and situations that many teenagers can relate to, like love, heartbreak, and friendship. She uses her experiences growing up in Chicago to write honest and emotional lyrics. Tink is also known for making music that talks about female empowerment and social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances