Rina Sawayama

Rina Sawayama is a singer, songwriter and model, who was born in Japan, and is based in London. In 2016, she was included in The Fader's 13 Artists You Need To Know About In 2017, and Noisey's 25 Under 25 list for International Women's Day.

On Wednesday, 22 March, Sawayama's single "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome" premiered on The Fader.[1]

Background

Rina Sawayama was born in Japan. She lives in London, England and studied at Cambridge University.

Music career

Sawayama began her solo career in 2013, with the single "Sleeping in Waking". In June 2015, she released a music video, directed by Arvida Byström, to her track "Tunnel Vision".[2]

In 2016, she released the single "Where U Are", with an accompanying music video co-directed by Alessandra Kurr.[3] The release was described as "nostalgic greatness... ultra-sweet and shimmering pop",[4] and "90s R&B pop perfection. Very lounge. A little Solange. A smidge of peak-era Mariah[5]". The single explored human interaction with digital media, with Sawayama explaining: "Online you can present your best edited self, and bypass lots of the messiness and awkwardness that comes with real human interactions. Your overheating phone substitutes human warmth. Weirdest of all—you’re together, but also very alone.[5]"

In March 2017, Sawayama's single "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome" premiered on The Fader.[1] Sawayma described the genesis of the themes of the track as follows: "I see embracing a positive relationship with our online selves as an act of self-preservation and defiance. In this age, the digital world can offer vital support networks, voices of solidarity, refuge, escape. Marginalized people, or socially anxious people like myself can, in fact, be freed. That’s what ‘Cyber Stockholm Syndrome’ is about: pessimism, optimism, anxiety, and freedom.” Erica Russell of V magazine called Sawayama a "digital-age pop pioneer" and praised the single as an "intoxicating [slice] of sleek, glossy dream-R&B and digi-pop [in which]...the artist confronts her digital addiction over a sparkling soundscape of midtempo Destiny’s Child-esque beats, tick-tocks and twinkling synths."[6]

Modelling career

Sawayama is signed to Elite Model Management. In 2017, she starred in Jourdan Dunn's Missguided campaign.[7]

Collaborations

In 2016, Sawayama collaborated with artist John Yuyi on a visual series critiquing Asian, and Japanese, beauty standards. Subsequently, she was profiled in Vogue Magazine. In the interview, Sawayama described the genesis of the idea and collaboration: “For a lot of women in Japan, these are the expectations people put on them, from anime culture, kawaii culture... that can really put women at a disadvantage, objectifying and infantilizing them”.[8]

Discography

Singles

Year Title
2013 "Sleeping in Waking"
2016 "Where U Are"

"This Time Last Year"

2017 "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome"

References

  1. 1 2 "Rina Sawayama’s Glitchy R&B Captures The Realities Of Living & Loving Online". The FADER. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  2. ↑ "London Singer-Songwriter Rina Sawayama Is Tired Of Living Online". The FADER. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  3. ↑ Dazed (2016-02-16). "The digi-pop singer turning her online insecurities into art". Dazed. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  4. ↑ http://thefourohfive.com. "Rina Sawayama's 'Where U Are' is ultra-sweet". The 405. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  5. 1 2 "Fall for the Smooth Curves of Rina Sawayama's "Where U Are" - Noisey". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Rina Sawayama Is Your Digital Dream Girl | V Magazine". vmagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  7. ↑ "Jourdan Dunn Collection - Londunn + Missguided". www.missguided.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  8. ↑ "Meet the Tangerine-Haired Model and Singer Who’s Taking On Asian Beauty Standards". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
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