Rina Sawayama

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese-British singer, songwriter, actress and model from Niigata, England. She is known for music that blends alternative R&B, art pop, contemporary R&B, dance-pop, electropop and future house, while also drawing on pop, rock, nu metal and electronic music. Her songs often deal with identity, family, immigration, consumerism, belonging, mental health and LGBTQ+ rights.

Early life and education

Sawayama moves to London with her family at the age of five. She later studies Politics, Psychology and Sociology at the University of Cambridge, where she also becomes involved in music, performance and modelling. During this period, she performs in a range of musical projects before beginning a solo career.

Early releases and breakthrough

She begins working with London-based producer Hoost and independently releases her debut single, Sleeping in Waking, in 2013. She continues to release music independently and build a live following, and The Fader names her among its artists to watch.

Her debut EP, RINA, appears in 2017. The record combines R&B, electropop, dance-pop and alternative pop, and includes the tracks Ordinary Superstar, Tunnel Vision, Take Me as I Am and Cyber Stockholm Syndrome. Around this time she also releases the singles Valentine (What’s It Gonna Be) and Cherry; the latter becomes a breakthrough song for its focus on bisexuality and personal identity. She also tours the UK and North America on the Ordinary Superstar Tour in late 2018.

Albums and later work

Sawayama releases her debut studio album, SAWAYAMA, through Dirty Hit. The album combines pop, nu metal, arena rock, R&B, dance-pop and electronic music, and is preceded by the singles STFU!, Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys) and XS. Other songs on the album include Dynasty, Akasaka Sad, Bad Friend and Chosen Family. The album receives wide critical praise and appears on many year-end lists. She later releases a duet version of Chosen Family with Elton John.

Her second studio album, Hold the Girl, is released through 88rising. It draws on pop, country pop, dance-pop, arena rock and early-2000s mainstream pop, and is shaped by themes of healing, self-acceptance and childhood trauma. The album is preceded by the singles This Hell, Catch Me in the Air, Hold the Girl, Phantom and Hurricanes. It debuts at number three on the UK Albums Chart. She tours the album through 2022 and 2023, with an expanded North American leg titled Hold the Girl Tour - Reloaded.

Collaborations and acting

A large part of Sawayama’s catalogue is co-written and produced with Clarence Clarity, whose experimental production style is closely tied to her sound. She also works with Shamir, Bree Runway, Empress Of and Charli XCX. Her collaboration with Charli XCX, Beg for You, becomes her first UK Top 40 hit. In 2023, she appears on Kiss Me by Empress Of.

Outside music, she makes her acting debut as Akira in John Wick: Chapter 4.