Rina Sawayama

In 2020, after signing to Dirty Hit records, she announced her debut album, Sawayama. The album was preceded by the singles "STFU!", a nu metal, heavy metal, pop and avant-pop song, and "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)", an "homage to early 2000s dance tracks." The third single, the rock and 2000s R&B inspired "XS" was released on 2 March 2020. The following month, Sawayama released another single from the album titled "Chosen Family." Her debut album Sawayama was released on 17 April 2020 to widespread critical acclaim.

In August 2018, Sawayama came out during an interview with Broadly, declaring: “I’ve always written songs about girls. I don't think I’ve ever mentioned a guy in my songs, and that's why I wanted to talk about it.” She identified as both bisexual and pansexual. Her main influences came from 90s and 00s acts such as Hikaru Utada, Avril Lavigne, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, JoJo, Gwen Stefani, Evanescence and Limp Bizkit among others.

In March 2017, her single "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome" premiered on The Fader. Sawayama described the genesis of the themes of the track as: "the digital world can offer vital support networks, voices of solidarity, refuge, escape. That's what ‘Cyber Stockholm Syndrome’ is about: pessimism, optimism, anxiety, and freedom." In 2017, the singles "Alterlife" and "Tunnel Vision," a duet with Shamir, were released, followed by her debut mini-album Rina. Sawayama was then an unsigned artist, and Rina was released independently; she confirmed on Twitter that she worked for two to three years in order to save money to release the EP. In 2018, she released the single "Valentine" on Valentine's Day. The music video for album track "Ordinary Superstar" was released in June 2018. In August 2018, Sawayama released the track "Cherry," in which she explores her sexual identity. Sawayama embarked on her Ordinary Superstar tour across the UK and America in late 2018. In 2019, she was the support act for Charli XCX's tour across the UK.

Sawayama has been signed to Anti Agency and Elite Model Management. In 2017, she was chosen for Versus x Versace's fall winter campaign. She has also starred in campaigns for Jourdan Dunn's Missguided, and wrote and performed an original track for Nicola Formichetti’s MAC x Nicopanda.

Sawayama has been featured in numerous best of lists, including The Guardian' s 18 for '18, the 2017 Dazed 100, and Pitchfork' s Best Pop and R&B Albums of 2017.

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." Sawayama has worked with Nicola Formichetti for MAC x Nicopanda. Formichetti also directed the music video for Sawayama's track ‘Ordinary Superstar’. The genesis of the partnership was outlined in i-D.

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." In 2016, she released the single "Where U Are," with an accompanying music video co-directed by Alessandra Kurr. The single explored human interaction with digital media, with Sawayama explaining: "Online you can present your best edited self [and] your overheating phone substitutes human warmth. Weirdest of all—you're together, but also very alone."

Rina Sawayama (Japanese: リナ サワヤマ ; born 16 August 1990) is a Japanese-British singer, songwriter and model. Born in Niigata, she was raised from a young age in London, where she currently resides. Her debut extended play Rina was released in 2017, while her debut studio album Sawayama was released on 17 April 2020.

Rina Sawayama was born 16 August 1990 in Niigata, Japan. She lived there until the age of five when her family decided to move to London, England, where she was raised and currently lives. While studying politics, psychology and sociology at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, she decided to pursue music and modelling. During her time at university, she was in a hip hop group called Lazy Lion with Theo Ellis from the indie rock band Wolf Alice. She graduated from the university with a degree in political science.