Rina Sawayama Tickets

Born in Niigata, Japan, Rina Sawayama and her family moved to northwest London when she was five years old. Inspired by pop superstars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and P!nk, she began her music career after graduating from Cambridge University in 2012 by releasing the bedroom jam Sleeping In Waking in 2013. A series of atmospheric alt-pop singles came soon after.

Sawayama’s first EP Rina arrived in 2017, containing tracks like Cyber Stockholm Syndrome, Alterlife and Tunnel Vision that were reminiscent of ’90s-style pop. Her 2018 standalone song Cherry, an anthem to pansexuality, caught the ears of critics and quickly grew her fan base.

In the years that followed, Sawayama evolved her unique sound to not only embrace her British-Japanese culture, but also pull together genres like R&B, nu-metal, bubblegum pop and house.

Her debut album SAWAYAMA came out in April 2020. Led by the track STFU! about the everyday racism she has experienced as an Asian woman living in the West, it also featured Commes Des Garçons, Love Me 4 Me and Chosen Family, her ode to the LGBTQ+ community.

“The album ultimately is about family and identity,” said Sawayama. “It’s about understanding yourself in the context of two opposing cultures (for me British and Japanese), what ‘belonging’ means when home is an evolving concept, figuring out where you sit comfortably within and awkwardly outside of stereotypes, and ultimately trying to be OK with just being you, warts and all.”