As pop stars go, Rina Sawayama belongs to the old school. She’s a high-energy entertainer with in-your-face melodies, signature dance moves and undeniable glamour. Most often seen in music videos and on stage decked out in futuristic club kid chic, she has an ever-changing array of hair colors to fit her mood. But while Sawayama’s music is indulgently sweet and otherworldly, her lyrical content hits much closer to home, tackling consumer culture, racial microaggressions and hereditary trauma. The singer, now 30, took a relatively slow path to becoming an international pop star. After graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in politics, psychology and sociology in 2012, she worked as a model, appearing in campaigns for the Versus x Versace collection and Mac Cosmetics, while pursuing a career in music. Following the success of the self-released EP Rina in 2017, the affable singer-songwriter signed to Dirty Hit and, in 2020, released her debut album, Sawayama, a This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Eight Buy Now Related Stories Music Issue 50 Caroline Polachek “The thing that eats at me a little bit is how subjective my music is.... You can’t get away from ‘Caroline Polachek.’” Music Issue 49 Tove Lo The pop star reflects on the big feelings behind her biggest hits. Music Issue 49 Róisín Murphy Five questions for an art-pop icon. Music Issue 46 Lil Silva A superstar collaborator steps into the spotlight. Arts & Culture Films Music Issue 42 Peer Review Iranian artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat pays homage to the iconic Egyptian singer Oum Kulthum. Music Issue 38 Eric Nam A reeducation in K-pop from one of its brightest stars.
Music Issue 50 Caroline Polachek “The thing that eats at me a little bit is how subjective my music is.... You can’t get away from ‘Caroline Polachek.’”
Arts & Culture Films Music Issue 42 Peer Review Iranian artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat pays homage to the iconic Egyptian singer Oum Kulthum.
