“So, my name is Rina Sawayama, and I found out one label exec jokingly called me Rina Wagamama,” she tells the crowd, who duly boo the exec’s racist joke. “I was pursuing a deal with them, but you know, that’s gone,” she finishes breezily. Advertisement Growing up as a Jap...
Though she hasn’t personally been targeted during the pandemic, Sawayama has unfortunately received a share of racially charged microaggressions throughout her career, like “I was quite surprised you sang in English” and “Have you been to that Japanese place Wagamama’s?” which she documents...
Unveiling the newest track from her forthcoming debut album ‘SAWAYAMA’ today,Rina Sawayamahas shared the thought-provoking ode to her LGBT family, ‘Chosen Family’. Speaking on the inspiration behind the song, she explains, “‘Chosen Family’ is a very special song for me. The concept of...
Her debut album,SAWAYAMA,still interrogates identity, but no longer as a social abstract. Songs like "STFU!" and "Tokyo Love Hotel" explore Sawayama's visibility as someone with Japanese heritage, while her latest single "Chosen Family" invokes a central tenet of the LGBTQ community. One of ...