Rina Sawayama

Rina Sawayama (born ) is a Japanese–British singer-songwriter, actress and model.
==Career==
===Music===
Rina launched her solo career with the single "Sleeping in Waking" in February 2013. In April 2013, a 7-inch vinyl version of the single with a new song titled "Who?" as the B-side was released. Later that year, under the stage name "Riina," she released the single "Terror" on November 1.
In June 2015, she released a music video, to her track "Tunnel Vision". In 2016, she released the single "Where U Are," along with a music video.
In 2017, her single "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome". The same year, the singles "Alterlife" and "Tunnel Vision", a duet with Shamir, were released, followed by her debut EP Rina. In 2018, Rina released the single "Valentine" on Valentine's Day. The music video for the track "Ordinary Superstar" was released in June 2018. In August 2018, Rina released the track "Cherry".
In 2020, Rina released the singles "STFU!" and "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" from her upcoming debut album. On March 2, a third single, "XS," was released. Rina released another single from the album, "Chosen Family," the following month. Sawayama, her debut album, was released on April 17 to widespread critical acclaim. In November 2020, she released a song titled "Lucid".
In April 2021, Rina released an updated version of her song "Chosen Family" as a duet with Elton John. Rina covered Metallica's "Enter Sandman" for the charity album The Metallica Blacklist. It was released on September 2021. On September 3, 2021, Clarence Clarity and Rina's remix of Lady Gaga's "Free Woman" was released on Gaga's remix album Dawn of Chromatica. Rina was featured on Charli XCX's single "Beg for You," which was released on January 27, 2022, and later on Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar's single "Follow Me," which was released on March 31, 2022.
On May 16, 2022, Rina announced that her second studio album, Hold the Girl, would be released on September 16, 2022. The album's first single, "This Hell," was released on May 18, and the album's second single, "Catch Me in the Air," was released on June 27. On July 27, the album's third single, "Hold the Girl," was released. On August 25, another single from the album, "Phantom," was released. The final single from Hold The Girl, "Hurricanes," was released on September 12th.
===Modelling career===
Rina 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 appeared in Jourdan Dunn's Missguided campaigns, as well as written and performed an original track titled "Play on Me" for Nicola Formichetti's MAC x Nicopanda. In September 2021, she walked the runway for Balmain to commemorate Olivier Rousteing's ten-year reign as head of the French House.
===Acting career===
In November 2022, Rina was cast in the fourth installment in the John Wick film series.
==Content==
===Rina TV===
Rina TV is the name of Rina's vlog series on YouTube, described as "The YouTube exclusive vlog series showing the behind the scenes world of Rina Sawayama.
==Personal life==
Rina was born in Niigata, Japan. She lived there until she was five years old, when her family relocated to London. According to her, the family's original plan was to return to Japan when she turned ten, but they ultimately chose to stay in London. At age sixteen, she began posting music covers on Myspace. During sixth form, she formed the hip hop group Lazy Lion. She attended Magdalene College, Cambridge. She graduated from the university with a degree in political science.
==Discography==
===Studio Albums===
*SAWAYAMA (2020)
*Hold the Girl (2022)
===EP===
*Rina (2017)
==Trivia==
*In August 2018, Rina came out as pansexual in an interview.
**Her song "Cherry" is a proud declaration of her pansexuality.
*Rina calls her fans "Pixels".
*She opened three shows for Charli XCX's "Charli World Tour". Being on Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester.
**Later, they collaborated on song "Beg for You", a single for Charli's fifth studio album, Crash.
*On Halloween 2013, she released the single "Terror" under the stage name "Riina."
**Rina would later reveal that the reason she used only her first name is because her last name was "an inconvenience".
*Her song "STFU!" was inspired by the many microaggressions and racial anti-Japanese comments she has experienced throughout her life.
*In late July 2020, Rina made a public statement about her ineligibility to be nominated for major British music awards, due to the fact that she does not hold British citizenship.
**Shortly after, the hashtag "#SawayamaIsBritish" became trending on Twitter. And it gained major support from Elton John.
**The BPI later changed the rules to allow anyone who had remained in the UK, including her, to be eligible.
==Gallery==
Rina Sawayama.jpg
Category:Music YouTubers
Category:Vlogging YouTubers
Category:Japanese YouTubers
Category:British YouTubers
Category:LGBT YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2013