We Spent 24 Hours With Rina Sawayama in Shanghai
The London-based singer tries stinky tofu, goes dress shopping and more.
Style chameleon. Unicorn hair. Pop music innovator. These are all words that have been used to describe Rina Sawayama, the 27-year-old Japan-born, London-based singer that has been making waves all across the music scene. Hailed as a fresh new voice in the industry, names like The FADER have described her as a powerhouse “making millennium-era pop feel urgent again.” If you’ve taken a listen through her 2017-released self-titled EP, RINA, you’ll understand that the buzz is definitely warranted.
Crooning with effortlessly sensual vocals, Rina’s sound wistfully harks back to the unmistakable dreaminess of pop music from the early aughts – albeit with a sophistication that has seamlessly been injected into each of her tracks. Equally sleek are the singer’s music videos. From the trippy sci-fi world of “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome” to the nostalgic “Alterlife” visuals rife with J-Pop references, Rina knows who she is and is not afraid to show the world.
Catching up with the cool girl, we recently spent 24 hours with Rina in Shanghai. As we meet up in her hotel room, she gets ready in a tonal outfit of red from head-to-toe (an edgy, color-matching bob included, of course). Next we head through the streets of the Chinese metropolis, trying everything from the city’s famous xiaolongbao dumplings, to the love-it-or-hate-it delicacy known as “stinky tofu.” You can watch the full video above.
To see more from Rina, don’t miss her in our roundup of the best celebrity styles.
