“From the raucous nu-metal to glittering R&B, ‘SAWAYAMA’ is an honest, genre-exploding self-portrait.” NME

“Rina Sawayama is the future of pop” New York Magazine

“There hasn’t been a pop star like Rina Sawayama in quite some time.” VICE

Today sees critically acclaimed recording artist Rina Sawayama perform her hit single ‘XS’ for BRITs 2021 Rising Star Session at Abbey Road Studios.

Watch Rina Sawayama’s performance BELOW.

Following Rina’s historic nomination for BRITs Rising Star, the session sees Rina captivate viewers with her breathtaking vocals, accompanied by a full band and backing singers as she performs in the iconic Abbey Road Studios. The Rising Star award has been instrumental in identifying the future British music stars and launching the careers of some of the biggest UK artists such as Adele, Florence + The Machine, Sam Smith, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Ellie Goulding, and last year’s winner, Celeste.

Speaking on the Rising Star nomination Rina says: “I literally fell to the floor when I found out that I’d been nominated for Rising Star. I really can’t put into words how much this means to me given that I wasn’t eligible for this award a few weeks ago and now that door has been opened for future generations of artists like myself. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me, it means the world.”

The track ‘XS’ is taken from Rina’s debut album SAWAYAMA. The album encompasses her most personal music yet, featuring production from the likes of Clarence Clarity (exec producer along with Rina) and co-written from Nicole Morier [Britney Spears] and Kyle Shearer [Carly Rae Jepsen] to name a few. The critically acclaimed album has amassed over 100 million worldwide streams since it’s release and ranked in over 50 album of the year lists for 2020, including the New York Times (#2), The Guardian (#3), Dazed (#2), Rough Trade (#3), Rolling Stone (#6), Vogue (#14), NME (#7) and a prominent feature in the BBC’s Albums of the Year. 2020 saw Rina grace the covers of many magazines but her place as a true pop star was cemented at the end of 2020 when she made her TV debut performing single XS on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. For Rina, no genre is off-limits and it’s this daring attitude that's seen her hailed as the ‘future of pop’ and join the upper echelons of left-field pop's current premier league, a move further augmented via multiple sold out shows and a highly-anticipated headline tour in 2021.