- Rina Sawayama is an actor, singer, and model.
- She immigrated from Japan to London.
- She’s making her film acting debut in ‘John Wick Chapter 4’.
- Rina revealed that she was “groomed” in a new interview with the BBC.
Rina Sawayama has been a growing star in the music world. Her self-titled debut album and sophomore record Hold The Girl have gained her a huge audience, and she’s been able to work as both an actress and model, as well as a singer.
Rina, 33, revealed that she was groomed when she was 17 in a new interview for the BBC’s In Conversation series. She revealed that she realized that a school teacher had groomed her when she underwent sex and relationship therapy. “Seventeen to me a child. You’re in school. If a school teacher is coming onto you, that’s an abuse of power. But I didn’t realize until I was his age,” she said, via Pitchfork. “I didn’t realize until I was his age.”
She revealed that her 2022 track “Your Age” was inspired by the experience. “I remember distinctly how uncomfortable that made me, but I didn’t put the two and two together,” she said. “It was through this very intense form of therapy, which I feel so lucky to be able to have access to, that I was able to come to terms with that, and it completely broke my whole world apart.”
Find out everything else you need to know about Rina here!
Rina Plays Akira in ‘John Wick 4’
Rina made her film debut in John Wick: Chapter 4 in March 2023. was cast in John Wick: Chapter 4 in May 2021. Her character Akira is the daughter of the Osaka Continental Hotel manager, who is an old friend of John Wick’s. Akira is the concierge at the hotel.
Rina Is From Japan
Rina was born in Niigata, Japan, but she moved to London when she was 5 years old. She still lives in the U.K. and she reportedly holds an indefinite leave to remain visa there. She attended Magdalene College in Cambridge and graduated with a degree in political science.
Rina Is Famous in the Music Industry
As a singer, Rina rose to fame with the release of her debut extended play, Rina, in 2017. She released her first album, Sawayama, in April 2020, and it became a massive hit with fans and critics all across the world. Her second studio album, Hold the Girl, dropped in September 2022, also to major success. Rina recently performed at the Elton John Oscar Party.
Rina Also Models
Rina started modeling around 2017, when she was selected for the Versus x Versace’s fall winter campaign. A few years later, she walked the Balmain runway at Paris Fashion Week. Rina continues to do a lot of modeling at fashion events and for magazine covers, and she documents everything on her Instagram, where she has over 1 million followers.
Rina Is Queer
Rina came out as pansexual several years ago. In an interview with Gay Times, Rina explained why she wants to be honest about her sexuality in her music. “For me there’s still a lack of representation. I just think the reason I wasn’t so comfortable with my sexuality was because there was no one on TV or anywhere that I could point to and go, ‘Look mom! This person is what I was talking about!’ ” she said.