Add to Playlist: ‘Flicker’ by Rina Sawayama

In this song, the London-based neo-pop singer reflects on her childhood and the discrimination she experienced.

22.06.2019

WordsManon Baeza

Rina Sawayama, a neo-pop star, is a Japanese singer and model based in London. Her song ‘Flicker’, produced with Clarence Clarity, a long-time collaborator, looks back at her childhood.

 

A surname that shaped a future

The singer explains how she suffered at school when her teachers mispronounced her last name, thus unwittingly excluding her. ‘When I was writing “Flicker” I was thinking how our name shapes our experience in life’, she tells Dazed magazine.

The video, with a pop, futuristic aesthetic, immediately recalls the artist’s childlike, colourful, and quirky universe. Both melancholic and catchy, ‘Flicker’ follows the singer’s two previous singles, ‘Cherry’ and ‘Valentine (What’s It Gonna Be).’

 

The artist’s music can be found on her website and Instagram account.