Rina Sawayama is back with another empowering track.
Following on from the release of her critically-acclaimed pansexual anthem Cherry earlier this year, the Japan-born, London-raised queer artist is continuing her mission of purposeful pop with brand new single Flicker.
The track sees Rina call out the lack of representation in the media – “the people on TV, they all look the same,” she sings – and encourage listeners to celebrate the things that make them different rather than be ashamed of them.
“The first day of reception year at school my teacher totally butchered my surname while calling out the register. I remember crying so hard and that was the first time I realised that I was different to all the others in class,” she said of the track.
“When I was writing Flicker I was thinking how our name shapes our experience in life and identities us in a deeper way than we realise.
“Whether it’s a name that no one can say, or the frustration of being misgendered, or quite simply being misunderstood for who you truly are – this is a song for you.”
Listen to Flicker below.
Earlier this year, Rina opened up about her pansexuality for the first time on record, saying: “I’ve always written songs about girls. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned a guy in my songs, and that’s why I wanted to talk about it.
“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!’”
Rina will support Years & Years at the O2 in London on 5 December.
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