TBT Rina Sawayama wearing our FAN LACING SHOES on JIMMY FALON
Unlike most - 2020 was a hot year for Sawayama. The road to superstardom isn’t far ahead. Let’s take a peek into her highlights this year, including her Tonight performance.
WHO IS RINA SAWAYAMA?
The London based musician released her debut EP, Rina in 2017. Her single Cyber Stockholm syndrome went viral in March 2017 explored pessimism, optimism, anxiety and freedom according to the artist. Pitchfork ranked Rina as the best pop and R&B album of the year. And this was just the beginning.
Following this, she signed onto Dirty Hit in 2020 and released her studio debut album Sawayama. And along came the likes of heavy metal song STFU, a homage to early dance tracks - Come des Garçons (Like the Boys).
Rina Sawayama wearing our FAN LACING SHOES on JIMMY FALLON
October 26th 2020 marks the day our Fan Lacing shoes and Rina Sawayama made their debut on Jimmy Fallon! Sawayama and her dance crew were all clad in our knee-length lace-ups dancing to her song XS.
The performance had corsets, glamour, lace, jewels and cash fitting well with singing about Cartier and Teslas. Combine that with Rina Sawayama wearing our FAN LACING SHOES on JIMMY FALLON, you've got a smash hit.
With dramatic red lighting and glamorous outfits, the performance came nothing short of perfection. After the performance aired #RINAFALLON landed the 12th highest twitter trend in the US and trended worldwide as well.
Performing a song from the album SAWAYAMA, the singer won Kylie Minogue's heart, who tweeted at her. Said album also happens to be Elton Johns favourite album of the year (in 2020). This followed a duet with the song Chosen Family with Elton John signing. The eponymous Bitch is Back singer is a big fan of Sawayama. And I mean if Elton's said it - we know it has to be true. We wonder if he liked Rina Sawayama wearing our FAN LACING SHOES on JIMMY FALLON, too though. Might tweet him later.
BEHIND THE WORDS - XS (pronounced excess)
Her performance for the Tonight Show gave us Max-Martin, Harry Styles, Britney Spears vibes - if you haven’t checked it out it and yearn for a time Britney was happy and free, give it a watch. The anthem also tackles issues such as capitalism and climate change. In the music video, Rina plays a robotic saleswoman trying to advertise her RINA water - on a parody shopping channel. Epic, I know.
Rina has stated that XS is a
“song that mocks capitalism in a sinking world” and that she aimed to draw attention to how “global climate change is accelerating and human extinction is a very real possibility within our lifetime. I wanted to reflect the chaos of this post-truth climate change denying world in the metal guitar stabs that flare up like an underlying zit between the 2000s R&B beat that reminds you of a time when everything was alright.”
Not only is the singer incredibly hard-working and talented, but she also has a good head on her shoulders, using her platform to improve the world.
STYLIST FOR RINA SAWAYAMA’S TONIGHT SHOW PERFORMANCE
Celia Arias is a stylist known for her support of smaller artists and niche collaborations. She is also the person behind the eclectic Rina style and her performance on the Tonight Show.
She also styled Adwoa Aboah for the Times cover, the Vamps for Hunger, multiple features for VOGUE Portugal, ELLE, Wonderland, L'Officiel and many many more. She's a pretty big deal.
Arias worked with Natasha Lawes on a custom costume for the XS video and the Tonight Show. The singer-songwriter wore a red leather bodice and garter-style harness by Fleet Ilya, paired with a two-piece crystal-embellished latex bra by GCDS. With this, she accessorised floral print leggings by sustainable womenswear brand IA London and Rose Stanford-Phillips printed opera gloves. The backup dancers all wore Lula Laora lace-up sneaker boots, pairing well with Rina's lace-up high heeled boots.
INELIGIBLE FOR THE MERCURY PRIZE
In early 2020 the singer-songwriter opened up about her eligibility for the Mercury Prize. She moved to England at the age of 5 and holds indefinite leave to remain immigration status. Sawayama has Japanese citizenship. To be eligible for nomination, you must be British - be a citizen. As such Sawayama can not be nominated.
For all of you who don’t know about immigration status in the UK, here’s a little something on that. Alexa, pause the podcast about Rina Sawayama wearing our FAN LACING SHOES on JIMMY FALLON. Thank you.
An indefinite leave to remain status is sometimes referred to as permanent residency. it means you have the right to live in the UK without any time limit and may work, or study in the country.
She spoke out about it saying that
“if arts awards are creating their sort of version of border control around their eligibility, I think that’s problematic.”
And we couldn’t agree more.
THE FAN LACING SHOES
The footwear is a great mini skirt combo, giving you long legs and a killer look. Alternatively, you can wear it with skinny trousers or jeans, with a tee or statement top. It’s an easy way to look extra whilst wearing essentials - a fun take on a daily look.
We love watching people wear LULA LAORA clothing, especially on TV through individualistic expression. If you want to know more about our SS21 Opium & Turtledoves collection which birthed the shoes, head on over to this blog post to watch the runway show. The laces are all about movement!
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