Pansexual British-Japanese Star Rina Sawayama Says Her Nationality Bars Her From Top Music Prizes
Acclaimed pansexual musician Rina Sawayama, who is of British-Japanese decent, has criticised two major British music awards for stating she is not eligible to enter neither the Mercury Music Prize nor the BRIT Awards.
Although Sawayama has been living in the UK for 25 years the 29-year-old singer is being barred from submitting her music to these major British awards because she has indefinite leave to remain in the country instead of full British citizenship.
As ‘CNN’ reports, For the Mercury Music Prize and the BRIT Awards applicant must show proof of citizenship to qualify. Sawayama’s birthplace, Japan, is one of a number of countries that forbids dual citizenship, and Sawayama has stated she is reluctant to renounce her Japanese citizenship because of ties with family members.
In an interview Sawayama stated: “If I was snubbed, I would be like, 'Well, OK, fine... Let's just make a better record and move on,'" she told the publication. "But the fact that I wasn't even eligible is like... I don't even know what that emotion was. It was othering.”
She went on to say that, having contributed so much to the UK, she believes she should be “eligible to be celebrated.”
“I'm signed to a UK label,” she said. “I've lived here uninterrupted for the last 25 years. I'm only tax registered in this country. The whole album was recorded in the UK as well as in LA. It was mixed in the UK. My lyrics are in English, except for one verse in one song.”
A British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which organises both these awards, spokesperson said in a statement: “Both The BRIT Awards and the Hyundai Mercury Prize aim to be as inclusive as possible within their parameters, and their processes and eligibility criteria are constantly reviewed.”
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