And the Welcome everyone to So de Jekron's songgrazing, episode 163. We hope you're all keeping safe and well.

This is Brian here with Simon and joining us today is a Japanese British singer and songwriter

and one of the most exciting, dazzlingly talented and creatively bold

young artists in UK pop music right now. In April of this year she released her

scintillating debut album, Sohayama, to widespread critical acclaim and we got in

touch with her during lockdown to talk about the record and of course her songwriting process.

We're delighted to welcome the brilliant Rina Soyama to the show.

This is actually quite an historic episode for us isn't it?

Well to start with it the first we've recorded whilst quarantine due to a global pandemic.

But yeah it also marks the first time you and I have recorded an entire show in separate locations.

Yep, even when we've done a Skype or a phone chat in the past, you may have always been in the same room at least so this was a bit of a step into the unknown but changes as good as

arrest as they say. Yeah and it helped of course that the person we were talking to

was so nice and accommodating as well. Indeed it did. Actually we should probably

tell the listeners a little bit more about here should we not.

That we should. Rina was born in Nijata Japan in 1990 and when she was five years old moved with her family to

London where she was raised by her mother and still resides.

To preserve a connection with their roots she initially went to a Japanese school

then transferred to a Church of England school at the age of 10 where she

initially struggled to adapt. However Western pop music proved their savior and she became she initially

struggled to adapt.

However, Western pop music proved their saviour,

and she became particularly enamored with such turn of the century superstars Brittany Spears, Christine Aguilera, Pink, and Avril Levine.

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