Rina Sawayama said she wants to “dream the same dream as everyone else” after learning she wasn’t eligible for either the Mercury Prize or the BRIT Awards because she doesn’t have a British passport.
The British-Japanese artist, who won plaudits for her debut album SAWAYAMA back in April, has lived in the UK for 25 years and holds indefinite leave to remain.
Born in Japan, a country that does not allow dual nationality, the 29-year-old told Vice that she was reluctant to cut ties with family members and renounce her Japanese citizenship.
The Mercury Prize, which released its 12-album shortlist for 2020 last week, stipulates that solo artists must have British or Irish nationality to enter. Bands, meanwhile, must include at least 30 per cent British of Irish citizens, with more than half of their members residing in the UK.
Sawayama told Vice it was “heartbreaking” to find out she couldn’t enter the Mercury Prize, adding: “I rarely get upset to the level where I cry. And I cried.”
She continued: “I just lived here all my life. I went to summer school in Japan and that’s literally it. But I feel like I’ve contributed to the UK in a way that I think is worthy of being celebrated, or at least being eligible to be celebrated.”
Sawayama said that incidents such as this “bring into sharp focus, like, whether I am even British. It’s just very upsetting.”
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which organises the Mercury Prize, said: “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.”
The news led to an swell of support for Sawayama on social media, with the hashtag #SAWAYAMAISBRITISH trending on Twitter in the UK.
