Painting the Whole Picture with Tsunaina
She’s designed a space of her own, forging together a world through her lens, bolstered by songs that are reflective of her multicultural upbringing. Her burning desire for emancipation after being a canvas for so long fueled her current aspirations to become the painter of the canvas. With multiple singles under her belt in just one year, she’s steadily finding her voice again and reclaiming her rightful throne.
office throned Tsunaina our digital cover star to discuss her upbringing, experience as a POC creator, music, and more.
Check out our exclusive interview with her below.
- Trench Coats worn as dress by MCQ, Corset by Dipetsa, vintage nipple cover from Found and Vision, Ear cuffs by Dipetsa
- Bolero by Robert Wun, Dress by Knwls, Corset by Sonia Trefilova, Trousers by Robert Wun, Shoes by Maximilian Raynor
Well, first off, how are you?
I spent all of today with no connection, out on the beach getting sunburnt so, I’m feeling great. I feel in these bigger cities, sometimes you work so hard, for so long that when you step back and think to yourself 'when was the last time I had off?' It's disgusting. So yeah, I’ve run away for a little while and I’m having a good time.
You were born in Kowloon but grew up in South Asia before you made your way around the UK and London. How did your upbringing in these places inspire your current values?
I think a lot of immigrant kids can relate to growing up in the in-betweens of cultures and countries. I think a lot of the time it forces you to create a space of your own, your own little world. That’s the ethos behind what I do because I know it’s not the most conventional music, it’s not the most comfortable music, but it’s very reflective of my upbringing and who I’ve become as a person.
The way that you erupted in the creative industry is amazing. I mean, you caused ripples in space and opened so many doors. What has your experience as a POC creator been like?
To exist in these super heteronormative white spaces as a queer person of color, is never easy. Then, additionally, for me to come from a world where I was essentially a canvas — and to tell people that there’s a voice behind that, I find it’s something people have trouble accepting. It’s something that I’m still grappling with but it’s something that I take seriously because I didn’t grow up with anyone in my community who I could look up to in the arts. I think it’s always difficult for the first few people to carve their own way.
Yeah, it’s almost like you’re unlocking all these extra layers and letting a lot more people in.
Yes, exactly, there is no template. It’s easier If a thousand people did it before you but, if you have no blueprint to go off, it’s going to be tough as fuck.
You’ve been putting out a lot of music and opening yourself and creating a more intimate atmosphere. What ignited this passion for your musical journey and where did it all begin?
I think a lot of it stems from this burning need for emancipation - to get my voice back. Another thing is catharsis. I think a lot of us aren’t completely tuned in to our psyches all the time. For me, music turned out to be super therapeutic - sometimes I’d write a song, and only then realize what I was feeling. I’d read back on the things I wrote like I was relearning myself.’
- Dress worn as Skirt by Georgios Trochopoulos
- Catsuit by Knwls, Shoes by Maximilian Raynor, Headpiece by Noel Stewart
- Dress by Tsunaina x Post Carbon Lab
Going off that, how is your writing process? Do you go to the studio and sit and write, or is it kind of happening as part of your day? Is there a border or not really?
I used to put a lot of pressure on myself with music and writing - I was super militant about time, themes - until I realized it stifles my creativity. Nowadays, I just find myself going about life, then sometimes a beautiful idea comes and I’ll just be stuck on it. It’s become an organic thing - I’ll have an image in my head and I’ll just imagine the sounds of that universe and how I want the person that I’m telling the story to feel.
So, I remember for ‘Fanned out Fingers', which was the last track that I put out, I was in the middle of falling in love and trying my hardest to stop - I pictured this song like being in the eye of the hurricane. I’m sure no one else notices but I was like, it needs to sound like the winds are whipping around you. It starts super intimate, and then by the end of it, it sounds kind of warped because there comes the denial, it’s you denying yourself. So yeah, there’s no one way I write, I’m just trying to paint the whole picture.
Yeah, and just letting things come to you so that they happen organically.
Yeah, sensory overload! Whichever way I can ambush your senses, I’ll do it!
What kind of feeling dominates when you listen to your music or what do you want your listeners to feel when they listen to your music?
A lot of the time, I make something, and I don’t listen to it. A lot of it is emotional catharsis so, when I do listen back to my music, it’s not always the prettiest feeling. But I want my listeners to have that sense of emancipation, I want them to listen to it and feel like there’s power in emotion, vulnerability, and being uncompromisingly wild in your emotions sometimes. I’m not so concerned about song structure or convention but much more ‘this is what I’m feeling at the time and you’re going to listen to it.’ I hope that empowers whoever is listening as well.
- Dress worn as Skirt by Georgios Trochopoulos
- Dress by Tsunaina x Post Carbon Lab
How do you conceptualize your vision? How do you get into the mood to create the vibe that you want to convey to your listeners?
It’s such an irrational and wild world, it’s a rational response to be emotional, honestly. How can you stay sane when the whole world is what it is? I’m a very emotional person, very much a heart on my sleeve person, so I don’t really need to get in a mood - when something big and heavy happens in my life my immediate go-to is ‘oh my god I’m getting these images and I need to flesh it out!
The visuals in your videos are stunning and they catapult you to another dimension. Even your way with storytelling captures the aura of your being. What does the creative process behind your videos look like?
I kind of have a skeleton of what I imagine for the visuals. Yeah. There's something really powerful about having limits because I'm an independent artist and I'm just starting out. So there's a lot of limitations and they helped to kind of streamline the process because I think if I was left to my own devices, I would be out there shooting in the Namibian desert with like 60 drones, upside down.
With the visuals, I always aim to create something intimate and sincere. It doesn't need to be the most expensive image, but I want the image to have intention. So in the images that I did for UnEarth - which was this song that I wrote when I was at my lowest - I felt like I was hanging off the edge of the world. So it was natural to then go into a cave that kind of looked like the inner sanctum of the heart. Then, I’m obsessed with Google Earth and satellite imagery, so I found that cave in the middle of nowhere and we just went there. I'm obsessed with stories, so if I wrote a song that feels like I'm at the edge of the earth, I'm going to go into the earth and capture that.
- Bolero by Robert Wun, Dress by Knwls, Corset by Sonia Trefilova, Trousers by Robert Wun, Shoes by Maximillian Raynor
We're slowly getting introduced to your universe. How would you detail your universe?
It's a kind of a drowning your senses type of a little bubble. I think everyone inside them has this boundless world. I mean, I'm exploring as I go anyway. I grew up super, super sheltered and it's interesting because, with a lot of these songs, I’m realizing that as people get to know me, I'm getting to know myself as well. So far, my universe has looked very intense and saturated and stormy, but I think I'm moving into parts of that universe that are a little bit calmer, sometimes joyous.
Oh, amazing. I'm moving to that universe ASAP!
Honestly, get your tickets. It's warm and loving and everyone's invited!
I guess my last question to you would be, what do you have planned for the rest of 2021? What can you tell us about your future projects?
Well, I’m in the middle of prepping for my first EP release. Because I'm so involved in everything, it's taken a little while but, as always with these things, it’s worth it to know that things are gonna come out exactly how you want them. Whether it’s this EP, other musical collaborations, digital art, I’m really excited to evolve and show new facets of myself this year. The whole EP is this journey of me getting to know myself as you get to know me. So look forward to vulnerability, strength, anger, all the emotions and growing pains.
