Rainbow Chan is a force to be reckoned with. As a singer, producer and multidisciplinary visual artist, her multitude of personas have become synonymous with Sydney’s art and nightlife over the last few years.
Congrats on releasing your latest single ‘Pillar’. From what I’ve gathered, it’s about the collapse of power - is it relating to any event or institution in particular? Or is it more a personal reference?
I’ve left it quite ambiguous as I like to let listeners interpret the song. Specifically to myself though, I wrote the song about the severe anxiety I developed after a car crash, and the wider reevaluation of self that comes with growing older. You realise you’re not invincible. In light of the turbulent times we’re living in, it’s a call to the collapse of ego and finding strength in community.
Your work goes across many mediums, from performance to music to installation.
On the music front, you perform under Chunyin, Rainbow Chan, and DIN (a collaboration with Alex Ward aka. Moon Holiday and yourself). How would you describe the music behind each of these aliases and what role would you like each identity to function as?
If you imagine them at Lunar New Year reunion dinner, Chunyin is the black sheep of the family, the moody cousin who’s playing their Gameboy instead of talking to anyone. Rainbow Chan is the older sister who’s spent the entire week tidying and prepping meals. And DIN is the jovial aunty and uncle giving out red envelopes and eating dried watermelon seeds.
Your practice explores running themes of identity, mistranslations, diaspora and the effects of globalisation on modern Chinese society - I particularly loved your work ‘Gloss’ as a fake celebrity persona complete with photos, a performance and branded fabrics to match. Can you tell us a little bit more about the project and about the ideas running through it?
Photo by Hyun Lee
My interest in counterfeits begins with my personal experiences of owning knock-offs at a young age. I spent my childhood in Hong Kong where knock-off goods and or pirated software were ubiquitous. I wore “Nickey Nouse” pyjamas and owned a VCD version of The Titanic, which had been filmed on a camcorder at the back of the cinema (you could actually hear audience members sneezing.)
A few years ago, I stumbled upon a bottle of “Chamele No. 5” in a discount store in Sydney and became awash with nostalgia. Intrigued by the inherent creativity and humour in the object’s production, I wanted to make an artwork about the aesthetic values and socio-political meanings of the fake. On top of the artistic component, my project also breaks down global economic structures which have fostered the counterfeiting phenomenon in China, locally known as “Shanzhai.”
The first time I saw you play was as part of the ‘Since I Left You - A Celebration of The Avalanches with Jonti and The Astral Kids’ crew and I was absolutely blown away by the energy you radiated onstage. Has music always been a part of your upbringing?
Yes, music was very much encouraged in my family. I learnt saxophone and piano from a young age, and also sang in a children’s choir with my sister, Rose (Okin Osan) lol. While my parents slaved away in their Chinese take-away restaurant, they would also somehow squeeze time in to drop us off at rehearsals etc before rush hour at the shop. I’m super grateful for mum and dad’s support because it certainly wasn’t easy for them. </3
The visuals and styling of all your work as Rainbow Chan is always so en pointe. Where do you draw inspiration from and are there any key themes running through these aesthetics?
I have always loved the classic looks of Japanese and Cantonese pop singers in the 70s-90s. A lot of them borrowed from the West, specifically Madonna. The looks are playful, multi-layered and a delicate balance of feminine and masculine traits. I love bright red lipstick with a broad shoulder. Think Momoe Yamaguchi, Faye Wong, Josie Packard.
And now can you tell us a little bit about this mix, are there any artists/tracks you wanna give a shout out to in particular?
In this mix, you’ll hear I’m a sucker for sounds that are bubbly, blip-bloopy, gooey
and blobby.
TRACKLIST:
Bridgestone 4 - Yasuaki Shimizu · Concert at WBAI Free Music Store - Suzanne Ciani · Otonarabi - Foodman · Jet Setters - New Optimism · Ambience (The Glass Bedroom) - Chunyin · Whisper Game - Beta Librae · RRR 500 Various Lock Grooves by 500 Various Artists · Objects Talking - Kelvin T · Interactive Gee - Kiki Kudo · RRR 500 Various Lock Grooves by 500 Various Artists · Fingerlouie - Head Hurts · Mixed Zone (prod. bac) - MOLDY · Kakashi - Kisewa · FKA Daybreak - Murlo & Zora Jones · Emotionzzzzz - CONG VU · RRR 500 Various Lock Grooves by 500 Various Artists · Derrière - Logic1000
· Warm Up - DIN