Meet Tsunari, British-Thai Hip-Hop Artist Exploding Into 2020

Meet Tsunari, the rising hip-hop and R&B singer-songwriter set to dominate Thailand’s urban music landscape. With more than one million streams on YouTube, her unique bilingual brand of unapologetically honest hip-hop blends her native Thai language with English, creating a fusion sound that reflects her roots.

The boom of hip-hop popularity in Thailand means that newly launched stars like Tsunari have started drawing attention from major labels and industry leaders. In 2018, a popular new program called ‘The Rapper’ launched on Thai television and helped connect the public to hip-hop. One year later, Def Jam Recording opened offices in Thailand and Singapore last year. The Thai hip-hop scene is about to pop off.

Growing Up Black in Southeast Asia

Born in Northampton, UK, to a Thai mother and British-Trinidadian father, Tsunari spent her childhood traveling from country to country, bouncing from school to school. Her mixed cultural origins and upbringing, the rising hip-hop star says, played a big part in shaping her eclectic music taste and quirky identity.

Raised in Korat, a city in Thailand, Tsunari made a bold move to London in 2015 to pursue her music career. She says that growing up as a mixed-race black child in Southeast Asia was challenging; and I got bullied a lot. Some kids in class would have racist nicknames for me which was harsh. Music was the only outlet that made me feel like I belonged to something or somewhere, and there was no judgment regardless of who you are or where you’re from. For me, music is universal love.”

The rising hip-hop star adds: “I think the bullying and the constant comments judging me about my features left a scar growing up. But I’ve finally overcome it, I’m understanding life, and I’m happy and grateful for my experiences. I’m learning every day and now I’m the person I am today.”

Stepping Into the Multicultural Limelight

Inspired by her life experiences and strong personal beliefs, Tsunari’s music celebrates individuality, uniqueness, and self-love, throwing a melodic middle finger up to anyone who doesn’t love you for you. The passionate singer-songwriter says: “My music has depth to it. It’s about honesty, it’s about loving who you are and not taking crap from anybody.”

Growing up, Tsunari took inspiration from quintessential and early 2000s artists like Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, The Spice Girls and Britney Spears — “The list goes on and on,” says Tsunari, “but you gotta love some pop tunes too!” Tsunari says she first starting taking music seriously when she was 13, knowing that she’d be a singer one day. “I’d start writing songs in my head when I was a kid,” says the hip-hop artist. “I was so proud of myself but way too shy to tell anyone, even my parents. So when I told my mom that I wanted to join my school’s singing competition, she was shocked to abut it.”

Her Forthcoming Projects

This year, Tsunari’s been busy writing new music and meeting fellow artists: “I have an EP coming out soon, I can’t wait to share what I’ve been cooking up with you. I’ve met and collaborated with so many amazing musicians. It’s inspiring. In the future, I’d love to produce my own music, but right now I’m working with Hot Money and producers like Diztortion and Fanatix.”

Best of all, Tsunari will be dropping a string of single releases every month, including a brand new Thai project. “Even though I’m in London right now, I want to give something back to my Thai people – especially young girls,” says the
inspirational singer-songwriter. “I want them to listen to my music and know that they’re the absolute bomb. I want to let them know that you can be whatever you aspire to be as long as you believe in yourself and take that first step.”

Speaking of believing in yourself, Tsunari has been spending the past few months focusing on self-care and creativity: “Since it’s lockdown right now, I’ve been keeping myself active and follow a schedule to stay productive and get things done. I wake up around 7, meditate for 10 minutes, read a little bit, then do some yoga. Then I check my to-do list that I wrote the night before and try to finish them before I start my workout at 10:30.”

Keep up to date with Tsunari’s music releases, daily life, and maybe even your next Thai recipe on her socials. Find her on Instagram or TikTok at @tsunariii.