“Rina is a character, sure,” she explains, tracing the rim of her cup. “But she’s also the parts of me I’m too scared to say in public. The anger, the lust, the pettiness. I put a distortion pedal on my voice so I can finally say, ‘Yes, you did hurt me, and I’m not okay with it.’”
Rina Ellis has been labeled hyperpop , glitchcore , and even digicore . When I ask which label fits, she winces. rina ellis interview
If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok or digging through Spotify’s Hyperpop playlists recently, you’ve likely stumbled into the glitter-covered, emotionally charged world of Rina Ellis . She’s the voice for the overstimulated, the under-loved, and the digitally native. I had the chance to sit down with her last week ahead of her upcoming EP, "LUCID LOSS," and what transpired was a conversation about vulnerability, viral fame, and why she refuses to be put in a box. “Rina is a character, sure,” she explains, tracing
“Honestly? I was bored during a graveyard shift at a 24-hour diner,” she admits. “I recorded ‘Sweatpants in the Rain’ on GarageBand using a headset mic from 2012. I uploaded it as a joke. Now it has 4 million streams.” I put a distortion pedal on my voice
As our time winds down, I ask Rina what advice she has for other young artists trying to break through the noise without losing their soul.
"LUCID LOSS" drops October 27th. If the singles are any indication, Rina Ellis isn't just an interview subject. She’s the future of what pop music sounds like when it finally stops caring about the rules.
“Those genres are just boxes the internet built to sell playlists,” she says. “I grew up listening to Fiona Apple and Paramore just as much as I listened to 100 gecs. I want my music to feel like a fever dream, sure, but I also want it to break your heart.”