Tsunaina
Tsunaina performing live in London 2023
Born
Shunaina Limbu

(1993-12-30) 30 December 1993
Kowloon, Hong Kong
NationalityBritish
Alma materSOAS, University of the Arts London
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • Model
Years active2017–present
Websitetsunaina.com

Shunaina Limbu (IPA: [/(t)suːˈnʌɪːna]; born 30 December 1993)[lower-alpha 1] known professionally as Tsunaina, is a British–Nepali singer-songwriter, visual artist, and fashion model.[1][2][3][4][5] She is known for her emotionally evocative music and "hauntingly powerful" voice, alongside her distinctive features and visual style.[6][2][7][8] In 2020, she released her debut single "Waterways", followed by "UnEarth", "Fanned Out Fingers" and "A Dam on the Eve of Breaking".[3][9][10][11] Tsunaina has also created music for Iris van Herpen, McQ, and Robert Wun.[2][12]

Early life

Tsunaina was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong, on 30 December 1993. Tsunaina also has a younger brother.[6][13] She grew up in Lalitpur, Nepal, and spent her childhood there until moving to Kent, England, to join her family.[2][3] At age 18, Tsunaina moved to London to attend SOAS University, where she studied History and Politics; she later studied Sound art at University of the Arts London, where she would begin to write for other artists and meet a number of future collaborators.[2]

Tsunaina was raised by her mother who is a Kirati Limbu, Yakthung (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ), a Tibeto-Burman indigenous tribe of the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, Sikkim, and western Bhutan.[2] She is fluent in Nepali, English, Hindi, and French.[2][3]

Career

After being scouted for modelling, Tsunaina initially gained recognition for her visual storytelling on Instagram and as the muse of Pat McGrath.[1][6][14][15] Shortly after gracing the cover of Harper's Bazaar, she went on to be shot by Paolo Roversi, Tim Walker, Zhong Lin, and Frank Lebon.[1] Tsunaina has also appeared in numerous notable publications such as British Vogue, Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Dazed, I-D, Paper Magazine, System, and Numero France.[1][6][16][17][18]

In 2020 she released her debut single "Waterways", accompanied by a music video of her performing a live arrangement version in a waterfall.[3][19] This was followed by "UnEarth", "A Dam on the Eve of Breaking", and in 2021, she released "Fanned Out Fingers".[9][10][11]

Tsunaina has created music for Iris van Herpen Haute couture FW21 "Earthrise", McQ 2021 "Breathe", and Robert Wun Haute couture SS23 "Fear"; she also performed live to open for London designer, Asai Tai, SS23 during London Fashion Week.[2][20][12]

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Tsunaina's music merges electronic and orchestral sounds with her distinctive soulful vocals. Described as "hauntingly powerful" and "serenely neoclassical", her style draws on a variety of genres, from electronic music, trip hop, classical music, avant-garde, and gospel.

She has noted she listens to "everything, anything when I feel like it". Tsunaina cites her mother and her brother as her biggest inspirations. Notably, Tsunaina describes coming to England as a re-education in sound, discovering Western artists properly for the first time.[3] She has named electronic and trip hop acts, Tricky, Cocteau Twins, and Goldfrapp, alongside strong non-conformist female artists such as Nina Simone, Bjork, and Kate Bush, as major influences; later, discovering more experimental works of Arthur Russell, Iannis Xenakis, and Kenji Kawai.

Tsunaina also cites film soundtracks, and Bollywood in particular, as a formational influence, alongside folk music. Tsunaina’s earliest musical memory is singing “Ajeeb dastan hei ye” with her cousin.[3][21] She has also stated that "there is definitely a fantastical, maybe magical realism, element to what hits me and what I want to make…I imagine from all the folk stories, mythology, and video games and films that made me".

In 2021 I-D named Tsunaina as one of the "12 new musicians making the UK sound awesome".[21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Nepali: सुनयना लिम्बु from Sanskrit: सुनयन

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tsunaina – Entertainer". MODELS.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Tsunaina Is The Model And Musician Captivating The Fashion World". British Vogue. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dunn, Frankie. "Watch Tsunaina sing the emotional story of all women beneath a waterfall". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Dazed (19 November 2021). "AZEEMA's latest issue celebrates the rituals that shape our lives". Dazed. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ↑ The Making of the Vogue Singapore Orchid Dress by Robert Wun, retrieved 12 May 2023
  6. 1 2 3 4 Dazed (5 October 2018). "Tsunaina is the model bewitching the industry with her unique beauty". Dazed. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "10 Women Redefining the Fashion Industry's Beauty Standards". ELLE. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Best Beauty Instagrams of the Week: Tsunaina, Snoh Aalegra, and More". www.glamour.co.za. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Watch Tsunaina perform the enchanting single 'Fanned Out Fingers'". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Tsunaina". Spotify. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  11. 1 2 "The RISE Issue: Tsunaina". GLAMCULT.COM. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  12. 1 2 Iris van Herpen ~ Earthrise, retrieved 12 May 2023
  13. ↑ "Painting the Whole Picture with Tsunaina". Office Magazine. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "https://twitter.com/patmcgrathreal/status/995665180645306368?lang=en". Twitter. Retrieved 12 May 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  15. ↑ "8 female influencers defying Instagram's beauty standards". South China Morning Post. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Cap74024 — Suleika Mueller". suleikamueller.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "HUNGER MAGAZINE: Tsunaina by Baard Lunde". Image Amplified. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "System Magazine". System Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Tsunaina: Waterways". NOWNESS.
  20. ↑ Abad, Mario (6 July 2021). "Tsunaina on Merging Her Dreamy World With Iris van Herpen". Paper Magazine.
  21. 1 2 Martensen, Frankie Dunn,Dan. "12 new musicians making the UK sound awesome". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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