Musician and actress Rina Sawayama opened up in an interview with the BBC about being groomed by one of her teachers when she was 17.
The 33-year-old singer, known for her song “Catch Me in the Air,” revealed in a BBC interview that she had been groomed by one of her teachers when she was just 17 years old.
Sawayama shared that she had taken initiative to reevaluate her relationship with the teacher through sex and relationship therapy. This journey served as a source of inspiration for her latest album, “Hold the Girl,” which includes tracks like “Your Age.”
“I was groomed. It was by a school teacher,” the “John Wick” actress confessed.
Rina Sawayama: Therapy made me realise I was groomed at 17 https://t.co/qyzdkI2ckv
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) September 28, 2023
As a teen, she wasn’t aware she was being groomed.
“Seventeen to me is a child. You’re in school. If a school teacher is coming onto you, that’s an abuse of power,” she said. “But I didn’t realise until I was his age.” (RELATED: Famous Actress Claims She Was ‘Groomed’ Into Becoming ‘Bombshell’ Star)
Sawayama said that she lacked the emotional tools to comprehend such a relationship. In hindsight, she said she has developed a sense of protectiveness towards her younger self during that particular situation.
“I would revisit my 17-year-old self, hold her close, and tell her that it wasn’t her fault,” she noted.