Nina Utashiro builds disquieting, macabre sonic worlds

In the music video for Nina Utashiro’s ​‘NOCTURNE’, the Japanese-German rapper and singer wakes up on a sofa and lights a cigarette. With makeup on her face from the night before and surrounded by clutter and cans, it’s a relatable scene to those who regularly enjoy a big night out, until she reaches into the fridge and picks up a bag of sachet of ​‘human blood no. 13’, before pouring it into a glass and drinking it.

Soon, a stripped back yet thumping beat marks the beginning of the track, while Utashiro’s vocals enter, switching between English and Japanese as her tone undulates from claustrophobic whispering to yelling. Born in New York and raised between Big Apple and Tokyo, Utashiro creates macabre-filled, atmospheric worlds with her music and visuals. 

It’s a distinctive style of audiovisual storytelling forged from years of making music while also working as a magazine editor. Having helped to publish i‑D Japan, she founded her own magazine PETRICHOR in 2018. Ahead of her performance at Huck’s joint SXSW London showcase with Eastern Margins later today, we checked in with Utashiro to hear about what she has in store.

• Read next: Huck teams up with Eastern Margins for a special SXSW London showcase

What kind of music did you listen to growing up? And when did you first start getting into the weirder edges of electronic music and rap?

I listen to anything if it touches me. I started music like six years ago. I just started making what I felt like and it turned out that way.

You have previously described your music as what you hear in the back of your head. Why is that noise what you want to explore and amplify?

I usually keep things to myself because I can’t be bothered with the drama of speaking too truthfully in real life so I just keep it within my music.

What was the time working on magazines like for you and how do you look back on that time now?

Yes. It taught me how to creative direct, curate a bigger narrative, and how to multitask. I’m happy I went through that period. 

And how do you think that time has influenced who you are as an artist and how you present yourself?

I’m assuming this is about the time I worked in magazines? I think it taught me the balance between holding the reins and rolling with the punches. Making something with other people but still making it my music.

• Read next: Inside the UK’s first festival dedicated to East and Southeast Asian alternative culture and music

Who is inspiring you right now?

Me.

What do you love about what Eastern Margins does, and how important is it for ESEA artists to have a platform?

I do think people have a very skewed image of Asia and its music and very often only things that fit a stereotype gets recognition. I think it’s cool they are broadening the horizon. 

Do you have any new music coming up? What’s next for Nina Utashiro?

I have an EP in its final touches. It’ll come out sooner than later! 

What should the Village Underground crowd expect from your set?

A fun time :)

Nina Utashiro plays at Village Underground for Eastern Margins x Huck on June 2, at SXSW London.

Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.

Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.

Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.

Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.