Rainbow Chan
{{Short description|Australian singer and artist (born 1990)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rainbow Chan
| image = Rainbow Chan.jpg
| alt = Rainbow Chan in 2025
| caption = Rainbow Chan in 2025
| birth_date = March 1990 (35 years old)
| birth_place = Hong Kong
| occupation = Vocalist, producer, artist
| years_active = 2012–present
| website = https://www.chunyinrainbowchan.com/{{Cite web|title=Chun Yin Rainbow|url=https://www.chunyinrainbowchan.com/|access-date=16 January 2025|website=Chun Yin Rainbow|date=16 January 2025 |language=en}}
}}
Chun Yin Rainbow Chan 陳雋然 (born March 1990), known professionally as Rainbow Chan, is a Hong Kong-born, Australian vocalist, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist.{{Cite web|title=Chun Yin Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/people/chun-yin-rainbow-chan|access-date=16 January 2025|website=Wheeler Centre|date=16 January 2025 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Gaga Music - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.gaga.com.au/artists/artists/rain/l|access-date=9 May 2024|website=Gaga Music|date=1 January 2019 |language=en}} After winning FBi Radio's Northern Lights Competition in 2011, Chan rose to prominence in Sydney's electronic music scene and is considered one of the most innovative musical artists in Australia.{{Cite web|title=Creatives - Rainbow Chan|url=https://4a.com.au/creatives/chun-yin-rainbow-chan|access-date=29 January 2025|website=4A|date=1 January 2025 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Interview #184 - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.liminalmag.com/interviews/rainbow-chan|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Liminal Magazine|date=8 July 2021 |language=en}} Chan's works often explore themes of diaspora, creative mistranslations and matrilineal histories. Her creative output is expansive and comprises experimental pop music, performance, silk painting and installation. {{Cite web|title=Artists - Rainbow Chan|url=https://liquidarchitecture.org.au/artists/chun-yin-rainbow-chan/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Liquid Architecture|date=1 January 2025 |language=en}}
== Career ==
= 2011–2020 =
In 2011, Chan won FBi Radio's Northern Lights Competition, which saw her travel to Reykjavík and perform at Iceland Airwaves.{{Cite web|title=Artist - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/music/2023/10/21/artist-rainbow-chan#mtr|access-date=29 January 2025|website=The Saturday Paper|date=21 November 2023|language=en}} She collaborated with Oliver Tank and Icelandic musicians, Just Another Snake Cult and Pétur Ben, to produce The Northern Lights EP, which was digitally released by FBi Radio in 2012.
In 2016, her debut record Spacings was released.{{Cite web|title=Rainbow Chan|url=https://rainbowchan.bandcamp.com/merch|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Bandcamp|date=1 January 2025|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Listen to This: Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/entertainment/listen-rainbow-chan|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Broadsheet|date=20 June 2016|language=en}} Spacings centered on the breakdown of Chan's relationship and her experience with love. The album received widespread acclaim.{{Cite web|title=Spacings review|url=http://rollingstoneaus.com/reviews/post/rainbow-chan-spacings/4691|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Rolling Stone Australia|date=20 March 2016|language=en}} She was nominated for FBi Radio Award for Best Live Act and Record of the Year. Chan was FBi Radio's most played artist that year with her song 'Nest'.{{Cite web|title=Paid Studio Visits: Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.para-site.art/programme/ps-paid-studio-visits-rainbow-chan/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Para-Site Hong Kong|date=23 December 2020|language=en}} 'Spacings' was nominated for FBi SMAC Record of the Year and AIR Best Dance/Electronica Album. In 2017, her single 'Let Me' from her EP Fabrica won the FBi Award for Best Song.{{Cite web|title=A Farewell to a City That Has Changed Forever|url=https://nomanisanis.land/rainbow-chan-interview/|access-date=9 May 2024|website=No Man is An Island|date=10 December 2021|language=en}}
Chan composed the score for ABC documentary The Glass Bedroom and live score for Art Gallery of New South Wales's Starburst: Chinese Film Season in 2018.{{Cite web|title=Performance Space|url=https://performancespace.com.au/programs/artists/rainbow-chan-%E9%99%B3%E9%9B%8B%E7%84%B6/|access-date=9 May 2024|website=Museum of Contemporary Art|date=1 January 2021|language=en}}
In 2019, Chan's sophomore album Pillar was released, blending experimental pop with her electronic music. The album centered on themes of the physical body and emotional mental state, a departure from Chan's love songs.{{Cite web|title=Faint - Rainbow Chan|url=https://faint.agency/2019/09/10/rainbow-chan/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Faint Agency|date=10 September 2019|language=en}} It was nominated for the Australian Music Prize.
= 2020 – present =
In 2020, Chan moved into gallery and museum contexts through her visual arts practice which combines silk paintings, textiles, weavings, embroidery, music and performance.{{Cite web|title=In Conversation: Rainbow Chan|url=https://griffintheatre.com.au/blog/in-conversation-rainbow-chan/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Griffin Theatre|date=20 July 2022|language=en}} Chan’s installations have been exhibited with Firstdraft Gallery, Liquid Architecture, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and Longli International New Media Arts Festival, China. {{Cite web|title=MOCA - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.moca.com.au/rainbow-chan|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Museum of Chinese in Australia|date=1 January 2025|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=SAP - Rainbow Chan|url=https://c-a-c.com.au/sap/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Campbelltown Arts Centre|date=1 January 2022|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Retellings: Rainbow Chan x Sin Wai Kin|url=https://phoenixcentralpark.com.au/season-xiii/retellings-rainbow-chan-sin-wai-kin|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Phoenix Central Park|date=14 August 2024|language=en}}
She has performed at the Sydney Opera House, Gallery of Modern Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Old and New Art, Iceland Airwaves and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.{{Cite web|title=Rainbow Chan: acts of tender intimacy
|url=https://www.mca.com.au/exhibitions/primavera-2024-young-australian-artists/perspectives-on-primavera-2024-young-australian-artists/rainbow-chan-acts-of-tender-intimacy/|access-date=9 May 2024|website=Museum of Contemporary Art|date=1 January 2023|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Fruit Song - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/171.2023.a-f/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Art Gallery of New South Wales|date=1 February 2022|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=NGV Friday Nights - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/ngv-friday-nights-21-03-25/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=National Gallery of Victoria|date=1 November 2024|language=en}}
In 2021, Songs from a Walled Village, her documentary for ABC Radio National, was a finalist in the 2021 Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Prizes. She was a finalist in the 2021/22 NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship (Artspace, Create NSW and NAS),{{Cite web|title=Performance Space|url=https://performancespace.com.au/programs/artists/rainbow-chan-%E9%99%B3%E9%9B%8B%E7%84%B6/|access-date=9 May 2024|website=Museum of Contemporary Art|date=1 January 2021|language=en}} where she produced an immersive installation titled Fruit Song 生果文. Drawing upon a Weitou bridal lament that uses fruit metaphors, Chan combined silk paintings, embroidery, text and audio into a large-scale installation. Fruit Song 生果文 was acquired by Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Fruit Song 生果文, 2022 by Chun Yin Rainbow Chan |url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/171.2023.a-f/#bibliography |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au |language=en}}
In 2022, Chan was recognised in the "40 Under 40: Most Influential Asian Australians Award" for her contribution to arts and culture.{{Cite web|title=Exhibition highlight: New commission by Chun Yin Rainbow Chan|url=https://art-museum.uq.edu.au/article/2023/10/exhibition-highlight-new-commission-chun-yin-rainbow-chan%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF|access-date=29 January 2025|website=University of Queensland|date=3 November 2023|language=en}} That year, she won Artist of the Year in the 2022 FBi SMAC Awards.
In 2023, Chan debuted her theatrical performance The Bridal Lament, which interweaves storytelling, cultural research, history, and research into a musical performance on stage.{{Cite web|title=Interview with Rainbow Chan|url=https://performancespace.com.au/blog/interview-with-rainbow-chan/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Performance Space|date=15 June 2024|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Rainbow Chan makes her haunting Arts House debut: 'These poignant laments are at risk of fading away'|url=https://beat.com.au/rainbow-chan-makes-her-haunting-arts-house-debut-these-poignant-laments-are-at-risk-of-fading-away/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Beat.com.au|date=17 April 2024|language=en}} The 'song cycle' is known for its use of Weitou language and cultural traditions, whilst featuring new songs written by Chan. Chan brings to life intergenerational and cross-cultural perspectives on diasporic experiences and the complex history of Hong Kong.{{Cite web|title='In My Room' With Rainbow Chan|url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/rainbow-chan-in-my-room-52816/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Rolling Stone Australia|date=23 November 2023|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=The Bridal Lament by Rainbow Chan|url=https://riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/the-bridal-lament/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Riverside Theatre Parramatta|date=1 January 2025|language=en}} The Bridal Lament's success has seen it tour nationally into 2025.{{Cite web|title=In Conversation with Rainbow Chan|url=https://collingwoodyards.org/story/in-conversation-with-rainbow-chan|access-date=9 May 2024|website=Collingwood Yards|date=1 January 2023|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=The Bridal Lament - Arts House|url=https://www.artshouse.com.au/events/the-bridal-lament/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Arts House|date=1 January 2025|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Connecting with her roots|url=https://westernweekender.com.au/2025/01/connecting-with-her-roots/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Western Weekender|date=15 January 2025|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Interview: Rainbow Chan – The Bridal Lament at the OzAsia Festival|url=https://glamadelaide.com.au/interview-rainbow-chan-the-bridal-lament-at-the-ozasia-festival/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Glamadelaide|date=5 October 2023|language=en}}
In 2024, Chan's work Long Distance Call (長途電話) was selected to be a part of Museum of Contemporary Art Australia's annual exhibition, Primavera 2024: Young Australia Artists.
In 2025, Chan was the subject of 2025 Archibald Prize portrait finalist Banquet (Rainbow Chan) by Whitney Duan.{{Cite web |title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2025 work: Banquet (Rainbow Chan) by Whitney Duan |url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2025/30786/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Art Gallery of New South Wales |language=en}}
== Personal life ==
Chan was born in Hong Kong and came to Australia when she was six. Her maternal heritage is of Weitou descent, one of the first settlers in Hong Kong. She began to learn the Weitou language in 2017 and has since performed in the language internationally.{{Cite web|title=Rainbow Chan headlines 40th-anniversary program for boundary-pushing experimental arts festival Liveworks|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-21/rainbow-chan-the-bridal-lament-liveworks-ozasia-festival/102984302|access-date=29 January 2025|website=ABC News|date=21 October 2023 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=The Australian musician working to preserve Hong Kong's 'disappearing' dialect|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/chinese/en/article/the-australian-musician-working-to-preserve-hong-kongs-disappearing-dialect/tmxct11i8|access-date=29 January 2025|website=SBS|date=18 September 2019|language=en}}
Chan completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Music at Honours at the University of Sydney and received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales.{{Cite web|title=Rainbow Chan: experimental pop artist on her MFA, Björk and bootlegs
|url=https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2019/07/rainbow-chan--experimental-pop-artist-on-her-mfa--bjoerk-and-bool|access-date=29 January 2025|website=University of New South Wales|date=29 July 2019 |language=en}}
Chan is a passionate mentor in electronic music and teaches into Contemporary Music Practice at Sydney Conservatorium. She plays saxophone, guitar and piano.{{Cite web|title=Eating with Artists - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.izzyhaveyoueaten.com/post/eating-with-artists-rainbow-chun-yin-chan|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Izzy Have You Eaten|date=29 July 2021 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Triple J Unearthed - Rainbow Chan|url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplejunearthed/artist/rainbow-chan/|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Triple J Unearthed|date=1 August 2013 |language=en}} Her influences include FKA Twigs, Teresa Teng, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Björk.{{Cite web|title=Stream - Rainbow Chan - Long Vacation EP|url=https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/6957/Stream-Rainbow-Chan---Long-Vacation-EP.utr|access-date=29 January 2025|website=Under the Radar NZ|date=25 July 2013 |language=en}}