Rainbow Chan
Rainbow Chan is a vocalist, producer and multi- disciplinary artist who has built a reputation as one of the most innovative musicians in Australia. Driven by a DIY spirit, Chan melds catchy melodies and off-kilter beats made up of field- recordings and found sounds. Both heartbreaking and tender at once, her idiosyncratic brand of pop holds a mirror up to diasporic experiences, and also deeply personal tales of love and loss.
Chan’s most recent release and sophomore record “Pillar” (Independent, 2019) was feature album on community radio stations nationwide and is nominated for the Australian Music Prize. Her debut record "Spacings" (Silo Arts & Records, 2016) was feature album on community radio stations nationwide and nominated for FBi SMAC Record of the Year, and AIR Best Dance/ Electronica Album. Lifted from the EP "Fabrica" (Healthy Tapes, 2017), her single "Let Me" won the FBi SMAC Award for Best Song.
Chan has performed at renowned venues and festivals including Sydney Opera House, Vivid, MONA FOMA, Gallery of Modern Art, Melbourne Music Week, Iceland Airwaves, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and Tai Kwun (Hong Kong). Additionally, her musical installations have been exhibited with Firstdraft Gallery, Liquid Architecture, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and I-Project Space, Beijing.
Chan is a passionate mentor and has worked with MusicNSW, I.C.E Parramatta, Hack Sounds and Bunga Barrabugu programs at Sydney Conservatorium where she teaches composition and production in Contemporary Music Studies.
With a flair for diverse and nuanced songwriting, Chan is currently signed to Gaga Music Publishing and has produced soundtracks for ABC web documentary, "The Glass Bedroom" (2017) and a live score for Art Gallery of NSW’s “Starburst”: Chinese Film Season (2018). She is part of the Artspace One Year Studio Program and has been selected as the Performance Space x West Kowloon Exchange resident artist in 2020.
Chan’s third album and accompanying live work, “The Bridal Lament”, is an exploration of her Weitou heritage (the first settlers of Hong Kong). Through a modern feminist lens, Chan will reimagine the folksongs performed by village women in the lead up to her arranged marriage. This project is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts.
