It immediately brought her the visibility and acclaim that she had been working toward since releasing her earliest singles in 2013. Even if it didnt interpolate the Final Fantasy fanfare, it would still sound like defeating the world. This is one of those albums where each of the vastly different songs could be a hit and, no matter how many times it's been spun, a moment of pause is needed to fully absorb just how good it really is. In January 2020, Sawayama announced through her social media The Dynasty Tour, her second concert series, with dates in North America and Europe. ", "Balancing references with innovation is often a slippery slope, but on SAWAYAMA, the pop and R&B influences of the early aughts gleam alongside more modern genre-mixing, "The glossy, synthesized pop from 2017's Rina that put her on the map is still present, but supported now by grungy, dirty nu-metal sounds, like chunky guitar riffs and slamming drum riffs. Whos Gonna Save U Now? is like the lost third sibling to Britneys Stronger and Christinas Fighter, and the song, complete with cheering fans and call-and-response, captures arena heroics in these arenaless times. "[47] In June 2020, Elton John called the album "the strongest album of the year so far" and regarded the song "Bad Friend" as one that "Madonna would die for. After fans and luminaries like Elton John echoed and amplified this criticism, the institutions changed their policies. [38] The fifth single, "Hurricanes", was released on 12 September, four days before the album's release.[39]. RINA SAWAYAMA - Official website & store of Dirty Hit Records After the skittering "Frankenstein" begs for relief from self-loathing and societal pressure, Sawayama allows a breather with the tender acoustic ditty "Send My Love to John" and the sweeping "Phantom," an autobiographical confessional that is as relatable as it is moving. Rina Sawayama - Sawayama: 2xLP, Album, Dlx, Ltd, Cle For Sale - Discogs Sawayamas tagline for single Catch Me in the Air is essentially the Corrs if pitched to Gwen Stefani, which doesnt even get at the half of it. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Rina Sawayama Explores Pop-Driven Queerness in Her Debut Album She came up from working as a nail tech, working at the Apple Store, to fund her music career.. Most of Sawayamas nu-metal influence appears either in snippets, like the riffs that intermittently flare up like an underlying zit beneath XS, in translation, like the guitars that blend into new jack swing Love Me 4 Me by being so canned theyre shelf-stable, or in absence: the albums gentlest, most contemplative song, which is called Fuck This World. Often, the artists to whom Sawayama pays homage are those who already blended the genres. Midnight Blue - UK EXCLUSIVE $10.00. Seller collects sales tax/VAT for items dispatched to the following states: County . [18] Sawayama reflected that the genre "represents comfort, brilliant storytelling and authentic expression of the writer's reality"; she dubbed the song "euphoric and tongue-in-cheek". Select PayPal Credit to have the option to pay over time. All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. Rina Sawayama. The specificity [to my experience] is slightly lessened by the fact that the hooks are universal., Then she lays out her intention with Hold the Girl: Im trying to infiltrate therapy into pop music.. From Madonna to Avril Lavigne, songs that inspire the singer-songwriter. Dynasty is an obvious take on Evanescence (a little pocket of culture that people are maybe too scared [to reference], she called the band) and is more like nu-melodrama: an intro with an airhorn but also strings, butt-rock but also church bells, a showy guitar solo but also a soprano vocal tracing it. [37] The fourth single, "Phantom", was released on 25 August. Rock Album Cassettes New Order, New Age and Easy Listening Cassettes, $100.00 Sawayama - Wikipedia Rina Sawayama Albums and Discography | AllMusic Discography Rina Sawayama Follow Artist + Genre-defying Japanese-British singer who injects her avant-pop anthems with metallic edge and electronic sheen. [10] NME complimented Sawayama for being "an exciting first step from an artist unafraid to push pop into new realms". Japan-born, UK-raised singer Rina Sawayama mixes elements of nu-metal and emo-pop into what she calls cute R&B with a subliminal pop sheen. Even though I know Britney was very much involved in her songwriting and stuff, it was all quite smoke and mirrors back then. [34] She also released a video featuring her favourite fan made versions of the track as well as a tutorial of how to play the song on the guitar. So . It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit. Who's coming??? SAWAYAMA is the debut studio album from Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released by Dirty Hit on April 17, 2020. Rina Sawayama. Rina Sawayama represents an exciting, charismatic and unshakably queer presence in the pop arena. "[25], "Comme des Garons (Like the Boys)" was released as the second single to the album, along with the album pre-order,[26] on 17 January 2020. The tortured "Holy" slowly percolates into a blissful techno-house anthem that finds Sawayama rising above darkness and disillusionment, declaring, "I was innocent when you said I was evil/I took your stones and I built a cathedral." Rina Sawayama: Hold the Girl Album Review | Pitchfork The story humanizes immigrant parents and revels in making progress toward better familial relationshipsa rare subject in pop songs. That playfulness is something I try to really keep very pure with production., Crystalline, Sawayamas creative director, calls the artist the most intelligent, eclectic, and tenacious person Ive ever witnessed. A Korean-American creative and musician, Crystalline recalls being floored after first watching Sawyamas futuristic Cyber Stockholm Syndrome video back in 2017. 2023 Cond Nast. Best of all, at the end, is Snakeskin. The track begins like a torch song or an aria, Sawayamas voice heavy and ominous. [69], Sawayama Remixed is a remix extended play by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama. Rina Sawayama on Her Second Album 'Hold the Girl,' and How Pop Can Heal "Chosen Family" was released as the album's fourth single on 3 April 2020. Catch up every Saturday with 10 of our best-reviewed albums of the week. [31], The singer performed "This Hell" in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 19 May[32] and during the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend on 29 May. Those videos: Backstreet Boys, Britney, and Korns Freak on a Leash. The nu-metal hit was No. But sometimes just trying ideas and mishmashing different genres can yield pretty cool results. A nearly perfect record. [21] Rob Sheffield of the American edition of the same publication likened the track to Lady Gaga. Do I have your attention? Hold The Girl. SAWAYAMA could be overwhelming too, but it stuck mostly to a novel mix of turn-of-the-millennium pop and nu-metal. Them may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The album fares much better in small incrementsthat way, you can better absorb the ketamine freakout on Imagining, the swooning harmonies on Phantom, the blinding club stomp on Holy (Til You Let Me Go). Sawayamas 2000s pop-rock numbers are just the right amount of sentimental, like rewatching your favorite Disney Channel original movie. Out on Monday ", "Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama Reviews and Tracks", "Rina Sawayama Hold The Girl | Reviews", "Rina Sawayama Can't Hold Back on 'Hold the Girl', "Rina Sawayama: Hold the Girl album reviewgloss and substance in a genre mash-up", "Rina Sawayama, Hold the Girl review: Pop star makes therapy fun on her ecstatic, eclectic second album", "Rina Sawayama - 'Hold The Girl' review: the best British pop album of the year", "Rina Sawayama: Hold the Girl Album Review", "Rina Sawayama 'Hold the Girl' review: 2010 hits mixed with a bit of kitsch", "Charts analysis: Blackpink become second Korean act to score UK No.1 album", "Rina Sawayama is Going Yeehaw for Her Upcoming Album", Australian Recording Industry Association, "Ultratop.be Rina Sawayama Hold the Girl", "Dutchcharts.nl Rina Sawayama Hold the Girl", "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/09/21 ", "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50", "Rina Sawayama Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)", "Rina Sawayama Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)", "Rina Sawayama Chart History (Independent Albums)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hold_the_Girl&oldid=1152173962. The Korn-iest song on SAWAYAMA is lead single STFU!, in which Sawayama summons the genres aggression and redirects it against casual racists; in the video, theyre embodied by a composite of every white sadsack on Hinge, who serenades his date with actual shit Sawayama heard from label execs. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. and it's probably best we listen", "Rina Sawayama shares new song and video "STFU! Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA Album Review | Pitchfork Sawayama was born for this. Take a musical moment for singer Rina Sawayama's new album Her impeccably curated video concepts have indeed shown off her shapeshifting abilities, finding her embodying everyone from a drunk businessman to a headbanging ghost to a cowgirl in a three-way pansexual marriage. Exit light, enter Rina Sawayama's stunning new cover of a Metallica staple.. On Thursday (Aug. 26), Sawayama shared her brand new cover on Metallica's "Enter Sandman" as part of the band . Sorry, you must be logged in to make offers. On the synth-pop song, Sawayama sings about spending a lifetime pretending that she doesnt feel out of place before finally reaching a breaking point. Seeking empathy for a younger self, Rina Sawayamas second album pirouettes through pop-punk and power ballads, trance and stadium rock. About Rina Sawayama. Primarily influenced by 2000s mainstream pop, nu metal, rock, R&B, and dance-pop, it also was noted by critics to include elements of arena rock, EDM, avant-pop, hyperpop, electro, art pop, house, hair metal, hip-hop, experimental, synth-pop, bubblegum pop, emo pop, grunge, industrial, dubstep, country pop, pop rock, gospel, glam rock, trap, trip hop, folk, J-pop and electro-dub. Consistently hot, she says. The slinky Comme Des Garons (Like the Boys) mashes together I Feel Love, Christine and the Queens Girlfriend, a thwacking house beat, and Madonna-esque backing vocals into something supposedly about Beto ORourke. Top, Pants, Tie: Filles A Papa via Lidow Archive, cowgirl in a three-way pansexual marriage. Unless requested otherwise, all USA orders will go out Media Mail. Besting the already star-making Sawayama, the triumphant Hold the Girl is the sound of an artist taking their rightful place on the pop throne. Album, Red - DH01301, includes Minor Feelings, Hold The Girl, This Hell, Catch Me In The Air, Forgiveness, Holy (Till You Let Me Go), . Socit en Commandite par Actions Registered Office: 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg). Eye For an Eye (Single from John Wick: Chapter 4 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Single. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal (Europe) S. r.l. Seeing an Asian girl do it, in a true pop sense, in the West was amazing to me, they tell me. This iconoclastic pop singer keeps nu-metal in her back pocket. But repeated listens dont open up the albums logicthe simplest explanation for its aesthetic choices seems to be that Sawayama made them because she could. Hitting while the iron was hot, Japanese-English pop star Rina Sawayama made a quick turnaround after 2020's breakthrough Sawayama thrust her to the forefront of the pop scene, refining her vision and making leaps in artistic maturity with Hold the Girl. [22] The author described "Catch Me in the Air" as a celebration of Sawayama's relationship with her mother, written like a "Corrs song as if pitched to Gwen Stefani". Buy Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl - Dirty Hit - LP, Album, Ltd, Blu - DH01444, includes Minor Feelings, Hold The Girl, This Hell, Catch Me In The Air, Forgiveness, Holy (Till You Let Me Go), Your Age, Imagining, Frankenstein, Hurricanes, Send My Love To John, Phantom, To Be Alive Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl: LP, Album, Ltd, Blu For Sale | Discogs This period of isolation became one of self-reflection: Sawayama started a new type of therapy that introduced her to the concept of reparenting her inner child, and in between intense sessions, she quickly wrote the songs that would become Hold the Girl. I want to promote my music, do my interviews, see my fans, but I dont want to expose anything else, if that makes sense., In 2019, Sawayama was able to meet her hero Utada, who came to one of her London shows opening for Charli XCX. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. [23][24] The seventh track, "Your Age", is a "mix of bhangra and electro-warp sound effects". I think this record overall is about finding out what those boundaries are., While the startlingly intimate album captures her internal confusion, Sawayama also searches for magic amid the turmoil, as on Catch Me in the Air, a glowing celebration of her bond with her mother in which she sings they [saved] each other in every way. She makes space for exuberant joy on This Hell, a country-pop track about dancing with all your queer friends who are doomed for eternity., While crafting the album, Sawayama worried that a general audience wouldnt understand the subjects she broaches in her songs. She wants to assuage the pain of others but also be carefree and fun. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. [21][22], Before an official announcement, Sawayama's second record was listed among the most anticipated albums of 2022 by Stereogum and DIY. But there are plenty of other touchstones beyond Gaga, and Sawayama wears them on her sleeve: the dreamy contralto of Karen Carpenter, the puckered pop-rock of Avril Lavigne, the rousing, motivational tenor of Katy Perry. She takes that as a good sign . Spotify Fans First exclusive pressing with alternate cover artwork. Sorry, you must be logged in to make offers. Beg For You, a collaboration with Charli XCX, became Rina's first UK Top 40 single in 2022. Her 2020 breakout album, "Sawayama, . Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius The project, which veers from the bright 2000s acoustic pop (think Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson) to feverish U.K. garage and club beats, required the now 32-year-old singer-songwriter to confront the self-denial that came from growing up without boundaries and thus receiving a distorted view of reality., She clarifies that her experience of being gaslit into not believing in [her] own truth is tied to her identity as a Japanese British immigrant who is both femme and queer. To access our initial disclosure document, please click, Learn more about Product Partnerships Limited - opens in a new window or tab, Get the item you ordered or your money back. Hold the Girls constant pivots make it hard to track its central concept: revisiting and empathizing with a younger self. Rina Sawayama announced her new string of U.S. tour dates for . I Feel Like a Woman!". [2] The album, recorded between 2020 and 2021, features production from collaborators including Paul Epworth, Clarence Clarity, Stuart Price, and Marcus Andersson. The link between the song and queerness is less . Rina Sawayama Is A British-Japanese Nu-Metal Pop Star In The Making The Week In Pop April 20, 2020 4:39 PM By Chris DeVille Shut the fuck up! (This is true even when the lyrics are sometimes baffling: So I create a storm and bury it deep, hiding the key/In plain sight, just in case I need help, help! she sings on Hurricane.) In time the twists will feel less jarring. [51] Writing for Pitchfork, Katherine St. Asaph described Sawayama as "a Y2K flashback thats as reverent of Evanescence and Korn as it is of Britney and Christina. Get the best of whats queer. The albums only acoustic track swerves in just as Hold the Girl is about to close.