But the pensive mood deflates as Hold the Girl immediately veers to dancier, more involved songsand the albums broad-brush lyrics leave little to hold onto anyway, despite Sawayamas intention to emulate the evocative storytelling of folklore. Absolutely perfect in every way. She wants to honor her own queer, Asian, first-generation British identity yet keep things relatable to a universal audience. -- channels the Corrs and breezy Y2K-era guitar pop, flying through the clouds atop Sawayama's vocal acrobatics. But the full-circle moment was also accompanied by some weirdness: Utada, who has been releasing music since 1996, was mistaken for Sawayama outside the venue. Rina Sawayama. SAWAYAMA, her debut album after years of retromaniac singles, does for Y2K pop what Hulus PEN15 did for Y2K middle school: recreates it to the tiniest detail. Top, Pants, Tie: Filles A Papa via Lidow Archive, cowgirl in a three-way pansexual marriage. [50] In the United States, the album debuted at number 166 on the US Billboard 200 making it her first entry on the chart. Do I have your attention? 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. PayPal, Pop Rock, Industrial, Indie Rock, Ballad, Grunge. Hold the Girl received critical acclaim upon its release. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius Sawayama (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on 17 April 2020 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. Let it out, Sawayama urges, not a hint of hesitation in her voice. Now I can buy all the pens, she recalls triumphantly a few weeks later on a call with me from the London office of her label Dirty Hit. As we inch ever-closer to the impending release of Rina Sawayama's sophomore album, . Digital cover. It comes as a relief when you get to the chrome-plated Frankenstein, one of the records most focused, and thus best, songs. So when she finally really lets loose, with a howling last note and roaring crescendo, the eruptions been primed. After Sawayama was deemed ineligible for the BRITs and Mercury Prize due to her permanent residency visa and not having full British citizenship, she spoke out about how the decision was heartbreaking and othering, given that she had lived in the U.K. for over 25 years. 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 Should be used sparingly as a grade. [18] According to Sawayama, the track was written as a response to "human rights that are being taken away from minorities at a rapid rate in the name of traditional religious beliefs", particularly the rights of the LGBT community;[19] Sawayama stated: "When the world tells us we don't deserve love and protection, we have no choice but to give love and protection to each other. 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. . Even though I know Britney was very much involved in her songwriting and stuff, it was all quite smoke and mirrors back then. Sawayamas ability to turn memoiristic insights such as these into catchy anthems is part of what has made her a modern pop icon. [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". 2023. ", "36 Albums We Can't Wait to Hear This Summer", "Tune in Tonight to Watch the First Ever Performance of This Hell on @fallontonight", "Ed Sheeran, Rina Sawayama, & Harry Styles Heat Up BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend [Performances]", "This Hell music video out today!!!! Buy Rina Sawayama - Rina - Dirty Hit - 12", MiniAlbum, Ltd, RE, RP, Ora - DH00747, includes Ordinary Superstar, Take Me As I Am, 10-20-40, Tunnel Vision, Time Out, Alterlife, Through The Wire, Cyber Stockholm Syndrome [39] The tour began on 8 November 2021, in Dublin, Ireland, and concluded on 13 May 2022, in New York City. Frankenstein. + shipping See terms. 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. She wants to assuage the pain of others but also be carefree and fun. But her take on nu-metal bypasses bros entirely, beginning with Garbageat times Sawayama sounds eerily like Shirley Manson, or maybe Tori Amos if her Slayer cover was actual Slayerand pivoting on the chorus to singsong bubblegum pop. She takes that as a good sign . Sawayama has emerged as a rare pop diva who can merge the personal, political, and fantastical all in one. American singer and DJ Hana and London-based singer Ama Jones served as opening acts for the first leg of the tour. Clarence Clarity also produced much of Sawayama's debut album Sawayama (2020). Them may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Albums SAWAYAMA Rina Sawayama 2020 7.7 By Katherine St. Asaph Genre: Pop/R&B Label: Dirty Hit Reviewed: April 20, 2020 The Japanese-British pop singer's debut is a Y2K flashback that's as. All rights reserved. Most of the album, though, is absolutely irony-free, and better for it. [18] The song references gay icons,[9] namely Britney Spears, Whitney Houston and Diana, Princess of Wales, and criticises the paparazzi's "cruelty" towards them. Intention aside, a fabulous pop persona goes a long way. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 84 out of 100, based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". When Rina Sawayama returned to her birth country of Japan this August for her first visit in three years, she sought out gel pens and snack crackers. Review: Rina Sawayama's Debut Album Blends Pop Eras To Tell A - NPR But even if you didnt pick up on that, it still sounds like hitting yourself in the head with a silk scarf wrapped around your fist. Sawayama also uses her platform to advocate for the marginalized. All rights reserved. Rina Sawayama RINA Orange Blue Marble 1xLP Vinyl LE 2000 Rough - eBay [79] The remixes of "XS" and "Comme des Garons (Like the Boys)" had previously been released as singles earlier in the year and Sawayama's cover of "Dance in the Dark" was released as part of her Spotify Singles series.[80][81][82]. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. [5] Variety's Thania Garcia described Hold the Girl as "an evolution in [Sawayama's] style that will meld influences from across the pop spectrum". To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. I think people are really comfortable and cognizant of the fact that every pop star runs their own business, she reflects. Certainly never been played. [2][3][4], Sawayama was primarily produced by Clarence Clarity and written by Sawayama, with additional work from musicians such as Danny L Harle, Kyle Shearer, Jonathan Gilmore, Bram Inscore and Lauren Aquilina among others. 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. et Cie, S.C.A. So, between stops playing the multi-city Summer Sonic Festival, she ransacked a stationery store to stock up on the little treats that used to delight her younger self. Musically, the album is influenced by 2000s mainstream pop, nu metal, rock, R&B, and dance-pop among other genres. Ad Choices, My Worlds Are Colliding: Rina Sawayama Has Joined the Cast of the Next, Rina Sawayamas Smart, Personal Pop Is Going to Change the World. The albums other big reference points are Timbaland and the Neptunesparticularly Exodus, the Timbaland-assisted album by J-pop star and Sawayamas childhood idol Utada Hikaruand heavier Britney stuff. Her audience is people who know exactly which songs she means. [32] On 10 July 2020, the remix of the song came out in collaboration with the musician Bree Runway, with the difference that the introduction is a little different from the original and the verse from Bree Runway replaces the second from the original version. Rina Sawayama Announces New Album - Pitchfork This iconoclastic pop singer keeps nu-metal in her back pocket. and it's probably best we listen", "Rina Sawayama shares new song and video "STFU! Spotify Fans First exclusive pressing with alternate cover artwork. The cover of the physical edition features the title on the image's upper side. RINA SAWAYAMA - Official website & store of Dirty Hit Records Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl: LP, Album, Red For Sale | Discogs Best of all, at the end, is Snakeskin. The track begins like a torch song or an aria, Sawayamas voice heavy and ominous. It is the follow-up to her 2017 independent EP, RINA. [23] The single was met with critical acclaim, achieving a score of 82 on the website Album Of The Year (based on both Critic and User reviews). This Hell Lava Vinyl $26.00. 6. Catch up every Saturday with 10 of our best-reviewed albums of the week. [2] Near Mint (NM or M-) A nearly perfect record. And also everything you say is going to get printed and put on Twitter.. Like similar moves by contemporaries Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish, Sawayama's drastic growth between albums -- both in sonics and emotional awareness -- is a thrill to behold. Rina Sawayama is something of a genre mixologist. Ad Choices. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. Sorry, you must be logged in to make offers. Its often the daily microaggressions that can be so exhausting and make you internalize a lot., While most of the album finds her writing directly to herself, Sawayama takes on the perspective of an apologetic parent on the powerful Send My Love to John, based on the story of a queer friend who had struggled to gain acceptance from their homophobic family. "[11] Writing for Pitchfork, Cat Zhang called the album "decidedly more earnest and weighty" than its predecessor and likened it to "an attempt to merge the full-throated spectacle of Born This Way with the surviving-through-trauma emotionality of Chromatica". Almost every song strives to be Sawayamas Bohemian Rhapsody, with genre mash-ups and key changes galore. 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." Pitchfork ranked Sawayama's debut EP, RINA, among their 20 Best Pop and R&B Albums of 2017. [21] The singer herself stated that she "wanted to write about this weird relationship with single parents. Shes such a cross section of so many cultures and time periods and musical references and academic references. I think theres a lot of people who carry that with them, [feeling like] they represent embarrassment or shame to others. [41] The album was rated an 8.1 out of 10 on the aggregator AnyDecentMusic?. Dropping her self-titled debut album in 2019, Rina was controversially passed over for a Hyundai Mercury Prize nomination, but was named one of the three finalists of the 2020 BRITs Rising. "[4], Musically, Sawayama is produced, performed and recorded in a wide variety of genres. The album's second concert tour, the Hold the Girl Reloaded Tour was announced in March 2023, and will occur in North America between June and October 2023. I think thats a much more accepted narrative., The pressure with the pop girls is that even if youre not having such a good day, even if youre really jet-lagged or your IBS is going crazy or whatever, you have to look really hot. Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA Album Review | Pitchfork 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. Paradisin begins with a video-game blip like its zapping you back to teenagerdom and runs on the manic, buzzing-out-of-your skin energy of being 15 and damning all consequences. [48], Hannah Mylrea of NME called the record "the best British pop album of the year", complimenting Sawayama's "laser-precision melodies and hooks", "distinctive lyricism" and "impressive level of intimacy" in spite of the "high-octane" tracklist.[47]. Media: "Chosen Family" was released as the album's fourth single on 3 April 2020. Hold the Girl debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart; the highest-charting album by a Japanese-born solo artist in the history of the chart, and Sawayama's highest-charting album to date, with sales of 13,961 (of which 7,148 were vinyl copies). Payment Information: Eye For an Eye (Single from John Wick: Chapter 4 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Single. SAWAYAMA is the debut studio album from Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released by Dirty Hit on April 17, 2020. Midnight Blue - UK EXCLUSIVE $10.00. Hold The Girl, Rina Sawayama and Elton talk about joining forces on their duet "Chosen Family.". Get the best of whats queer. Rina Sawayama has announced her second studio album: Hold the Girl is out September 2 16 via Dirty Hit.The lead single from the Sawayama follow-up is called "This Hell," and you can hear it . Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA (Smoky Cassette, New & Unplayed) at the best online prices at eBay! the fifth single from Hold The Girl. 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. Shooting for the rafters straightaway, "Hold the Girl" launches listeners into this world without boundaries where swelling strings, a skittering beat, country-inspired twang, and a massive club chorus somehow sound like they always belonged together. 78. user score. But just as her star was rising, the pandemic forced her to stay inside and delay the tour for Sawayama. Sawayama, who started blowing up in 2017, says it's been a while since journalists asked her about being one of the few prominent Asian artists in pop right now. Rina Sawayama: Hold the Girl Album Review | Pitchfork 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. Sorry, you must be logged in to make offers. The tweens: legion, transforming Times Square into a cheer section and breaking the dial-up internet voting for their video faves. Consistently hot, she says. Albums Hold the Girl Rina Sawayama 2022 6.5 By Cat Zhang Genre: Pop/R&B Label: Dirty Hit Reviewed: September 16, 2022 Seeking empathy for a younger self, Rina Sawayama's second album. [35] Sawayama herself has described the track as her favourite from the album and stated that it was written after she found out through social media that her formerly close friend had just had a baby. Buy Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl . I still feel that same excitement when I listen to songs from back then that inspired me., The first pop artist Sawayama recalls following on television was Hikaru Utada, the Japanese-American superstar who made genreless, boundary pushing music in both Japanese and English before the industry knew how to market multicultural artists. Inner child, come back to me / I want to tell you that Im sorry, she sings, strings swelling around her voice, as she approaches something akin to completeness. [8] it also contains elements of 1990s alternative rock, pop rock, soft rock, Europop, trance, industrial, country pop, hi-NRG, pop punk, Eurotrance, stadium rock, Britpop, disco, R&B, hyperpop, J-pop, house, Eurodance, electronic, UK garage, techno, folk and psychedelic music. The critically acclaimed SAWAYAMA was named in many 2020 year-end best of lists, including The New York Times, NPR, and Rolling Stone. [26] A remix of the track was released a month later, on 21 February 2020, featuring Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar and a new mix by Brabo. Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius first video from Hold the Girl watch it live with me at the times on the poster!!!! Rina Sawayama on New Album, Japanese Culture, and LGBT Community Rina Sawayama's first single off her second album, 'Hold The Girl,' is "This Hell," and the music video is out now. Consistently hot. Rina Sawayama - Sawayama Label: Dirty Hit - DH00705 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Misprint, Gold Country: Europe Released: 24 Apr 2020 Genre: Rock, Pop Style: More Images Tracklist Companies, etc. Beg For You, a collaboration with Charli XCX, became Rina's first UK Top 40 single in 2022. Photographer: James BeePhoto Assistant: Di-Chen ChenDigital Tech: Stewart VollandStylist: Katie QianStylist Assistant: Kiona VickroyHair Stylist: Preston WadaMakeup Artist: Tami El SombatiManicurist: SreyNin PengProp Stylist: Andre ShahjanianProps Assistant: Luke StilesProduction: Hyperion LA. At its core, Sawayama is about identity and finding oneself while navigating through minefields of culture, race, gender, and sexuality. Even then, she cant help herself, so the song climaxes on a gnarly hair metal guitar solo. 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. On Hold the Girl, the singer fulfills a promise to mine even more left-field references from decades past, going for pop-punk and power ballads, trance and stadium rock. (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. All rights reserved. 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. Pop was a way to fit in, she tells me, back when she started attending Catholic school in London, at a time when she wasnt yet fully fluent in English. PayPal. Minor feelings are not major events. Even if it didnt interpolate the Final Fantasy fanfare, it would still sound like defeating the world. [22] The song premiered alongside the music video, which was co-directed by Ali Kurr and Sawayama herself. XS was intended as arch anti-capitalist critique in an age of climate crisis, but its luxe vision was a better sell for being the rich, not eating them; Sawayama whispered excess as if it were the name of a designer perfume, the scent of more intoxicating. All rights reserved. Rina Sawayama Album Review: A British-Japanese Nu-Metal Pop - Stereogum Hold The Girl. Sawayama leans into the dark theatrics of Fall Out Boy or the Veronicas, nervy guitars grounding the mania as she compares herself to one of literatures most famous freaks. Sawayama has framed the album as part of a process of reparenting herself, and the emphasis on ones inner child may explain why the records imagery leans elementary: Blue skies and storms, villains and heroes, the feeling of being imprisoned inside ones bedroom. "[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. Whats left is an album with an excess of initiative but not enough follow-through, a record that takes on so much it risks burning out. Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl Album Reviews, Songs & More - AllMusic BLACKPINK make history as BORN PINK hits Number 1, BLACKPINK set for first UK Number 1 album with BORN PINK, Lady Gaga's Chromatica Ball tour setlist in full, From Elvis to Adele - look back at every artist to have achieved the Official Chart Double . Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here. Rina Sawayama Announces Fall U.S. Tour: See the Dates - Billboard The link between the song and queerness is less . Seeking empathy for a younger self, Rina Sawayamas second album pirouettes through pop-punk and power ballads, trance and stadium rock. "[31] A music video for the track was released on 17 April 2020. This article is about the album. Save US $9.29 (10% off) Written By Lauren Aquilina, Rina Sawayama, Victor Jamieson (2), Written By Jonny Lattimer, Rina Sawayama, Written By Adam Crisp, Grace Barker, Oscar Scheller, Rina Sawayama, Written By Adam Crisp, Jonny Lattimer, Rich Cooper (2), Rina Sawayama, Written By Chris Lyon (2), Nate Campany, Rina Sawayama, Written By Adam Crisp, Lauren Aquilina, Rina Sawayama, Victor Jamieson (2). Like a classic overachiever, Sawayama wants to do so much in her music: The Cambridge graduate wants to speak to the political climate and flaunt her keen study of pop history. [3], Sawayama has named Kelly Clarkson, the Corrs, Paramore, and Sugababes as artists who influenced Hold the Girl,[4] as well as Taylor Swift's 2020 album Folklore. Many of us would like to escape to 2000 these days, and musicians more than anyone; in the span of a few months in 2018 we got songs called 1999 and 2002, both of which interpolate the same Britney lyric, neither of which quite capture the year. 30.00 I think those people deserve a sorry.. Though it seems simple, reclaiming the happiness that comes from colorful writing instruments seems like one way Sawayama is getting back in touch with her inner child, a psychological concept that she explores on her new album, Hold the Girl, out September 16. Pitchfork may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The main exception is Send My Love to John, a dusky country ballad written from the perspective of a gay friends conservative mom. I try not to fangirl too much, but I was quite like, Yeah, you are the reason I did music, she gushes. Payment Information: Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA (Smoky Cassette, New & Unplayed) | eBay Yeah, we were both lol-ing about that. Its as if Sawayama heard the adage kill your darlings and decided it wasnt slay enough. (about SEK384.75). [37] The fourth single, "Phantom", was released on 25 August. To work with her is to be constantly surprised by what shes going to combine to create something new., After starting to work with Sawayama last year, Crystalline was quickly impressed by the attention and care the artist gives to her very diverse, largely queer team. [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". What makes you happy? But Ive tried to do this thing where I try to make the hook as easy to understand as possible so that it's still a good pop song. From in-depth storytelling on the fight for LGBTQ+ rights to intimate profiles of queer cultural vanguards, its a platform for all of the bold, stylish, and rebellious ways that LGBTQ+ people are reshaping our world every day. [33] A music video for the song, directed by Ali Kurr, premiered on 15 June. That work ethic never left Sawayama, now a bona fide pop star. So much with this record, Im like, Is anyone going to get what Im talking about? she tells me. It's a day of restbut not for the Official Chart! Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rina Sawayama RINA Orange Blue Marble 1xLP Vinyl LE 2000 Rough Trade - IN HAND at the best online prices at eBay! [35] The album's title track was released as the third single on 27 July; the same day, she announced that the album was pushed back to 16 September due to "production issues" and that a fourth single would be made available before the date. Chosen Family pairs a Nickelodeon-sweet melody with Danny L Harle production, and the sugar content would overwhelm almost any topic but this: the chosen family of LGBTQ friends, which hasnt often received the specific affirmation of pop ballads.