[21][22], Before an official announcement, Sawayama's second record was listed among the most anticipated albums of 2022 by Stereogum and DIY. 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. For the single of the same name also by Rina Sawayama, see, "Rina Sawayama releasing new LP, Hold the Girl", "Rina Sawayama Announces New Album Hold the Girl, Shares New Song "This Hell": Listen", "Rina Sawayama Reveals Upcoming 'Hold the Girl' Album, With New Single 'This Hell', "Rina Sawayama is going yeehaw for her upcoming album", "Rina Sawayama Says the 'Fake Stories' of Taylor Swift's Folklore Inspired Her New Album Hold the Girl", "Rina Sawayama's 'Hold the Girl' is a raw coming-of-age tale", "Rina Sawayama shares euphoric new single 'This Hell' and UK tour dates", "On Hold the Girl, Rina Sawayama Epitomizes the Healing Power of Pop Music", "Rina Sawayama Hold the Girl Album Reviews, Songs & More", "Rina Sawayama Breaks Stuff and Builds Back Better on 'Hold the Girl', "Rina Sawayama: Hold the Girl review poetry, power and pure pop", "Album Review: Rina Sawayama Hold The Girl", "Rina Sawayama Announces Hold the Girl, Shares New Single "This Hell", "Rina Sawayama announces new album, shares new countrified pop single "This Hell", "Rina Sawayama: "This Hell" Track Review", "Rina Sawayama Soars on Ode to Single Moms 'Catch Me in the Air', "It looks like Rina Sawayama is releasing "Catch Me in the Air" next week", "The 101 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2022", "The 22 Most Anticipated New Albums of 2022", "Rina Sawayama's 'This Hell' blazes with fiery ferocity", "Tickets for my tour are on sale NOW!!! Sawayama also uses her platform to advocate for the marginalized. Sawayama was born for this. [78] The limited edition set was released on 12-inch vinyl on 27 November 2020 via Rough Trade. 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 then, she cant help herself, so the song climaxes on a gnarly hair metal guitar solo. I think when you spend your whole life trying to make other people happy, whether it's your parents or school or this societal notion of whats good [] you genuinely forget what you want to do. the fifth single from Hold The Girl. 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. "XS" was released as the album's third official single on 2 March 2020. 2023 Cond Nast. Six things that inspired Rina Sawayama's debut album | Dazed Rina Sawayama. It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit. "Hurricanes" takes that formula and adds a wall of guitar on a towering empowerment anthem fit for early-2000s Kelly Clarkson. 1 on TRL about 10 timesit probably would have topped the charts longer had MTV not pulled it after Columbineand shared space with Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and other decidedly un-bubblegum bands. Her debut extended play Rina was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. During COVID, it did turn into major incidents, she recalls. Certainly never been played. [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]. The chorus of Bad Friend, the rare friend-breakup song by the guilty party, cloaks Sawayamas voice in a thick cloak of vocoder that falls away at the last friend: a sudden pang of sincerity, when its too late. Riding that energy, Sawayama drops listeners into "This Hell," an '80s-leaning gem inspired by Shania Twain that could have been a Gaga track, singalong chorus, electric guitar solo, and all. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. (68) 2022. Seeing an Asian girl do it, in a true pop sense, in the West was amazing to me, they tell me. Its ambitious in the same way as putting on all the clothes in your closet. Over the course of her second record 'Hold The Girl,' we're witness to trance, British indie, '90s alt-rock, '00s Avril Lavigne- style. [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. Pitchfork may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. [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. 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. eBay (UK) Limited is an appointed representative of eBay Commerce UK Ltd (of Hotham House, 1 Heron Sq, Richmond upon Thames, Greater London, TW9 1EJ) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (with firm reference number 968972). In the thick of a promotion cycle, she might have to do up to 20 interviews a day, which includes up to five photo shoots, she says. 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. People are behind these plastic shields but still yelling hate.. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl: LP, Album, Ltd, Blu For Sale - Discogs 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. Tomorrow, we'll reveal whos leading the race for the UK's Num, Can David Kushner catch up to Calvin & Ellie, Battle lines already drawn for next week's UK Number 1 album race, The closest battles for Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart, Calvin & Ellie beat David Kushner to Number 1 in close race, Enter Shikari net first-ever Number 1 album with A Kiss for the Whole World, HMV's Oxford Street flagship store is making a comeback, This week's New Releases: Jessie, Jack, Labrinth and Freya, Rudimental celebrate Home's 10 year anniversary on the Official Chart. What makes you happy? Those videos: Backstreet Boys, Britney, and Korns Freak on a Leash. The nu-metal hit was No. Rina Sawayama on Her Second Album 'Hold the Girl,' and How Pop Can Heal In the two years since her 2020 debut, Sawayama has become besties with Elton John, collabed with Charli XCX, walked the Balmain runway at Paris Fashion Week, and been cast in the next John Wick film after director Chad Stahelski noticed that she liked to play characters in her music videos. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. + $5.00 shipping. 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. Her deft sociopolitical commentary only adds nuance to her already urgent work. A nearly perfect record. Rina Sawayama on New Album, Japanese Culture, and LGBT Community Hold the Girl is ambitious in the way that putting on all the clothes in your closet is ambitious. 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. But sometimes just trying ideas and mishmashing different genres can yield pretty cool results. [33] A music video for the song, directed by Ali Kurr, premiered on 15 June. 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. The spiritual predecessor to Hold the Girl is not the blithe, stylish XS but the kindly, saccharine Chosen Family.. So when she finally really lets loose, with a howling last note and roaring crescendo, the eruptions been primed. 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. 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. Rina Sawayamas 2020 debut reckoned sincerely with friendship falling-outs and familial wounds, but on its best song, the pop singer pretended to be a rich girl dripping in Cartier and cruising in Teslas. Its often the daily microaggressions that can be so exhausting and make you internalize a lot., In just the first few lines of Hold the Girl, Sawayama collapses the borders between her individual experience and the emotions brought on by the escalating attacks against Asians in both the U.S. and U.K. Should be used sparingly as a grade. She knows other queer people have also had complicated upbringings, so she nobly strives to create belonging: If I can heal someone around me or someone that I dont know with the songs I write why wouldnt I take it? she reasons. "[53], Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. In the end, the little girl at the center of the album gets swallowed by her own vision. But what has become an artform for Sawayama began as an escape. This is one of many. Certainly never been played. Rina Sawayama - Rina: 12", MiniAlbum, Ltd, RE, RP, Ora For Sale - Discogs A nearly perfect record. Media: 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. -- channels the Corrs and breezy Y2K-era guitar pop, flying through the clouds atop Sawayama's vocal acrobatics. All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. These ploys serve to further sales rather than raise awareness for gay rights. "Catch Me in the Air" -- are those seagulls and Titanic-esque flute flutterings? Qualifying purchases could enjoy 0% interest if paid in full in 4 months on purchases of 99+. Hold the Girl - Wikipedia Rina Sawayama - Sawayama: LP, Album, M/Print, Gol For Sale - Discogs Media: 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. [That book] is about the minimizing that a lot of Asian femmes do to their feelings, being treated a certain way in the Western world, she explains. [39] The tour began on 8 November 2021, in Dublin, Ireland, and concluded on 13 May 2022, in New York City. Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA Album Review | Pitchfork 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. [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). The song opens with feelings of dissociation (How am I supposed to feel / When you tell me that nothing in my life is real) before mentioning detractors who hide behind a plastic shield. The latter line stemmed from a news story of a COVID-19 patient refusing treatment from a health care provider because they were Asian. Them may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. 2023. What are your values? In a press . 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. 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 .