[23][24] The seventh track, "Your Age", is a "mix of bhangra and electro-warp sound effects". ', Shawn Mendes joins Zane to talk about his 'Wonder' track "Teach Me How to Love. 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. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. What are your values? 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. 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. XS (pronounced excess) matches style to subject, luxuriating in the rhymes of Tesla Xs with Calabasas. It could be a lost Cora Corman track from Music and Lyricswhich is to say, only satire in context. Consistently hot. Socit en Commandite par Actions Registered Office: 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg). 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. [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. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17], The album's lead single "This Hell", a country pop song with "glam rock riffs",[9] was called a "thrilling empowerment anthem" by Paste's Jade Gomez, who suggested its first lyric, "Let's go girls", nods Shania Twain's similar introduction in her 1999 song "Man! I try not to fangirl too much, but I was quite like, Yeah, you are the reason I did music, she gushes. "[30] This song received positive reviews, with Sofia Meyers of Euphoria stating that "if this is the direction she is going in, we're all in for what's next. All rights reserved. Sawayama was born for this. Single. Her first full-length album, 2020's SAWAYAMA, entered Billboard 's . 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! 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. [29] Sawayama stated that the track "is a song that mocks capitalism in a sinking world. Eye For an Eye (Single from John Wick: Chapter 4 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Single. Hell Red Cassette - Rina.Online Exclusive $7.00. 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). + shipping 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. Ad Choices. 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. That's just so embarrassing., These sort of ordinary yet dehumanizing events are what fueled the writing of Hold the Girls opening track, Minor Feelings, based on the 2020 Cathy Park Hong essay collection of the same name. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. 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. Its ambitious in the same way as putting on all the clothes in your closet. 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. Rina Sawayama is Japenese-British pop star who came to prominence through a series of self-released EPs, before, signing a record deal with The 1975's label, Dirty Hit. 78. user score. The tweens: legion, transforming Times Square into a cheer section and breaking the dial-up internet voting for their video faves. 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. Let it out, Sawayama urges, not a hint of hesitation in her voice. Media: Qualifying purchases could enjoy 0% interest if paid in full in 4 months on purchases of 99+. "[53], Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. 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. Her deft sociopolitical commentary only adds nuance to her already urgent work. [34] A second single, "Catch Me in the Air", was issued on 27 June. Then, the caustic, industrial-lite "Your Age" puts Nine Inch Nails' anger and frustration through the grinder before the cacophonous "Imagining" fuses PVRIS' alterna-synth attack and Charli XCX's future-pop sheen with urgent alt-rock riffs and '90s house beats. 30.00 Pulled between East and West ever since moving from her native Japan to northern London at a young age, Sawayama bridges both worlds and tackles issues common to those with cross-cultural backgrounds. The author affirmed that the song introduces Sawayama's approach on country music. Ill pull really, really cringe references that people would consider not cool, she says. Like similar moves by contemporaries Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish, Sawayama's drastic growth between albums -- both in sonics and emotional . 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. + $5.00 shipping. [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". A follow up to her self-released debut EP Rina (2017), it received widespread acclaim from music critics, specifically towards the wide variety of music genres used, as well as its Y2K nostalgia and "intelligent" nature. "[52] Tom Hull was less impressed, giving it a B-minus and saying the "music aims for arena rock, sometimes with a bit of dissonance, but that doesn't help either. -- channels the Corrs and breezy Y2K-era guitar pop, flying through the clouds atop Sawayama's vocal acrobatics. Their influence can be traced in the way Sawayama fearlessly synthesizes influences from both her homes of Britain and Japan, striving to embrace all of herself. 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. See U There I'm So Excited", " Catch Me in the Air The Second Single From Hold the Girl Out Now ", "Hold the Girl, the title track from my new album, this is where it all began, out now", "HURRICANES. But what has become an artform for Sawayama began as an escape. 2023 Cond Nast. 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. This hell is better with you". It is a dance track written about female empowerment and the "rejection of traditional masculinity" by gay men. Even then, she cant help herself, so the song climaxes on a gnarly hair metal guitar solo. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. (Utadas 1999 record First Love is still the best selling album in Japan to this day.) 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. Media: So . Rina Sawayama. 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. Musically, the album is influenced by 2000s mainstream pop, nu metal, rock, R&B, and dance-pop among other genres. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Her first full-length album, 2020s SAWAYAMA, entered Billboards Heatseekers Albums chart at No. Sawayamas ability to turn memoiristic insights such as these into catchy anthems is part of what has made her a modern pop icon. 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. 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 [33], "Bad Friend" was released as the fifth single from the record on 15 April 2020, two days before the album's release. Catch up every Saturday with 10 of our best-reviewed albums of the week. The pop star was there to mark a milestone with her inaugural performance in the island nation, but found herself thinking about all the summers and winters she spent in Japan as a child after her family moved to London when she was five. [21][22], Before an official announcement, Sawayama's second record was listed among the most anticipated albums of 2022 by Stereogum and DIY. Should be used sparingly as a grade. Born in Niigata, she was raised from a young age in London, where she currently resides. Apple Inc. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. 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! first video from Hold the Girl watch it live with me at the times on the poster!!!! "Catch Me in the Air" -- are those seagulls and Titanic-esque flute flutterings? SAWAYAMA is the debut studio album from Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released by Dirty Hit on April 17, 2020. American singer and DJ Hana and London-based singer Ama Jones served as opening acts for the first leg of the tour. The spiritual predecessor to Hold the Girl is not the blithe, stylish XS but the kindly, saccharine Chosen Family.. Should be used sparingly as a grade. [6], Musically, Hold the Girl is produced, performed, and recorded in a wide variety of genres. And definitely seeing artists like Charli [XCX], for example, who just do whatever the hell they want and are so good at it. Spotify Fans First exclusive pressing with alternate cover artwork. By Michelle Hyun Kim Photography by James Bee September 14, 2022 STEWART VOLLAND [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 title track brings 8-bit video game flourishes to a 2-step breakdown, but theres also the abrupt flare of strings, a country gallop to the verses, and a thunderous choral finale. Follow-up This Hell interpolates ABBA, tips its hat to Shania Twain and Paris Hilton, and indulges in pop feminist sloganeering (Fuck what they did to Britney/To Lady Di and Whitney). But true to Sawayamas therapeutic mission, it feels necessary for her to explore this pain to find healing on the other side. What are your values? 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." [41] The album was rated an 8.3 out of 10 on the aggregator AnyDecentMusic?. She worked with Paul Epworth in "This Hell", a collaboration she had "dream[ed]" of doing, and they finished the track in one day. Unless requested otherwise, all USA orders will go out Media Mail. 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 Star, alongside Griff and Pa Salieu. All rights reserved. and it's probably best we listen", "Rina Sawayama shares new song and video "STFU! It comes as a relief when you get to the chrome-plated Frankenstein, one of the records most focused, and thus best, songs. Hold the Girls constant pivots make it hard to track its central concept: revisiting and empathizing with a younger self. 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. 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.. "@DawImperio @lovekatysvibe EXACTLY, SAWAYAMA BEST SELLING DEBUT ALBUM OF ALL TIME" [39] The tour began on 8 November 2021, in Dublin, Ireland, and concluded on 13 May 2022, in New York City. 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. She takes that as a good sign . Even as she calls on her personal experiences to push change forward, Sawayama keeps firm boundaries around what she shares from her life. [24] It was inspired by "a cascade of microaggressions" with a message that "Asian women should not be cast as quiet and subservient. [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". [1] The lead single from the album, entitled "This Hell", was released on 18 May 2022. People are behind these plastic shields but still yelling hate.. 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. Do I have your attention? (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. The singer-songwriter talks about her album 'Sawayama. A 6% sales tax will be applied to all Michigan orders. 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!!! In the end, the little girl at the center of the album gets swallowed by her own vision. The Japanese-British pop singers debut is a Y2K flashback thats as reverent of Evanescence and Korn as it is of Britney and Christina. 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. Copyright 2023 And also everything you say is going to get printed and put on Twitter., But Sawayama has also been enjoying the fact that in this social media age, pop stars are able to communicate more directly with their audience and break the fantasy of individualized perfection. 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. Shes such a cross section of so many cultures and time periods and musical references and academic references. 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. 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. After all, acknowledging that you lost a part of yourself, that you were once denied certain kinds of love and belonging, is the first step in finally getting those feelings back. Rina Sawayama's first single off her second album, 'Hold The Girl,' is "This Hell," and the music video is out now. 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. But sometimes just trying ideas and mishmashing different genres can yield pretty cool results. Get the best of whats queer. So when she finally really lets loose, with a howling last note and roaring crescendo, the eruptions been primed. She also praised Sawayama's "strong and emotional vocals" and "tak[ing] motifs and styles from every genre and era and curat[ing] something that feels futuristic", summing up her review by stating "Rina Sawayama is one-of-a-kind, and her debut album certainly isn't going to be quiet about that". Refresh your browser window to try again. 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. I think theres a lot of people who carry that with them, [feeling like] they represent embarrassment or shame to others. [36] Kurr also directed the music video for "Hold the Girl", which was released on 3 August. Its as if Sawayama heard the adage kill your darlings and decided it wasnt slay enough. [36] The music video was released in May.[37]. Pop singer Rina Sawayama made a splash with her debut studio album in 2020 where she processed her fish-out-of-water experiences as a Japanese British girl through a fresh electro-pop sound. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. Buy Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl . From Madonna to Avril Lavigne, songs that inspire the singer-songwriter. In this industry, theres a lot of people who take every other role for granted, and she is a person who invests in every person that she works with, takes the time to know and care about them because shes done them too, they say of Sawayama. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], "STFU!" 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. We were just like, Oh, for Gods sake. Hold The Girl. [37] The fourth single, "Phantom", was released on 25 August. Sorry, you must be logged in to make offers. "[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". The race for this week's Number 1 is ON - and it's gonna be tight [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. Hold the Girl is the second studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. Rina Sawayama - Sawayama: LP, Album, M/Print, Gol For Sale | Discogs Explore Record Store Day 2023 releases on Discogs right now. 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.