FEATURE:
Modern Heroines
PHOTO CREDIT: Jillian Freyer for Pitchfork
Part Thirty-Seven: Rina Sawayama
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IT is rare that I include…
PHOTO CREDIT: Adama Jalloh for The Line of Best Fit
an artist in this feature who has one album under their belt. Rina Sawayama released one of the best and starling albums of last year with SAWAYAMA. It signalled her as a modern Pop icon and, to me, I feel Sawayama is going to be an icon of the future. That said, she is not exactly new to the music industry. She has been building her work and name through the years. I want to source from a Pitchfork interview from last year. We learn more about Sawayama’s upbringing. She was asked what it was like bringing her adolescent experiences into SAWAYAMA:
“Just a few years ago, sniffing one of the world’s most famous stars at an exclusive New York City soirée was most definitely not a part of Rina Sawayama’s life. After she graduated with a degree in politics, psychology, and sociology from the University of Cambridge—a school she hated “with every cell of my body”—she worked a number of part-time jobs: scooping ice cream, doing nails, selling iPhones, all while also toiling away on her music.
In 2017, she released RINA, an EP of sugary pop songs about technology’s stranglehold on society, which gained her a cult following. Her upcoming debut album, SAWAYAMA, due out next month, is a hard pivot. The record is stuffed with frenetic tracks that splinter into thrashing rock and slithering electro beats, threading Max Martin-style, capital-P Pop with guitar anthems built for arenas. It’s her first project for Dirty Hit Records, home to the 1975, and Rina says she wanted to chase that band’s freewheeling style, whiplashing from genre to genre, sometimes within the span of a single song.
Rina was born in Japan but moved to London at age 5 for her father’s job at Japan Airlines. A few years later, her parents went through an ugly separation, and Rina shared a single room with her mom until she was 15. (Rina only saw her father about three times a year throughout much of her adolescence; now, she sees him once or twice annually.) As a kid, she heard conflicting accounts from her parents about each other, and she was constantly trying to reconcile what was true. She says she spent her teens acting out—sneaking into parties, getting so drunk friends would routinely carry her home and drop her into bed—before getting her shit together enough to earn her way into Cambridge.
Was it difficult to talk to your mom about that period as you were researching your personal history for the album?
It was really hard to hear about how she feels regretful about things. She said that when I was the most depressed, it was also when she was going through the divorce—it was really messy, and she was basically alone. She didn’t want to be responsible for anything that would stop me from going to Cambridge, so she kept it all to herself, but it just meant that her mental health wasn’t great. Now she’s like, “I really wish I was there for you when you were depressed, but I just couldn’t give you that.” It’s upsetting to hear that, because I used to be like, “You’re so fucking cold.” But now, being an adult, I can’t imagine a husband suing me and wanting all this shit when we had barely any money, it’s just mental.
It’s sometimes hard to accept that she lives a very different life than me and has very different values. But to me, a family isn’t beautiful because they present themselves that way. I think my family’s very beautiful because it’s fucking messy.
What was it like to revisit your adolescence while making the album?
It was awesome actually. It felt quite uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time, trying to find this spot for myself, in terms of the sound and what I want to talk about. It really tied a bow around my whole youth and family life. My mum’s heard a lot of the demos, but she’s not heard the final version. She actually closes the album—it’s her voice talking at the end. But I’m not going to show it to her until it comes out”.
I am going to end with a couple of big reviews for SAWAYAMA – as it is an exceptional album that marks its creator out as a phenomenal talent. Before that, there are interviews that have caught my eye. I think it is important and revealing to learn about Rina Sawayama’s earlier life and when music became a big part of her existence and drive. When she spoke with The Line of Best Fit late last year, we get some rather wonderful images of a younger music lover really bonding with different artists:
“For Rina, pop music became a way to connect with people at school. “I joke that I missed out on the whole of the Spice Girls and I really did,” she says. “I got the tail end of it and I loved it, but my thing was when Britney was coming out. And Kylie. I remember the first Number One that I really connected with was 'Kiss Kiss' by Holly Valance. And it was genuinely a way for me to connect with my friends. At that point, I had moved school about four times. I didn't have friends, basically. I remember assembling girls to make an S Club 7 tribute band. That was such an amazing way to get over that cultural barrier that was there.”
Pursuing a career in the creative industries had ever been encouraged, although Rina does have fond memories of car rides with her mum listening to Evanescence and trips to Woolworths to buy CD singles. Still, “I never thought I was a creative person or that [music] was something that I deserved to do,” she says. “I didn't grow up being encouraged to do creative jobs. I follow these Asian meme accounts and I saw a meme that really cracked me up: 'They make us do ballet, which is dance. And they make us do piano lessons, which is music. But if we tell them we want to become a dancer or a musician they say, "You're a failure."' Why make us do it then?”
There was some bumps and setbacks along the way but, more than anything, we get this vision of a determined and hungry artist who grew in terms of her confidence and vision on her debut album:
And keep going she did. After releasing a couple of loosie singles like “Cherry”, a song that explored Rina’s pansexuality and queerness, she got to work on writing and recording what would become her debut album, SAWAYAMA, with her manager, Will Frost, acting as A&R and Clarence on board as co-executive producer. It’s a process she documented in her two-part YouTube series, The Making of Sawayama.
Written in the wake of Donald Trump’s successful campaign for election as President of the United States, the album is broader politically than the RINA EP, and it packs a much sharper bite. “I was seeing all these things that are in place to keep power in check being completely ignored,” she says of Trump’s presidency and the inspiration for the record. “Whether it was the Paris agreement or anything where the environment was being ignored. I had never seen anything like that. There was such disrespect for systems that make sure that the world doesn't explode.”
At the same time, Rina was beginning to see threads forming between what was happening globally and politically and her own familial difficulties and cultural displacement. While songs like “10-20-40” and “Take Me As I Am” were based around or inspired by lived experiences, Rina had mostly shied away from integrating her own personal narrative into her music (she has still yet to write a stereotypical love song). But with SAWAYAMA’s album opener, the thrilling and anthemic “Dynasty”, she crawled into the crevices of her and her family’s trauma to try and make sense of the things that had happened”.
Apologies if I jump around a bit in terms of these interviews and chronology. I would encourage people to read as many interviews with Rina Sawayama as possible, as she is fascinating and a hugely influential artist and human. I have taken a few as an example; selecting a few passages that, I feel, give us a bigger and better impression of Sawayama and her life/career. In a Time Out interview, Rina Sawayama spoke with Zing Tsjeng about her earliest gigs:
“Scrawny white guys with guitars are a long way from the average Rina Sawayama show. Even at her earliest gigs – in sweaty venues not so different to the ones she grew up watching bands in – she had the spirit of a superstar: backing dancers, complicated costumes, bum-length wigs and a dramatic stage fan that Beyoncé would be proud of. What had her queueing up to make it to the front of a Bravery gig?
‘Being that close to an instrument and being that close to musicians,’ she explains. ‘I always joke that I was a stan and I’m always a stan. I understand what people feel when they are obsessed with an artist.’ The last time I saw Sawayama perform was at Brixton Academy, where she’d queued up all those years ago. She was opening for Charli XCX in nipple-swishing braids and silver assless chaps from Chinese designer Di Du, looking like a space-age Christina Aguilera in her ‘Dirrty’ phase. She came on stage to cheers so loud they almost knocked the pint of lukewarm Coke out of my hand. It was her last live gig before ‘Sawayama’ came out. ‘I had to do a filmed thing a couple of weeks ago’ – she lets out an incredulous laugh – ‘and I was like: Fuck, I’m so out of practice!’ I’m almost fooled into believing her.
A week after our chat, Sawayama makes her debut on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, complete with custom dollar bills with her face on them. The performance trends on Twitter in the US, Brazil, the Philippines and Singapore; less than 24 hours later, there’s already fan art of her outfit. Going from rebellious stan to fully-fledged pop star during a pandemic – it’s one way of getting to the front of the queue. Now, barely a week after that, the UK is looking down the barrel of a second lockdown. It’s a heartbreaking moment for so many people in the music industry, for artists, fans and venues. For Sawayama, though, 2020, with its high highs and super-low lows will always have a special resonance”.
I am going to finish up the interviews section by bringing in a 2020 interview from DIY. Last year was a huge one for Rina Sawayama. She ascended and reached new corners of the world. Despite the pandemic, her music resonated and connected, despite the fact she could not get out there and gig. Sawayama reflected on her year, discussed the controversy regarding the Mercury Prize (SAWAYAMA was not eligible last year because Rina Sawayama was not seen as British enough; eligibility rules have recently been changed for the Mercury Prize and BRIT Awards):
“2020 has been an incredible year for you - how’s the experience been?
It’s been a rollercoaster. Thinking all the way back to January, I was gearing up for a world tour, naively putting together concepts, styling, choreography and auditioning the band. That’s sad to think about, and I’m really hopeful for the new year to be able to tour this record and for all the people who rely on the touring industry to get their livelihoods back.
The album went amazing on SO many levels, and it changed my life completely for which I’m so grateful for. But the experience of 2020 has certainly been tough in lots of ways for me on a personal level. One of those things is not being able to see my family and celebrate the success of the album, which I think was theirs to celebrate also, given the topics I wrote about. It’s totally worth it when I get messages from my fans that the record has been a source of comfort against such a difficult global backdrop. Like a lot of people I’m looking ahead now and I hope people continue to give generously, be grateful and for lots of positive action in 2021.
You’ve been at the forefront of boundary-breaking pop this year - has your plan always been to shake things up?
The experience has been really mind-blowing because I thought people would find the record too weird. It was always my plan for my debut to be authentically me, and I can’t believe people loved it. Every week I see new reaction videos to my record on Youtube and it’s crazy that people are discovering it even eight months later. I’m just so grateful, that’s really all I can say. That, and I’m baffled.
You spoke openly about not being nominated for this year’s Mercury Music Prize. Do you think that the discussion around your album being exempt because you don't hold a UK passport will change things?
I hope so! I can’t say for sure, but I spoke with the chairman of the BPI and they are looking to change the rules for this year. With Brexit making the headlines again and that calling into question a lot of people’s statuses in this country in the coming years, the arts should be there to support everyone in the UK.
How else do you hope your album has changed things in the music game?
I hope Asian people who wanna make music feel like there’s a space being created for them. If that’s changing for the better, then I’m happy. And if songs like ‘Chosen Family’ have provided an auditory safe space for people who are going through difficult times in lockdown, then that’s all I can hope for.
What are you currently working on now? Can you tell us any goss about new music?
I am writing new music! Right now I’m taking a proper break and enjoying reading and collecting ideas ready for a writing trip in the new year, but I have demoed some stuff that I’m SO excited about. There’s not much more goss to say than that but I’ve been thanking the universe for giving me some creative juices finally.
I want to finish off by bringing together a couple of reviews for SAWAYAMA. It is a truly stunning album and, as I said, I think that Rina Sawayama is a modern phenomenon who is a definite idol – someone who is going to be revered and celebrated for many years to come. In their review, this is what AllMusic had to say:
“Bold and fearless, Japanese-British singer/songwriter Rina Sawayama made her full-length debut with the genre-bending statement Sawayama. Rooted in the sounds of the early 2000s, the set lovingly mines that era's mainstream mélange of teen pop, nu-metal, and beat-driven R&B, twisting the familiar with updated production and complex lyrical substance. At its core, Sawayama is about identity and finding oneself while navigating through minefields of culture, race, gender, and sexuality. 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. On this journey, she addresses intergenerational conflict and the burden of family history with the dramatic "Dynasty" -- which sounds like her biggest inspiration, Utada Hikaru, fronting early-era Evanescence -- and "Akasaka Sad," an electro-trap time warp that sounds like something Aaliyah might have done. After symbolically breaking the chains of hereditary pain and filial pressure, she sets her sights on the dangers of losing oneself to capitalist excess with "XS," a throwback to early-era Destiny's Child and Christina Aguilera that's amplified with buzzing metal riffs.
Those guitars subtly prepare listeners for the aggressive metallic uppercut "STFU!" On this standout track, she vents her anger and frustration, taking aim at fetishized Yellow Fever fantasies and the white male gaze with a force that would make Korn and Deftones proud. Once these demons are exorcized, she slides onto the dancefloor with the throwback club track "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)," cleverly employing the name of the iconic Japanese fashion brand and the original French phrase on this slick empowerment anthem dedicated to girl power and the queer community. Throughout, Sawayama deftly walks the line between confrontational force and wounded vulnerability, one minute fighting for acceptance on "Love Me 4 Me" and then struggling to find hope on "Fuck This World" and "Who's Gonna Save U Now?" When she's not lashing out against outside forces, she atones for past wrongs to family ("Paradisin'") and friends ("Bad Friend") and dedicates her affection and solidarity to the LGBTQ community ("Chosen Family"). With such lyrical and stylistic density to absorb, it's a wonder that she executes it so flawlessly. On this stunning debut, Sawayama captures Dua Lipa's future nostalgia and Poppy's metal-meets-pop savvy, rightfully making it her own with more depth, bigger thrills, and a limitless palette”.
I will put a playlist at the bottom of this feature; a selection of Rina Sawayama’s best tracks so far. It will be interesting to see how she follows up an amazing debut. This is how CLASH described the album when they sat down to listen:
“Pop has a new messiah in the form of Rina Sawayama and her debut album ‘Sawayama’.
This album has been a long time in the making and ‘Dynasty’ is the perfect first track, exploding into being with all its glam metal fury, demanding attention and setting the bar for the rest of the show.
There’s a nod to the early 2000s through much of the album. But rather than being nostalgic for the era, ‘Sawayama’ reworks and gives new life to the music Millennials and Gen Z’ers grew up to. It’s a fitting ode to that period: the album’s inspiration comes mostly from Rina’s experiences with growing up, family and identity.
Rina’s vocal presence is just as impressive as the album's genre span. Across the 13 track span of 'Sawayama' you’ll hear the powerful tones of a woman whose passion and fierceness is undeniable - never more than in uplifting tracks such as ‘Love Me 4 Me’ and ‘Chosen Family’.
The tracks ‘Akasaka Sad’ and ‘Paradisin’ specifically explore those memories of growing up between two places (for Rina, Japan and the UK) and the conflicting emotions that must come with that challenge, the first being about feeling displaced wherever in the world, and ‘Paradisin’ honing in on rebelling against authority, AKA… mum.
Although ‘Sawayama’ is a deeply personal album, the range of emotions portrayed throughout can be felt and personalised by anyone. The use of heavy metal, theatrics, synth and pop each have their hand in portraying so many varied emotions - from anger to guilt, confusion to elation. Each of these layers add to the melting pot, and these tough emotions have ultimately contributed to the creation of a flawless pop record.
Raw artistry paired with rich heritage makes for a magnificent, spine-tingling first album for Rina Sawayama”.
I will finish there, as I feel that I have put in quite a bit of information about Rina Sawayama and the reaction to her debut album. I know that she will continue to release music of the highest order. A truly amazing artist, do make sure that you keep your eyes out for her. It may seem rash declaring her a legend and ultimate icon of the future, though I do feel that there is some truth and substance in my claim. Having gone about ensuring that the Mercury Prize and BRIT Awards change their eligibility criteria, one has to salute one of Britain’s…
ABSOLUTE best artists.