Why? Rina Sawayama has a unique presence in contemporary pop music. Her introspective and intimate lyrics paired expertly with melody, a voice that sits differently than many other singers, and a powerful vulnerability. As a Japanese British artist and pan sapphic woman, she brings a unique perspective through her music that I know captivates me.
Where to start?
Her 2021 performance of her single, “Chosen Family,” with Sir Elton John is moving and perfect. The fact that Elton plays to her lyrics and composition wholeheartedly is beautiful and speaks to the talent he sees in this young queer artist. There is no better ode to the beauty of chosen family that defines queer life.
I also want to encourage people to listen to her entire 2022 album, “Hold the Girl.” Rina has spoken in interviews about how this album was her attempt to “infuse pop with therapy” (https://www.them.us/story/rina-sawayama-hold-the-girl-interview-cover). And so many of these songs have accompanied me on my own journey through trauma therapy for which it’s hard to express how much they mean.
The title track, “Hold the Girl,” is about her own experiences reconnecting with the girl she was that trauma disconnected her from, but I can’t help but read my own experience as a queer trans fem into it:
“Reach inside and hold you close
I won't leave you on your own
Teach me the words I used to know
Yeah, I forgot them long ago
I wanna rеmember
She is mе and I am her
So hold the girl”
Much of her music is also joyfully and unrepentantly queer. Another single from that same album, “This Hell,” should be a pride anthem for all of us that left religious trauma, but it also features a pansexual, polyamorous, cowboy wedding...yes, you need to watch it now! Also, I can’t help but read the two partners she’s marrying in the music video as representing Madonna from “Don’t Tell Me” and Lil Nas X from “Old Town Road.”
And the first song I encountered her through, “STFU,” is a battle cry for every person tired of dealing with mansplaining reply guys...and the video is a hilarious roast of every terrible man Rina has ever dated.
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