Sawayama

Sawayama (stylised in all caps) is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on April 17, 2020 by record label Dirty Hit.[3][4] A follow up to her independently released debut extended play Rina (2017), the album features a total of thirteen tracks (fourteen on the Japanese edition).

Sawayama
Studio album by
Rina Sawayama
Released17 April 2020 (2020-04-17)
Recorded2017–2019
Studio
  • Heavy Duty Studios, California, United States
  • DH00270, London, United Kingdom
  • Shelter Studios, London, United Kingdom
Genre
Length43:34
Language
  • English
  • Japanese
LabelDirty Hit
Producer
Rina Sawayama chronology
Rina
(2017)		 Sawayama
(2020)
Singles from Sawayama
  1. "STFU!"
    Released: November 22, 2019
  2. "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)"
    Released: January 17, 2020
  3. "XS"
    Released: March 2, 2020
  4. "Chosen Family"
    Released: April 3, 2020
  5. "Bad Friend"
    Released: April 15, 2020[2]

The album is mostly influenced by 2000s mainstream pop, nu metal, rock, R&B, and dance-pop, and was described as an album "about family and identity" by the singer herself. With Sawayama contributing lyrically to every track on the album, production for the record was largely handled by Clarence Clarity, featuring additional work from several producers such as Danny L Harle, Kyle Shearer, Jonathan Gilmore, Bram Inscore, Lauren Aquilina, and others. In addition to its release on digital and streaming release, the album also received three limited vinyl editions in store, with the only difference being the LP's vinyl colour.

Upon its release, Sawayama received critical acclaim from critics for its Y2K flashback and "intelligent" nature, further citing the album as "honest, genre-exploding self-portrait" of the singer. It was eventually included in several mid-year accolades by the critics, such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Uproxx.

The album attained success for Sawayama in her native country, becoming her second entry on the Japan Download Albums chart while being her first to enter the UK Albums Download and Scottish Albums Chart, peaking at number thirty and sixty on its first week, respectively. It also became Sawayama's first chart appearance in the United States, reaching number six on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart in its first week.

Background and promotion

Sawayama was recorded in London and Los Angeles.[5] The artist herself stated in a press release that the album "is about family and identity. It's about understanding yourself in the context of two opposing cultures (for me British and Japanese), what "belonging" means when home is an evolving concept, figuring out where you sit comfortably within and awkwardly outside of stereotypes, and ultimately trying to be ok with just being you, warts and all."[4]

Singles

"STFU!" was released as the lead single to the then-unannounced album on 21 November 2019.[6] It is a nu metal track and represents a change in direction for Sawayama.[7] The song premiered alongside the music video, which was co-directed by Ali Kurr and Sawayama herself.[8] 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).[9]

"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" was released as the second single to the album, along with the album pre-order,[10] on 17 January 2020. It is a dance track written about female empowerment and the "rejection of traditional masculinity" by gay men.[10] 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.[11] A music video featuring the original mix of the song was released to YouTube on 26 February 2020.[12]

"XS" was released as the album's third official single on 2 March 2020.[13] Sawayama stated that the track "is a song that mocks capitalism in a sinking world. Given that we all know global climate change is accelerating and human extinction is a very real possibility within our lifetime it seemed hilarious to me that brands were still coming out with new makeup palettes every month and public figures were doing a gigantic house tour of their gated property in Calabasas in the same week as doing a 'sad about Australian wildfires' Instagram post."[14] 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."[15] A music video for the track was released on 17 April 2020.[16] On 10 July 2020 the remix of the song came out in collaboration with the rapper 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.

"Chosen Family" was the fourth single to be released from the album, on 3 April 2020.[17] A week and a half before the official release date of the single,[18] Sawayama leaked the chords and the lyrics to the track so that fans create their own versions of the track.[19] The day after the single released, a video was uploaded to her official YouTube account featuring her favourite fan made versions of the track, and a tutorial of how to play the song on the guitar.[20]

"Bad Friend" was released as the fifth single from the record on 15 April 2020, two days before the album's release.[21] It was released following its debut on BBC Radio 1 the same day.[22] 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.[21] A karaoke video for the track was released to YouTube on the same day as the release.[23] The music video was released on 20 May. The song topped on the Tokio Hot 100.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year85/100[24]
AnyDecentMusic?8.3/10[25]
Metacritic89/100[26]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[27]
Clash9/10[28]
Consequence of SoundA−[29]
DIY[30]
The Independent[31]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[32]
NME[33]
Pitchfork7.7/10[34]
Q[35]
Rolling Stone[36]

Sawayama was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 89 out of 100, based on reviews from 14 critics.[26] The album was rated an 8.3 out of 10 on the aggregator AnyDecentMusic?.[25]

The Line of Best Fit writer Erin Bashford called it a "deftly intelligent record [that] takes personal and musical themes, and presents them in a way that doesn't feel like it's ever been done before". 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".[32] NME complimented Sawayama for being "an exciting first step from an artist unafraid to push pop into new realms".[37] Writing for Pitchfork, Katherine St. Asaph described Sawayama as "a Y2K flashback that’s as reverent of Evanescence and Korn as it is of Britney and Christina."[34] In June 2020, Elton John called the album "the strongest album of the year so far" and called album track "Bad Friend" "a song that Madonna would die for."[38] 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."[39]

Rankings
Critics' rankings for Sawayama
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Billboard Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year N/A
[40]
The Guardian The best albums of 2020 so far N/A
[41]
Paste Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
17
[42]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Albums of 2020 So Far N/A
[43]
Slant The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far) N/A
[44]
Uproxx The Best Albums Of 2020 So Far
25
[45]

Track listing
Sawayama track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Dynasty"
3:08
2."XS"
  • Sawayama
  • Chris Lyon
  • Kyle Shearer
  • Nate Campany
  • Shearer
  • Lyon
  • Clarity
3:21
3."STFU!"
  • Sawayama
  • Crisp
Clarity3:23
4."Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)"
Inscore3:01
5."Akasaka Sad"
  • Sawayama
  • Crisp
Clarity3:02
6."Paradisin'"
  • Sawayama
  • Crisp
Clarity3:06
7."Love Me 4 Me"
  • Sawayama
  • Inscore
  • Morier
Clarity3:12
8."Bad Friend"
  • Sawayama
  • Shearer
  • Gilmore
3:28
9."Fuck This World (Interlude)"
  • Sawayama
  • Crisp
Clarity2:45
10."Who's Gonna Save U Now?"
  • Sawayama
  • Lattimer
  • Richard Cooper
Clarity3:21
11."Tokyo Love Hotel"
Clarity4:27
12."Chosen Family"Sawayama
4:08
13."Snakeskin"
  • Sawayama
  • Crisp
  • Lattimer
Clarity3:12
Total length:43:34
Sawayama – Japanese edition (bonus track)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Tokyo Takeover"
  • Justin Tailor
  • Sawayama
3:27
Total length:47:01

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Japan Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[46] 65
Scottish Albums (OCC)[47] 60
UK Digital Albums (OCC)[48] 30
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[49] 8
UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)[50] 2

Release history
Release formats for Sawayama
Country Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various April 17, 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
  • vinyl
  • CD
 Standard Dirty Hit [51][52][53]

References
  1. "How Rina Sawayama Fused Early 2000s Pop & Nu-Metal to 'Break the Chain' of Familial Discord". Billboard. April 21, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. Kenneally, Cerys (April 15, 2020). "Rina Sawayama to release new single "Bad Friend" tonight". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  3. "Rina Sawayama on Her Wildly Eclectic and Disarmingly Personal Debut Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  4. "SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama". Genius. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  5. Strauss, Matthew (January 17, 2020). "Rina Sawayama Announces Tour and Debut Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  6. Rina Sawayama – STFU!, retrieved April 15, 2020
  7. Pykeren, Sam Van. "Rina Sawayama wants us to "STFU!" and it's probably best we listen". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  8. Kurr, Ali and Rina Sawayama, directors. STFU! YouTube, Dirty Hit , 21 November 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XojM2D3F-Dc&feature=youtu.be.
  9. "Rina Sawayama – STFU!". Album of The Year. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. Shaffer, Claire (January 1, 2020). "Rina Sawayama Announces Debut Album, Shares Pulsing Club Track 'Comme Des Garçons'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  11. Rina Sawayama (Ft. Pabllo Vittar) – Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys) [Brabo Remix], retrieved April 15, 2020
  12. Comme Des Garcons (Like The Boys). (2020).
  13. Rina Sawayama – XS, retrieved April 16, 2020
  14. Hussey, Allison. "Listen to Rina Sawayama's New Song 'XS'". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  15. "Track review: Rina Sawayama drops new single "XS"". EUPH. March 5, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  16. Rina Sawayama (April 17, 2020). "Rina Sawayama – XS (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  17. Rina Sawayama – Chosen Family, retrieved April 16, 2020
  18. "Rina Sawayama on Instagram: "👭🏻CHOSEN FAMILY👬🏻 💥GET INVOLVED IN MY NEXT SINGLE CHOSEN FAMILY OUT APRIL 3RD 💥 I decided to LEAK my own lyrics and chords to Chosen…"". Instagram. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  19. "Rina Sawayama asks fans to interpret her next single 'Chosen Family' and shares chords online | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. March 2, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  20. "Pop Artist REACTS to Fan Covers Chosen Family GUITAR TUTORIAL (Easy) | Rina Sawayama #WithMe." Youtube, Dirty Hit, 4 April 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8kZB1QnOcs.
  21. "Rina Sawayama – Bad Friend". Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  22. "Rina Sawayama on Instagram: "the final song before the album drop BAD FRIEND, one of my absolute faves from the record 😭😭😭, is dropping TONIGHT on @anniemac as the…"". Instagram. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  23. "Bad Friend". YouTube, Dirty Hit, 15 April 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1MjCsE2IE.
  24. "Rina Sawayama – Sawayama – Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  25. "SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  26. "Sawayama by Rina Sawayama Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  27. Yeung, Neil Z. "Sawayama – Rina Sawayama". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  28. Copley, Laura (April 15, 2020). "Rina Sawayama – Sawayama". Clash. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  29. Irving, Jennifer (April 21, 2020). "Rina Sawayama Reimagines Modern Pop on Debut SAWAYAMA". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  30. Siregar, Cady (April 16, 2020). "Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA". DIY. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  31. Bray, Elisa (April 16, 2020). "Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA review: An audacious album from one of the boldest voices in pop". The Independent. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  32. Bashford, Erin (April 13, 2020). "Rina Sawayama explores her heritage on a deft debut filled with experimentation". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  33. Mylrea, Hannah (April 17, 2020). "Rina Sawayama – 'SAWAYAMA' review: deeply personal self-portrait lays waste to genre constraints". NME. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  34. St. Asaph, Katherine (April 20, 2020). "Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  35. Aroesti, Rachel (June 2020). "Future Visions". Q. No. 411. p. 98.
  36. Spanos, Brittany (April 17, 2020). "Rina Sawayama Is the Pop Moment on Her Debut Album, 'Sawayama'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  37. "Win Rina Sawayama 'SAWAYAMA' album!". NME. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  38. "Elton John calls Rina Sawayama's debut LP "the strongest album of the year so far"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  39. Hull, Tom (April 28, 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  40. Billboard Staff (June 9, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  41. "The best albums of 2020 so far". The Guardian. May 11, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  42. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Paste. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  43. Spanos, Brittany (June 17, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  44. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Slant. June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  45. "The Best Albums Of 2020 So Far". Consequence of Sound. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  46. "Billboard Japan Download Albums– April 27, 2020". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  47. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  48. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  49. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  50. "Official Independent Album Breakers Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  51. "SAWAYAMA". Spotify. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  52. "SAWAYAMA Gold LP". Dirty Hit. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  53. "SAWAYAMA CD". Dirty Hit. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
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