Rina Sawayama, a Japanese singer-songwriter based in London and active worldwide, will release a Japan-exclusive Commemorative Edition of her first album SAWAYAMA on August 3, 2022.

The artist’s first album was released on Sawayama’s Dirty Hit label, which has also released music by The 1975, Pale Waves, and Wolf Alice. It quickly became a worldwide sensation, receiving high praise from a number of media outlets, with Rolling Stone hailing it as a “thrilling adventure in music” and the New York Times calling Sawayama a “model musician for the streaming age.” The BBC named SAWAYAMA album of the year, saying that the musician “is a uniquely compelling artist who deserves all the attention she gets.”

The album was also named Album of the Year by Consequence of Sound, NPR, Paste Magazine, Rough Trade, and Uproxx.

Comment from Rina Sawayama

“Ultimately, this album is about family and identity. The theme is about self-understanding in the context of belonging to two different cultures–for me, both British and Japanese. It’s important to find a place where you can be at ease inside–where you can break free of stereotypes and simply be yourself without hiding your flaws.”

Sawayama was named Vogue Japan’s Woman of the Year 2019 and was the winner of Spotify Japan’s Early Noise 2020 award. The song Chosen Family, featuring Elton John, was used during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. She is scheduled to perform at Summer Sonic 2022.

Chosen Family (with Elton John) – Performance and Lyric Video

SAWAYAMA (Deluxe Edition) -Japan Exclusive Commemorative Edition- includes a 2-CD set containing 27 tracks, including remixes by SEKAI NO OWARI’s global project End of the World, acoustic tracks, and the aforementioned Elton John collaboration track. It also comes with a Blu-ray featuring music videos. On September 2, Sawayama will release her second album Hold The Girl.

Expectations are high for Rina Sawayama going forward, so keep an eye on this incredible artist!

Niigata-born singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama recently announced that she would be releasing her long-awaited new album Hold The Girl in September 2022. The artist, based in London, recently performed at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2022, a popular U.K. music festival. Her new track, This Hell, was met with massive fanfare, and those who missed her performance in person can now watch it on YouTube!

This Hell – Rina Sawayama (Big Weekend 2022): https://youtu.be/42iGscAMjTo　

Along with the live performance footage, Sawayama has also revealed a lyric video for This Hell. The video is what fans would expect, harnessing the artist’s incredible creativity.

This Hell – Rina Sawayama (Official Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/yZKThkBA42M

Rina is scheduled to perform at SUMMER SONIC 2022, which will be held in Tokyo on August 20 and Osaka on August 21.

The song This Hell is the first to be released under a new partnership between Rina Sawayama’s Dirty Hit label and Universal Music Japan.

Rina Sawayama dropped a new single yesterday entitled Bad Friend which is taken from her new debut album SAWAYAMA which released today.

In Bad Friend, we hear Rina pour out her emotions via velvety vocals and a smooth beat as she sings about a past friendship. The song is already been played over and over in Japan on SONAR TRAX on J-WAVE and New Fire!! on InterFM897.

Rina has not been shy in sharing on social media how Bad Friend is a super special one to her. She explains the track was inspired by a best friend she used to have, but she unfortunately ran from that relationship in her early 20’s. She said that anyone can end up being a bad friend, but pondered why.

Rina Sawayama – Bad Friend (Karaoke Video)

Rina has also announced a new set of UK and US tour dates, see below and mark your calendars.

Rina Sawayama has graced us with yet another track from her forthcoming debut album Sawayama which is set to hit shelves on April 17, 2020.

Chosen Family is the name of the new song from the singer-songwriter and it dropped on April 3. The penultimate track of her album and the last one she wrote for it, the song comes after Rina asked fans to interpret the meaning behind the song before its official release. She posted the chords and lyrics for it and asked fans to get creative while self-isolating. Rina followed up the track’s release with a video on her YouTube channel showing fans how to play it.

Chosen Family is produced by PC Music’s Danny L Harle who has worked with artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen and Charli XCX. It also has Jonny Latimer on board, who has co-written tracks with Ellie Goulding and done studio work with Sam Smith.

The song is an ode to the LGBTQ+ community who Rina considers her chosen family. Speaking about her inspiration for the track, Rina says: “Chosen Family’ is a very special song for me. The concept of a chosen family is, to me, a queer one – people are often kicked out of their homes or ostracized by their family, friends, and community after coming out. This can be an incredibly painful experience that can be remedied by finding a new ‘chosen’ family.”

She continues: “The chorus lyrics ‘We don’t need to be related to relate, we don’t need to share genes or a surname’ is an invitation for anyone that feels that sense of otherness to find their chosen family, where they can truly be themselves and feel loved. I dedicate this song to my queer friends who I now consider family – it’s essentially a big thank you to them, as I love them so much and I genuinely don’t think I would be alive right now if it weren’t for them.”

Rina’s popularity continues to grow worldwide, including in Japan. She performed on the MBS television show Jonetsu Tairiku last year. She was also chosen as one of Vogue Japan’s “Women of the Year” for 2019. Her song XS was also included in Spotify Japan’s “Early Noise 2020” list. Her debut album is now available for pre-order.

Speaking about Sawayama, Rina says: “The album ultimately is about family and identity,” she explains. “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.”

Rina Sawayama as born in Japan. She and her parents moved to the UK when she was 5-years-old. She discovered her love for music and studying in her teens, and went on to study at the University of Cambridge. She began to notice the differences in culture between people of different races, and what exclusion was. Rina carved her own identity from these experiences, tying her Japanese and Western roots together, and evolved into an artist that defines her unique pop style.

Sawayama will be released on April 17, 2020 via Dirty Hit.

Lady Gaga chose two of Japanese-born British icon Rina Sawayama’s tracks for her “Women of Choice” playlist on Apple Music, STFU! and Cherry. Other acts on Gaga’s curated list include Charli XCX, Grimes, HAIM, ROSALÍA, St.Vincent, TOKiMONSTA, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Rina is described as an “experimental pop visionary who refuse to play by the rules” in the playlist.

Rina Sawayama’s international fame has continued to skyrocket over the past year. When she signed to Dirty Hit in November 2019, Matthew Healy, the front man of The 1975 who are on the same label, called her a member of the family.

Her presence in Japan continues to grow as well. She performed on the MBS television show Jonetsu Tairiku last year. She was also chosen as one of Vogue Japan’s “Women of the Year” for 2019. Her song XS was included in Spotify Japan’s “Early Noise 2020” list.

Rina is now set to garner even more fans in Japan with the release of an introductory video entitled “Who is RINA” which was posted on the official avex YouTube channel.

American-Japanese model and actress Kiko Mizuhara, who is an old friend of Rina’s, spoke of her: “She’s an audacious woman whose music shows people around the world the importance of being yourself.” (*Comment translated from Japanese)

Rina Sawayama will release her debut album SAWAYAMATwitter on April 22, 2020. Rina said on her official page: “I put my heart and soul into it, writing and producing it across 2.5 years with
Clarence Clarity and many others. It contains all my memories from 29 years.”