Release: April 17th, 2020
Genre: Pop
Stream: Spotify
If Rina's self-titled-first-name debut can be understood as a sort of tell-all of the benefits and pitfalls of being an individual born with, raised by, and operating within the internet as a "cyber popstar" then SAWAYAMA exists to discard fiction and explore the reality rejected by the sister release. This record feels more direct and personal in the way it frames its topics and themes. RINA relied heavily on the inferences and assumptions of the audience to gain an understanding of Rina Sawayama, or at least, the image she constructed as a girl in the cloud. This record on the other hand strips away these boundaries and gives us... SAWAYAMA.
Sure, the argument can still be made that this is just more artistic construction and theatrics framed as the "honest and real" record that so many other pop artists have claimed to create at various points in their careers - but what exists here is a rawer confrontation with the uglier side of living as a minority in unwelcoming spaces and that's worth something. Here we grapple with themes of racism, struggles with cultural identity, long onset depression, first loves, and familial issues - the real-world realities that the internet can erase. It serves as the stage for what is in incredible, tightly-knit piece drawing deep into personal experiences and insecurities.
The record is built like a late 90s/early 2000s pop record and draws from a large range of influences and styles. And it's more than an ordinary aesthetic copy/paste job as far as I'm concerned. What I find to be incredibly interesting about this record is that its role as a reviver of "Y2K" sounds and iconography doesn't stop with aesthetics. Careful note and consideration has been taken of the mechanical space an album of this era occupies and the meta that surrounds it as an era-revival record. From the new jack swing hits of summer's past to Britney Spears and nu-metal to further points of reference in modern times - this album's lack of commitment to a single "consistent" genre beyond the vagueries of being a "pop" record is interesting.
I read this album as though I am being offered a collection of photographs by Rina herself. Memories and the psyche framed by the music of the previous eras that were the most influential and impactful for Rina as a person. There is something very intimate about opening up to others through the music you grow on the memories associated with them. It makes SAWAYAMA an album about the music and experiences that make up Rina Sawayama the person than just a normal pop record with some heavier themes.
It's committing to music deep conversation that has been exclusive only to playlists or write-ups on websites about how music has impacted us. It's showing instead of telling the amazing ways music molds a person and how those influences can be turned into inspiration for future generations. I find it cool to occupy dated album formats and structures to make something entirely new in music meta without compromising the integrity of the record itself. It makes me understand Rina on a deeper level through the hard-hitting metal tracks all the way to the cheesy country ballad. This album is Rina Sawayama and someday I hope to see how this record played a pivotal role in our understanding of other artists in the future.
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