If you can't love yourself
How are you going to love somebody else?

The universe has been pushing me for weeks to listen to the 29 year old Japanese/British Rina Sawayama. Every curated playlist I listen to… BOOM… there she is with another song that sounds completely different from the last.

I finally took a dive into her debut album, Sawayama, after it was released late last month. Every time I listen to this extraordinary album I hear a new influence. You see, Rina Sawayama isn’t just another pop star. She’s a true artist who allows her various and bombastic influences to shine through.

In her 2017 EP, Rina, Sawayama mostly took a traditional pop route, but it laid the groundwork for her future tuneage. Her music and lyrics ooze with the confidence of someone who knows their music career is about to explode.

The end result is a “pop“ album with 2000’s Hip Hop beats, late 90’s alternative rock vibes, driving Sleigh Bells-esque guitar riffs, early Grimes styling, and pop power jams reminiscent of Lady GaGa.

Rina Sawayama is that rising star you can tell your friends about now and gain street cred before her profile goes into the stratosphere

-Josh

Tell me that doesn’t sound EXACTLY like a Sleigh Bells riff in “XS“

Besides wanting to smack the guy in the video myself, “STFU“ kicks you in the teeth with a Linkin Park-like explosion. I keep waiting for Chester Bennington (RIP) to pop in with “And I’m about to Break!“ Rina also has a flow that Morning View era Brandon Boyd would be proud of

Channeling Lady GaGa in the monstrous Pop power jam “Love Me 4 Me”

Bonus Track: 90’s and 2000’s Hip Hop/Pop collide in “Comme Des Garcons (Like the Boys)“