Written by: David Williams
Score 7.5/10
If you asked Rina Sawayama for one word to describe the theme of her latest album, Hold the Girl, she would respond in a heartbeat: therapy. Since the pandemic’s start, the 32-year-old Japanese-British pop star has been working to tear the mental scar tissue gathered over the years by committing many hours to therapy and self-help books. Sawayama’s journey of self-betterment naturally bleeds into her new album, as she told Them Magazine, “I’m trying to infiltrate therapy into pop music.”
To see where Rina Sawayama is now, we must reflect on her 2020 self-titled debut, SAWAYAMA, a masterclass in Y2K nostalgia. Rina pristinely executes a hodge-podge of modern-day pop, nu metal, R&B, and dance that shows off the type of star power that succeeds in any genre. After her debut’s success, she started rising up the ranks of pop stardom with the speed of a fiery comet collaborating on various projects with musical legends Lady Gaga, Metallica, and Elton John. Known for her theatrical music video performances, she also caught the eye of director Chad Stahelski, who cast Sawayama to star in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4 alongside action maven Keanu Reeves.
Photo Courtesy of Dirty Hit Records
Rina has never been afraid to color outside the lines of what a pop album should sound like, with her genre-blending becoming her trademark in a sense. But one musical genre that escaped her debut album was Country music. Making her sophomore album, Sawayama became drawn to the genre because of the songwriting’s openness and honesty and how the music resonated with her at the moment. One country inspiration stylistically that resonates with Sawayama’s new album is that of Shana Twain, having been influenced by the musical icon’s career spanning almost 30 years. This vividly plays out in the song “Send My Love to John.” The song has bright vocals, and poignant storytelling told from a mother’s perspective about coming to terms and accepting her son for who he really is on the inside.
The lead single, “This Hell,” is a country western pop banger with a stadium-ready anthem of a chorus. It also features a kick-ass 80s hair-metal guitar solo and even peppers in pop culture references from Britney Spears to the film The Devil Wears Prada. Rina adds to the track’s fun energy by not taking herself too seriously and keeping things light. It’s a needed moment of fun on the record, which dives into more serious topics accross the rest of the 46-minute runtime.
While listening to Hold the Girl, you get a sense that Rina is engaging her inner child, yearning for when she feels free and unburdened by the stresses of adult life. Now in her early 30s, she sings about attempting to tap into that inner child deep down somewhere, like on the track “Phantom:” “Inner child, come back to me / I wanna tell you that I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Songs like “Phantom” and “Catch Me in the Air” get this message across clearly, with the former being a song with a ballad chorus and another smashing guitar solo waiting for you at the end of the track, while the latter is dedicated to her mom wanting to right the wrongs of their relationship while she was growing up.
Photo Courtesy of Dirty Hit Records
Feeling like you let yourself down when you were younger and coming to terms with moving past the anguish for forgiveness is a heavy topic to approach. Yet the title track, “Hold the Girl,” confronts this idea head-on. Written after an intense therapy session, the song contemplates this complicated growth process while musically floating between a ballad and dance-pop.
The album is at its best when the uptempo pop songs come onto the scene. “Imagining” and “Frankenstein” are fast-paced dance summer hits with choruses that flow effortlessly. Both tracks still follow the overall message of daily striving to be a better person. Still, they are executed in a way that is pure entertainment for the listener.
The record falls short in some aspects. The formula Rina uses on her choruses for a good chunk of the songs can start to feel repetitive. You can see what she’s going for by trying to produce pieces that can be anthems in a 50,000-seat stadium, but in some instances, the songs don’t call for that style of singing and feel forced. Also, some records have specific subject matter that all won’t be able to relate to, causing little replay value.
This is a record that the pop star needed to create, and by the end of the last song, “To Be Alive,” she feels whole again, getting through her dark past to finally look forward to a bright future. Hold the Girl reveals how therapy changed Rina Sawayama’s life for the better while musically traversing many different genres. The strength of her sophomore effort shows that her debut was just the start and cements her status as one of the most versatile artists today.