Rina Sawayama ist eine junge Pop-Künstlerin, die in Japan geboren wurde und mittlerweile im Vereinigten Königreich lebt. Erste Aufmerksamkeit erregte sie 2017 mit ihrer EP "RINA". Viele Kritiker feierten schon damals Rinas Mischung aus 2000er Pop, J-Pop, Rock und 90er R'n'B, aber sie flog erstmal eher unter dem Radar.
"RINA" (2017)
Cyber Stockholm Syndrome
Alterlife
Ordinary Superstar
Größere Aufmerksamkeit erregte im Netz die 2018er Single "Cherry":
In diesem Jahr kam endlich ihr erstes Album "SAWAYAMA" raus und die Kritiker überschütten es geradezu mit Lobeshymnen:
Upon release, Sawayama received widespread acclaim from music critics. Aggregator 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, indicating "universal acclaim". The album was rated an 8.2 out of 10 on aggregator AnyDecentMusic?.
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". NME complimented Sawayama for being "an exciting first step from an artist unafraid to push pop into new realms". 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."
SAWAYAMA (2020)
STFU!
Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)
XS
Bad Friend