Futurist pop artist Rina Sawayama has announced her debut album. Titled SAWAYAMA, it’s due out April 17th through Dirty Hit Records, the label home of The 1975 and Wolf Alice. In support, she has lined up a North American and UK tour.
According to the Japan-born, UK-based musician, the new LP is a personal look at family, identity, and the concept of belonging. “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,” Sawayama explained in a statement.
The 13-track collection was recorded with help from producer Clarence Clarity, as well as Bram Inscore (Troye Sivan), Nate Company (Carly Rae Jepsen), and Nicole Morier (Britney Spears). Sawayama also called on Danny L Harle (Charli XCX, Clairo) and songwriter Lauren Aquilina to bring the songs to completion.
(Read: The Top 25 Pop Albums of the 2010s)
Following her “STFU” single from November, Sawayama is previewing the effort with “Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)”. The clubby track is one that lyrically explores “the idea of people having to adopt negative male tropes to appear confident.” She added,
“The idea that the socially acceptable version of confidence is in acting ‘like the boys’, otherwise as a woman you get called a bitch – but in the club, we reclaim the word ‘bitch’ as a sign of ultimate confidence (‘yes bitch’, ‘work bitch’). I wanted to sit these two together and make a club fashion banger that makes you feeling like THAT bitch whoever you are.”
As for Sawayama’s upcoming live schedule, “The Dynasty Tour” takes place from late April through the last week of May. Cities on the itinerary include Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Glasgow, and London. Tickets go on general sale Friday, January 24th, and you’ll be able to snag them here.
Find Sawayama’s full tour docket below, followed by “Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)”.
Rina Sawayama 2020 Tour Dates:
04/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
04/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
04/27 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
04/28 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
05/01 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
05/02 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
05/03 – Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club Theatre
05/06 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
05/07 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
05/08 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
05/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry at the Fillmore
05/14 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tuts
05/15 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
05/16 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute3
05/21 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
SAWAYAMA Artwork:
SAWAYAMA Tracklist:
01. Dynasty
02. XS
03. STFU!
04. Comme des Garçons (Like The Boys)
05. Akasaka Sad
06. Paradisin’
07. Love Me 4 Me
08. Bad Friend
09. Fuck This World (Interlude)
10. Who’s Gonna Save U Now?
11. Tokyo Love Hotel
12. Chosen Family
13. Snakeskin
