"Chosen Family" is the fourth single and twelfth track from Rina Sawayama's debut studio album Sawayama (2020). The single, written by Sawayama and produced by Danny L Harle, was released on 3 April 2020 under Dirty Hit.
Background[]
Prior to the single's release, Sawayama leaked its chords and lyrics so that fans create their own versions of the track.[1] She also released a video featuring her favourite fan made versions of the track as well as a tutorial of how to play the song on the guitar.[2]
Sawayama said about the song:
I wrote this thinking about my chosen family, which is my LGBTQ sisters and brothers. I mean, at university, and at certain points in my life where I’ve been having a hard time, the LGBTQ community has always been there for me. The concept of chosen family has been long-standing in the queer community because a lot of people get kicked out of their homes and get ostracized from their family for coming out or just living true to themselves. I wanted to write a song literally for them, and it’s just a message and this idea of a safe space—an actual physical space.
— via Apple Music[3]
Updated version[]
In June 2020, following the release of Sawayama's debut studio album, English iconic musician Elton John called the album "the strongest album of the year so far," and that "every single track is great".[4] On 1 December 2020, Sawayama played an acoustic version "Chosen Family" with her bandmate Vic Jamieson, on John's World AIDS Day TikTok livestream. That same month, Sawayama and John started working on a reworked version of the song, "after a 2 week quarantine and lots of testing".[5]
The updated piano acoustic version of "Chosen Family" with Elton John was released on 14 April 2021, accompanied by a lyric video of the two performing the song. This version is featured on the deluxe edition of Sawayama's debut album, Sawayama and is the fifth track on John's 2021 album The Lockdown Sessions.[6]
Live performances[]
Sawayama performed an acoustic version of "Chosen Family" during Elton John's World AIDS Day livestream on 1 December 2020, accompanied by London-based guitarist Vic Jamieson.[7] They also performed the song on the 2020 Attitude Awards.[8]
It is also part of the regular set list of the Dynasty Tour, which began on 8 November 2021 in Dublin, Ireland.
Track listing and formats[]
Digital releases[]
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Label: Dirty Hit Format: Digital download, streaming Released: 3 April 2020 Catalog #: N/A Barcode: N/A Photography: N/A Design: Parent Company, Luca Devinu (logo) |
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| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chosen Family" | 4:08 |
With Elton John[]
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Label: Dirty Hit Format: Digital download, streaming Released: 14 April 2021 Catalog #: N/A Barcode: N/A Photography: N/A Design: Parent Company, Luca Devinu (logo), Elena Fortune (constelations) |
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| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chosen Family" (with Elton John) | 4:39 |
Lyrics[]
Where do I belong?
Tell me your story and I'll tell you mine
I'm all ears, take your time, we've got all night
Show me the rivers crossed, the mountains scaled
Show me who made you walk all the way here
Ooh
Settle down, put your bags down
Ooh
You're alright now
We don't need to be related to relate
We don't need to share genes or a surname
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
So what if we don't look the same?
We been going through the same thing, yeah
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
Hand me a pen and I'll rewrite the pain
When you're ready, we'll turn the page together
Open a bottle, it's time we celebrate
Who you were, who you are
We're one and the same, yeah, yeah
We don't need to be related to relate
We don't need to share genes or a surname
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
So what if we don't look the same?
We been going through the same thing, yeah
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
I chose you
You chose me
I chose (Chosen family)
I chose you
You chose me
We're alright now
We don't need to be related to relate
We don't need to share genes or a surname
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
So what if we don't look the same?
We been going through the same pain, yeah
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
We don't need to be related to relate
We don't need to share genes or a surname
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
So what if we don't look the same?
We been going through the same pain, yeah
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
We don't need to be related to relate
We don't need to share genes or a surname
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
So what if we don't look the same?
We been going through the same pain, yeah
You are, you are
My chosen, chosen family
References[]
- ↑ "Rina Sawayama asks fans to interpret her next single ‘Chosen Family’ and shares chords online". NME.
- ↑ "Rina Sawayama Celebrates Her Queer 'Chosen Family' on Uplifting New Single: Listen". Billboard.
- ↑ "SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama on Apple Music". Apple Music.
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Updates (@rinasawaupdates) (16 June 2020). "Rina Sawayama Updates on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved on September 1, 2021. “Elton John on SAWAYAMA: “This is my favourite album of the year. Thank you so much for a great album. When you do play live.. i’ll be there front row, i’m such a huge fan. Thank you Rina for everything. I adore you and will be playing your album to death for the next few months.””
- ↑ Rina Sawayama (@rinasawayama) (1 September 2021). "Rina Sawayama on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved on September 1, 2021. “it was a dream come true to re-work Chosen Family with Elton during lockdown last December. after a 2 week quarantine and lots of testing we got in the studio together, and the rest is history.”
- ↑ Strauss, Matthew (1 September 2021). "Elton John Announces New Album Featuring Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, Dua Lipa, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved on September 1, 2021.
- ↑ Skinner, Tom (1 December 2020). "Sam Fender and Rina Sawayama to perform on Elton John’s World AIDS Day live-stream tonight". NME. Retrieved on July 5, 2021.
- ↑ Tabberer, Jamie (4 December 2020). "Rina Sawayama performs 'Chosen Family at the Attitude Awards". Attitude.co.uk. Retrieved on June 6, 2021.
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