Rina (stylised in all caps) is Rina Sawayama's debut extended play. Also described as a mini album, Rina was independently released on 27 October 2017. Sawayama funded the album herself, working for "2-3 jobs at a time for years" to save enough to release the EP.[1] Sawayama promoted the album through the Ordinary Superstar Tour in 2018.
Background[]
The mini album is themed around navigating life in relation to the internet. Rina was inspired by psychologist Sherry Turkle's analysis of how technology both connects and divides us, with tightly coiled songs about racial prejudice and SSRI doses.[2]
Sawayama started working on Rina in 2015, after reading Turkle's book Alone Together, originally published in 2011. She released the Hoost-produced song "Tunnel Vision" in April 2015, and its music video was released two months later. In January 2016, Sawayama released her single "Where U Are", which interpolates Jackson 5's song "I Wanna Be Where You Are", and a music video was also released a month later. It was also announced that Sawayama was releasing her debut EP titled Alone Together in late 2016, featuring "Tunnel Vision" and "Where U Are". However, the project was postponed.
Between 2016 and 2017, Sawayama's manager Will Frost introduced her to London-based producer Clarence Clarity. The Alone Together saw a few changes during this time, as "Tunnel Vision" and "Where U Are" didn't serve as singles anymore. In March 2017, Sawayama released "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome", produced by Clarity and Hoost, and revealed through Twitter that the EP is now an album expected to be released in 2017.
Artwork[]
The album cover art was shot by Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee and features Rina in one of the characters of the "Alterlife" music video. Sawayama, styled by Lauren Anne Groves, wears a dress by Lorenzo Buzzi from the 2017 collection The Story of Vanda.
Promotion[]
In the fall of 2018, the mini album was promoted through the Ordinary Superstar Tour.
Singles[]
"Cyber Stockholm Syndrome" was the lead single of the mini album, released on the 22nd of March 2017. Written back in 2015, it is inspired by a conversation with Arvida Byström about "being confident online to deal with pain irl [sic]". The single was accompanied by a music video released on YouTube on 30th of August 2017.
"Alterlife" was the second single from the mini album, released on 21st of September 2017. According to Sawayama, in an email to The Fader, "Alterlife" is about "finding yourself through trying to be other people. The music video was released on 7th of October 2017 and directed by Shane Lim.
"Tunnel Vision" is the third single from the mini album, originally released as a solo song on the 10th of April 2015. It was later rereleased on the 24th of October 2017 featuring Shamir. The music video was released on 19th of June 2015, for the solo version.
Critical reception[]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Album of the Year | 85/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [4] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8.5/10[5] |
Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian called the EP "nostalgic" and capable of "shepard[ing] pop into the future." She praised "Alterlife" as a highlight and called it a "double-speed power ballad, replete with twinkling synths and an industrial guitar riff" and compared it to Grimes' 2015 album Art Angels. She also compared "Ordinary Superstar" to Britney Spears and Hannah Montana, with the former exerting heavy influence over the EP as a whole. Saam Idelji-Tehrani of The Line of Best Fit also praised Rina, saying "Although Sawayama’s mini-album is one laced with nostalgia, she intelligently uses 90s pop and R&B as a canvas to paint 21st Century missives on internet addiction, alter-ego dependence and the gratification found through web-based validation." Idelji-Tehrani compared "Take Me As I Am" to "NSYNC-inspired power pop" and "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome to Butterfly-era Mariah Carey.[5]
In their list of the Top 20 Best Pop and R&B albums of 2017, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 19 praised Rina for her wide array of influences including experimental J-Pop, Neptunes, Britney Spears, and synthwave, saying she has "a knack for them all".[6]
Track listing[]
All songs written by Rina Sawayama and Clarence Clarity, except where noted, while all production done by Clarence Clarity.[7]
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ordinary Superstar" | 3:47 | |
| 2. | "Take Me As I Am" | 3:26 | |
| 3. | "10-20-40" | 3:15 | |
| 4. | "Tunnel Vision" (featuring Shamir) | Sawayama, Justin Tailor | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Time Out (Interlude)" | 1:00 | |
| 6. | "Alterlife" | 4:04 | |
| 7. | "Through the Wire (Interlude)" | Sawayama, Tailor | 2:03 |
| 8. | "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome" | Sawayama, Clarity, Tailor | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 24:53 | ||
Cut Songs[]
"Tokyo Takeover" was a track recorded for RINA, according to an interview on a Suitcase Magazine.[8] The track was written around 2015 and its about Rina's struggles with embracing her Japanese roots while growing up in England. The track was later used as a bonus track on Sawayama (Japanese Deluxe Version).
References[]
- ↑ Rina Sawayama on Twitter: "I felt the pressure to lie about my age in this industry but that would disrespect my journey !! read PPS at Cambridge age 19-22, then dealt with crippling mental health issues for years into my mid 20s, worked 2-3 jobs at a time for years until I could save up for the RINA EP"
- ↑ Myers, Owen (13 December 2018). "Rina Sawayama Interview". Vulture. Retrieved on April 5, 2022.
- ↑ RINA by Rina Sawayama reviews
- ↑ Rina Sawayama: Rina review – R&B-fuelled peek into the pop future
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The future’s bright, the future’s Rina
- ↑ The 20 Best Pop and R&B albums of 2018
- ↑ Rina by Rina Sawayama credits
- ↑ Suitcase Magazine Tokyo Tourguide - Rina Sawayama
| |||||||
| Self-Released • 2017 |