Concerts

Catch Rina Sawayama when she performs in Boston

The artist whose debut album drew plaudits from none other than Sir Elton John hits Roadrunner Nov. 4.

Sawayama performs live at a concert. Rina Sawayama via Instagram

By Ria Goveas

1 minute to read

It’s not every artist whose debut album draws plaudits from none other than Sir Elton John, but Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama — who just released her second album, “Hold the Girl” — is one of the few. 

Her debut studio album, 2020’s “Sawayama,” was met with widespread critical acclaim, with Elton telling The New York Times, “ [the album] just blew me away. I had to call her up and tell her how brilliant it was. I mean, it was Led Zeppelin meets Prince meets a couple of things that referenced Madonna.”

Advertisement:

She also caused waves when protests by her fans on social media — under the hashtag #SawayamaIsBritish — caused the BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize to revise their rules to allow U.K. residents to compete even if they’re not British citizens.

Sawayama is also an actor, having starred opposite Keanu Reeves in “John Wick 4.”

According to Variety, compared to “Sawayama,” “Hold the Girl” is “more musically upbeat and pop-oriented, less intense and angsty while still being emotionally diverse and resonant — and the video for ‘This Hell’ shows a sexy, partying side of her that she hadn’t shown previously.”

Advertisement:

Sawayama spoke to Pitchfork about her intentions for her latest album, saying, “If I can heal someone around me or someone that I don’t know with the songs I write, and I’ve been given an opportunity to do so, why wouldn’t I take it? There are so many songs out there in the world, it kind of turns into noise, and I just want to do meaningful work.”

She will be performing at Roadrunner on Nov. 4.

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile