Rina Sawayama says half of her sophomore album is complete: 'The new era has already started'
As if Rina Sawayama wasn't already the talk of the town with a fine collection of music this year, the rising alternative pop star is currently halfway through another album.
The 'Bad Friend' singer sat down for an interview with Music Feeds recently to discuss the reception of her debut LP 'Sawayama', a potential tour in Australia, as well as a glimpse into a sophomore studio album.
Although she hasn't revealed the project's title in the interview, Sawayama confirmed she already has a significant number of songs clinched for the upcoming record. Here's hoping we'll get some singles before it drops.
When asked about future material, she said, "Oh, the next era has already started!" Sawayama, who identifies as both bisexual and pansexual, noted her challenge of writing a heterosexual love song. "Again, as much as I try, cannot for the life of me write a heterosexual love song. Keep trying, I can’t do it." She continued, "But, I’ve let the pressure go and am just letting myself do what I want, or need. I’m enjoying reading other people’s works and listening to other people’s songs. There was a moment there where I was scared to listen to anyone else’s music because I was in such a weird mental state of comparing myself to other people. But now, I’m free of that. So it’s good."
Sawayama then went on to share further details about the album when asked about an expected release date. "I’ve got about half an album of working songs already. I’m going to keep writing, and I’ve heard that I might be going to Nashville to write which is one of my dreams."
She expressed, "That’s important to me because country music and people who write in country – they are so about the story," adding, "That’s why I love Taylor Swift – folklore was amazing, she’s such an exemplary songwriter."
The singer also revealed that she's excited to tour in promotion of her debut LP next year, and concerts in Australia are "in the works".
Sawayama said, "I also need to shout out my live agents. The amount of work they have to do for all the artists. So many live agencies are going through furloughs and there’s so many redundancies. I’m so grateful that they push through." She added, "The reason I don’t cancel any of the tours because I want to make sure that the tickets all stay with the promoters and the venues that keep them abreast."
Sawayama dropped her debut LP in April 2020 much to the widespread acclaim from music critics and love from both longtime fans and new listeners. It's positive criticism was specifically towards the wide variety of music genres used, as well as its Y2K nostalgia and "intelligent" nature. The album peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's US Heatseekers Albums chart and the UK Independent Album Breakers chart, among several other charts.