FEATURE:
Behold the Girl
IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama/PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Patmore
Why Rina Sawayama’s Words Should Resonate in the Industry
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ONE of this country’s…
infest and most original artists is Rina Sawayama. She is someone who is hugely accomplished yet does not quite get the airplay she deserves. In terms of getting her music out there. A wonderful artist who released her debut album, SAWAYAMA, in 2020. Hold the Girl came out in 2022. I think the latter should have been nominated for a Mercury Prize. Someone who should be on everyone’s radar, she is an exceptional talent who is among the greatest in the world. NME shared excerpts from an interview that Sawayama recently gave to The Independent. There were some words from it that really hit hard. Whilst her words around mental health and struggle are not new to artists, Sawayama is someone who has faced hostilities and discrimination. An artist that deserves a lot of love and support:
“Rina Sawayama has said she can’t release her next album “under my current conditions”.
The popstar opened up about the status of her album whilst sharing an interview she gave to The Independent as part of International Women’s Day (March 8), which revolved around women’s experiences with sexism and misogyny in the music industry.
In the caption, Sawayama admitted her “mental health has been awful” in the past year, and said: “I’ve been lucky to have found ways to keep my business afloat and support myself as well as my team, but when it comes to new music I can’t release another album under my current conditions.
“I feel really trapped and don’t know what to do.”
The comments come amidst Sawayama’s public battle with her label Dirty Hit, which is co-founded by The 1975‘s manager Jamie Oborne. At Glastonbury 2023, Sawayama called lead singer Matty Healy out for his controversial comments made on The Adam Friedland podcast whilst introducing her song ‘STFU’: “Tonight this goes out to a white man that watches ‘Ghetto Gaggers’ [porn] and mocks Asian people on a podcast. He also owns my masters. I’ve had enough.”
Each member of The 1975 has a stake in Dirty Hit, with Healy previously serving as creative director for four years before stepping down from the role in April 2023.
In her Independent interview, Sawayama also shared she has “felt intense racist misogyny in a way that I’ve never felt before” since summer last year. Though she did not name Healy during the interivew, she said: “In public and private I feel as though I’ve been repeatedly gaslit, disrespected, ignored, even cyber-bullied for calling out blatant racist and sexist behaviour.”
“I just want to leave this world a fairer, safer and kinder place for future generations to live in,” she continued. “That’s always been my mission from the start and I’ve always used my voice for this, but time and time again, women are punished for inconveniently holding a mirror up to men who were not willing to be held publicly accountable”.
I was affected by that news and what Rina Sawayama is facing. The fact that she is feeling really trapped. Her experience and story is one that is going to relate to other artists. That they are struggling with mental health and cannot put music out. Also, the racism and misogyny that Sawayama has felt will also be something that applies to other artists. The industry is making steps when it comes to improving things. Ensuring that it is a safer and more equal space. That women especially are not subjected to misogyny and abuse. On her Instagram, Rina Sawayama expanded on what she said in the interview. What she has experienced in the industry. Stereogum highlighted what was written. More words that are hard to see and should raise questions about the industry and what many women face:
“Sometimes the bigger you get, the more misogynists you have to work with. The bigger you get, the less you can say, the more there is to lose, the darker it gets, honestly. I have been shocked and disheartened to learn from artists much more successful than me that it does get worse at the top. It gets worse because you actually get to see how many misogynists make it through in higher positions of power. So many men you’ve heard awful things about are there, near the top in every single section of the industry.
I’ve often wondered if the key to women succeeding in this industry in its current state is not just about being talented and hardworking, but also being able to work despite the rampant endemic misogyny and racism. You have to have a lot of mental strength (or just be able to not engage with it) to carry on doing this work.
A lot of artists start young so perhaps have almost no context as to how unique this industry is in that way. I signed my first album deal at 29, I’ve worked in other industries before then. This is not normal. It’s fucked up”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Zarina Khalilova/Pexels
We all hope that Rina Sawayama releases a third studio album very soon. She is this phenomenal artist who is no doubt an inspiration to so many. We have just celebrated International Women’s Day. Although there has been progress and certain areas are acknowledging women in a way they have not done in years previous – such as at award ceremonies -, there is still a lot of work that needs doing. Rina Sawayama’s experiences with misogyny and racism should raise alarms. How there needs to be a lot more done. How misogyny affects so many artists. And, as it seems, those at the top are not immune to it. This all has a massive impact on mental health. If artists like Rina Sawayama feel unable to release music and are in a position where they are struggling and speaking out against misogyny and racism, then this should call into action accelerated change. Earlier in the year, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee report on Misogyny in music was stark reading. It shows how the music industry is a space where women are lacking support and have to face such discrimination and abuse. Measures are in place and there is this outcry following the report’s publication. You wonder, as many of the gatekeepers and industry heads are men, whether there is this compunction and desperation to make radical and fast changes. To really make tackling issues like misogyny and racism a priority. The fact that Rina Sawayama has spoken out makes me think about the Misogyny in music report and how the industry still has this massive issue. It is always so upsetting and infuriating when have amazing women in the industry that are struggling and unable to release music because of what they are facing. These emotional and gut-wrenching stories from the likes of Rina Sawayama need to be…
A thing of the past.