Ahead of her upcoming sophomore album, Hold The Girl, Rina Sawayama has shared the album’s title track. “Hold The Girl” opens as a slow, string-driven ballad, then, once it gets to the chorus, drums join in, along with guitars and glorious piano keys, transforming the downtempo symphony into dance-ready melodies. Toward the end of the song, Sawayama delivers an empowering key change, reminding herself to give herself the love and honor she deserves.
Sawayama wrote “Hold The Girl” while on the heels of her critically-acclaimed debut album, Sawayama.
“‘Hold The Girl’ was the first song I wrote for the record at the end of 2020–I had gone to therapy and had a revelation, so I decided to write this song…that was the start of it,” said Sawayama in a statement. “I was crying before going into the studio to write about it.”
Check out “Hold The Girl” above, and the album’s tracklist and cover art below.
1. “Minor Feelings”
2. “Hold The Girl”
3. “This Hell”
4. “Catch Me In The Air”
5. “Forgiveness”
6. “Holy (Til You Let Me Go)”
7. “Your Age”
8. “Imagining”
9. “Frankenstein”
10. “Hurricanes”
11. “Send My Love To John”
12. “Phantom”
13. “To Be Alive”
Hold The Girl is out 9/16 via Dirty Hit. Pre-save it here.