Rina Sawayama Drops New Powerful Ballad “Phantom”

In the lead-up to her sophomore studio album, Hold the Girl, British-Japanese pop sensation Rina Sawayama has shared a new single. While you wait for the full-length studio release to drop on September 16, check out “Phantom” below:

Sawayama shared the following about the above track: “I realized as an adult that I have spent my whole life pleasing other people and not realizing it – constantly pushing my boundaries and not realizing the difference between what I wanted to do and what other people wanted from me. Through the lyrics in the verse I’m trying to tell this story and then in the choruses I’m morning the loss of my real self.”

The song was recorded with two producers: the artist’s longtime collaborator Clarence Clarity and Stuart Price, who used to record as Les Rythmes Digitales and who’s made hits with people like Dua Lipa, Madonna, and the Killers. (Stereogum)

Hold the Girl follows Sawayama’s critically acclaimed debut SAWAYAMA and will see her strike a balance between personal narratives and a range of colossal vocal performances. The latest single is a testament to this — we’ll know for sure in only a few more weeks!