Hold the Girl

This article is about the album. For the song, see Hold the Girl (song).

Hold the Girl
Rina Sawayama wears a black sculptural dress shaped like a ball in front of a red background
Studio album by
Rina Sawayama
Released16 September 2022 (2022-09-16)
RecordedAutumn 2020 – Autumn 2021
Genre
Length46:04
LabelDirty Hit
Producer
Rina Sawayama chronology
Sawayama Remixed
(2020) 		Hold the Girl
(2022)
Alternate CD artwork / first anniversary reissued cover
Rina Sawayama wears a white backless dress while sitting on a stool, in front of a blue background. A hand cups Rina's chin.
Singles from Hold the Girl
  1. "This Hell"
    Released: 18 May 2022
  2. "Catch Me in the Air"
    Released: 27 June 2022
  3. "Hold the Girl"
    Released: 27 July 2022
  4. "Phantom"
    Released: 25 August 2022
  5. "Hurricanes"
    Released: 12 September 2022
  6. "Frankenstein"
    Released: 27 October 2022
  7. "Imagining"
    Released: 8 December 2023

Hold the Girl is the second studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit.[1] The album was preceded by the singles, "This Hell",[2] "Catch Me in the Air", "Hold the Girl", "Phantom" and "Hurricanes". "Frankenstein" was also released, and "Imagining" as the final single from the album. The album, recorded between 2020 and 2021, features production from collaborators including Paul Epworth, Clarence Clarity, Stuart Price, and Marcus Andersson. Clarity also produced much of Sawayama's debut album Sawayama (2020).[3]

Hold the Girl received critical acclaim upon its release and charted at number three on the UK Albums Chart; the highest-charting album by a Japanese-born solo artist in the history of the chart. It also became Sawayama's first charting album on the US Billboard 200 and highest-charting album in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Scotland and Spain. The album was supported by the worldwide Hold the Girl Tour (2022-23) and US/Canada Hold the Girl: Reloaded Tour (2023). Sawayama also promoted the album via performances on The Graham Norton Show,[4] Strictly Come Dancing[5] and Late Night with Seth Meyers.[6]

In a September 2023 interview with BBC News, Sawayama revealed that she was sexually groomed by a school teacher when aged 17. This heavily influenced the lyrical meaning behind Hold the Girl, particularly the album track "Your Age". Sawayama received sex and relationship therapy for the trauma.[7]

  1. ^ Rugoff, Lazlo (19 May 2022). "Rina Sawayama releasing new LP, Hold the Girl". The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  2. ^ Strauss, Matthew (18 May 2022). "Rina Sawayama Announces New Album Hold the Girl, Shares New Song "This Hell": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  3. ^ Garcia, Thania (18 May 2022). "Rina Sawayama Reveals Upcoming 'Hold the Girl' Album, With New Single 'This Hell'". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Rina Sawayama Rocks Graham Norton with 'Hold The Girl' Live [Performance] – That Grape Juice". thatgrapejuice.net. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  5. ^ Richards, Will (31 October 2022). "Watch Rina Sawayama perform 'This Hell' on 'Strictly Come Dancing'". NME. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. ^ Anderson, Carys (1 November 2022). "Rina Sawayama performs monstrously good "Frankenstein" on Seth Meyers: Watch". Consequence. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Rina Sawayama Was Groomed at 17, Had Sex and Relationship Therapy: 'I Was So Badly Slut-Shamed'". Variety. 28 September 2023.