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Hold the Girl is the second studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit. The lead single from the album, entitled "This Hell", was released on 18 May 2022. The album, recorded between 2020 and 2021, features production from collaborators including Paul Epworth, Clarence Clarity, Stuart Price, and Marcus Andersson. Clarence Clarity also produced much of Sawayama's debut album Sawayama (2020).
Composition
Sawayama has named Kelly Clarkson, the Corrs, Paramore, and Sugababes as artists who influenced Hold the Girl, as well as Taylor Swift's 2020 album Folklore. Variety's Thania Garcia described Hold the Girl as "an evolution in style that will meld influences from across the pop spectrum".
Musically, Hold the Girl is produced, performed and recorded in a wide variety of genres. Primarily a Pop, pop rock and dance-pop album, it also contains elements of 90s alternative rock, soft rock, europop, trance, industrial, pop punk, stadium rock, disco, hyperpop, house, techno, folk and psychedelic music.
Promotion
Before an official announcement, Sawayama's second record was listed among the most anticipated albums of 2022 by Stereogum and DIY. In May 2022, Sawayama began advertising a forthcoming release through social media content and pamphlets with "blood-red" background and the text "Rina is going to hell" in all caps. The same month, she released lead single "This Hell" and announced Hold the Girl, a release date of 2 September and an accompanying tour beginning on 12 October. Following the announcement, the album was named one of Vulture's "36 Albums We Can't Wait to Hear This Summer".
The singer performed "This Hell" in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 19 May and during the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend on 29 May. A music video for the song, directed by Ali Kurr, premiered on 15 June. A second single, "Catch Me in the Air", was issued on 27 June. The album's title track was released as the third single on 27 July; the same day, she announced that the album was pushed back to 16 September due to "production issues" and that a fourth single would be made available before the date. Kurr also directed the music video for "Hold the Girl", which was released on 3 August. The fourth single, "Phantom", was released on 25 August. The fifth single, "Hurricanes", was released on 12 September, four days before the album's release.
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