QUEER ROMANCE
What made Rina Sawayama’s new single ‘Cherry’a cut above the rest is its insistence on presentingsame-sex expression as a beautiful gift, pairedwith a music video that blends camp aestheticswith unmistakably queer imagery.
From Troye Sivan to Kehlani, there’s a new wave of young, pop-leaning outsiders offering authentic representation of queer love and sexuality through their music. Some call it “rising rainbow revolution,” a win for LGBT visibility in an industry that has repeatedly shunned opportunities for artists of marginalized backgrounds. Others are simply contented that they are represented through songs that address the complexities and nuances of the queer experience. Responsible MSM hookups, bicuriosity that doesn’t pander to the male gaze, and LGBTQ+ pride dominated the top 40 conversations this year, with radio programmers and streaming curators embracing the subject matter with a newfound perspective. With 2018 Pride anthems such as Hayley Kiyoko’s Curious, Troye Sivan’s Bloom, Years and Years’
Sanctify, and Janelle Monae’s Make Me Feel becoming global hits, we are witnessing a current vogue of trailblazing musical content that doesn’t need to play by the rules.
Just a few months ago, Japan-born, London-based singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama released her new single
Cherry — a catchy bubblegum jam that sounded like a throwback from the summer of ‘99. What made it a cut above the rest is its insistence on presenting same-sex expression as a beautiful gift, paired with a music video that blends camp aesthetics with unmistakably queer imagery. “I want to write a poppy song about all these complicated emotions that people, especially bipeople, feel,” the dance-pop vixen tells Supreme. “I think the LGBTQ+ community can relate to that song as well, especially that feeling of shame and overcoming it with newfound acceptance.” Sawayama openly identifies as pansexual, and a midtempo banger like Cherry leaves no trace for ambiguity. It’s a song about being attracted to a girl whom Rina just met in a subway, playing out to her truth at a time when the tides are finally shifting, and more queer artists are using music as a platform to express themselves freely. “Troye Sivan, Hayley Kiyoko... these are artists who pushed the boundaries of pop by just being themselves. I’m inspired by these people.”
Other than tackling sexual expression in progressive forms, the Cherry singer hopes to find her place in the Westerndominated music market that often sees artists of Asian descent as fetishized minorities. The landscape, however, has been friendlier recently, with Mitski, Japanese Breakfast and Jay Som dominating indie-rock conversations with acclaimed records that articulate the Asian American experience in all its exhilarating messiness. Korean superstars BTS have emerged as the biggest boyband of the moment, selling out arenas all over the world and being referred to by BBC as “The Beatles for the 21st Century.” Sawayama, on the other hand, inhabits the delightfully queer persona of the Gagas and Madonnas and retraces her roots as a kabuki princess without putting her act in jeopardy. “I want to do something different, something that is not out there right now,” the BritishJapanese relates.
In fact her music videos engage in performative oddities that are difficult to pin down, evolving with the flick of the wrist: on Cherry, Sawayama is a geisha-painted ballerina who enjoys the company of her sweetly femme squad. On Cyber Stockholm Syndrome, she’s a party pixie who finds sanctuary in a desolated world blurred by the future and ‘90s nostalgia. On Ordinary
Superstar, she’s Just Dance-era Lady Gaga, indulging in uncanny choreography and wardrobe changes. Where You Are reimagines Sawayama as a wholesome Britney Spears/Mandy Moore/Christina Aguilera clone who sings melismatic R&B ballads in the comfort of her bedroom. These personalities, self-consciously embracing excess and theatricality, mold the emerging vixen into a dynamic artist whose notion of pop music isn’t limited to a conservative worldview. Her music videos offer escape and hysterical sensationalism in rewarding ways, convincing us that self-expression is a transgressive, radical act in itself. “That’s why I always want to work with artists and make sure it’s pursuing a different storyline or like a non-mainstream narrative,” Sawayama points out. “Music videos are an effective platform of where you can show your artistic side. Sometimes it complements the bigness or smallness of the story and the power that comes with it.” She remembers being moved by Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance video and how ahead of its time it was. “I remember Bad Romance as the most inspiring video, because it’s so different from what the song is about. So I’ve always wanted to do something like that.”
With Sawayama gaining traction in a largely heteronormative pop music space, she joins the ranks of #20GAYTEEN royalties, dominating 2018 with songs that refute harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ+ communities. Her music celebrates individuality with universal appeal, opening a pivotal moment for queer representation and acceptance. For now, we’re happy to know she’s helping make history to the beat of a club jam. That itself is an act of defiance.