By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | April 13, 2022 | Lifestyle Parties Music Celebrity Events Entertainment
After being postponed for two years, major pop star Rina Sawayama finally returned to the Bay Area Tuesday night to deliver an electrifying performance that definitely lived up to the wait.
Since the release of debut album "SAWAYAMA" in 2020, the 31 year old talented trendsetter proliferated across the pop genre, cultivating a massive fanbase through her songs' infectious beats and powerful messages. With over 5 million monthly Spotify listeners and an array of awards and nominations, most recently this year's NME's winner for Best Live Act, Rina's Dynasty Tour stop at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre garnered a packed house ready to see her long-awaited celebration.
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Sawayama’s music can best be described as an original and unique love letter to all things Y2K bubblegum pop, chic vogue, hard rock, and R&B. Heavily drawing influence from 2000s era aesthetics and sounds, her performances encapsulated the same colorful creativity through both impeccable sound and mutiple wardrobe changes to match.
She rightfully kicked off the explosive show with her first album song "Dynasty," amplifying the inaugural hit through her vibrant fiery red outfit. She then took a beat to personally greet her fans at the Market Street venue, decorated fittingly with glowing props and a hyped-up crowd. After a brief and honest moment thanking everyone for their continued support and "changing" her life, she broke into her next song, "STFU!," establishing the positive atmosphere for the rest of the long night.
Donned in a white 2000s streetwear motif, she then gave a charged redition of the vogue house-style “Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys).” Commanding the entire room with graceful moves and confidence, she consistently energized the crowd precisely at the right parts of all her songs like with "Snakeskin" and "Paradisin" without missing a beat.
Not one to shy away from discussing more serious topics, her powerful performances of “Akasaka Sad” and “Bad Friend” transparently touched upon her personal battles with depression, mental health, and being absent for others. It was a heartfelt break amidst the uproar, reminding everyone to care for others after admitting she had been "too caught up" in herself before.
“Love Me 4 Me" was a gentle and caring musical tribute to “needing to love yourself before you can love others,” declaring self-love as a big motivation in her music.
Other serious reminders came throughout the show, such as audio clips from real news playing overhead while Sawayama changed costumes between sets. Rina successfully transported the crowd through her fantastical musical voyage while still being grounded in reality and empowering them to stay involved in relevant events.
For the songstress, who identifies as queer, her sexuality and involvement to the community are truly important aspects to her songs and fanbase. When she performed her personal "coming out" song "Cherry," the colors of the bisexual flag were brightly adorned behind her, and she later asked her audience to look each other in the eyes and say “Trans lives matter.”
After also bringing the crowd together with “Chosen Family,” she perfectly transitioned into the rock ballad "Catch Me in the Air," an exclusive performance from her upcoming new album.
Seeming to end the tremendous night as is, the clever singer had a few more surprises and heartfelt moments up her Y2K sleeve.
Rina returned at full blast to the crowd again to top off the night with 3 more stellar hits including the long-awaited “XS,” and the solo version of “Free Woman” she completed with Lady Gaga.
A trailblazer of high fashion excellence and catchy, relevantly impactful music, Rina Sawayama cemented her "Dynasty" in San Francisco, and hopefully returning with a shorter wait next time around.
Photography by: Anthony DELANOIX/Unsplash
