"Dance in the Dark" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009)—the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It is about a woman who prefers to have sex in the dark as she is insecure in her body. Having met such women while working on the MAC AIDS Fund, Gaga said that the song is not about freedom, but rather the assurance that she understood their feelings. A Europop track, it contains retro and new wave music influences, and begins with a stuttering introduction. It includes a spoken interlude, where Gaga lists famous dead people.
Sawayama is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on 17 April 2020 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. A follow up to her self-released debut EP Rina (2017), it received widespread acclaim from music critics, specifically towards the wide variety of music genres used, as well as its Y2K nostalgia and "intelligent" nature. Described by Sawayama herself as being "about family and identity", she lyrically explores personal experiences from both her childhood and adulthood.
Alexander Guy Cook is an English music producer and the head of the UK record label PC Music. Cook released his first solo singles in 2014. He has also collaborated with PC Music artists such as Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, EASYFUN, Danny L Harle and felicita. He formed the one-off project QT with musician Sophie and performance artist Hayden Dunham, producing the 2014 single "Hey QT".
Adam Mark Crisp, known by the stage name Clarence Clarity, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. He has been praised for his unique, eclectic pop sound which was described by The Guardian as "funk played by a swarm of bees". In addition to his own music he has produced for acts including Sundara Karma and Rina Sawayama.
Lorely Rodriguez, known professionally as Empress Of, is a Honduran-American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer based in Los Angeles, California. To date, she has released three studio albums via XL Recordings and Terrible Records, her critically acclaimed debut, Me (2015), Us (2018) and I'm Your Empress Of (2020).
Rina Sawayama is a Japanese and British singer, actress and model. Born in Niigata, Japan, she immigrated to London with her parents at age five. She is known for her musical versatility and has been labelled a "musical chameleon". In 2017, she self-released her debut extended play, Rina. After signing to Dirty Hit in 2020, she released her debut studio album, Sawayama, to widespread critical acclaim. Her second studio album, Hold the Girl, was released on 16 September 2022. Outside her music career, Sawayama modelled for several fashion campaigns and made her film acting debut in the action film John Wick: Chapter 4.
Rina is the debut extended play by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama. Also described as a mini album, Rina was independently released on 27 October 2017. Sawayama funded the album herself, working for "2-3 jobs at a time for years" to save enough to release the EP. Sawayama promoted the album through the Ordinary Superstar Tour in 2018.
"Comme des Garçons " is a song by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 17 January 2020 as the second single off of Sawayama's debut studio album Sawayama through the record label Dirty Hit. The song blends genres such as disco, dance, funk, house, electro house and synth-pop into a "clubby" record. The song also received a music video.
"Free Woman" is a song American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga recorded for her sixth studio album Chromatica (2020). Gaga co-wrote it with the song's producers BloodPop, Axwell and Johannes Klahr. "Free Woman" was released as the album's fifth track, several weeks after a high-quality demo version of the song was leaked onto the Internet. It is a Eurohouse and Eurodance song that draws influences from the music of the 1990s. Gaga was inspired by her real life events; the song talks about her coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), from which she suffered after being sexually assaulted by a music producer. Gaga also wanted to celebrate her LGBT+ fans; she wrote the song especially with the trans community in mind. The song's lyrics talk about reclaiming one's identity and answer the question "what does it mean to be a free woman?".
"XS" is a song by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on 2 March 2020, as the third single off of her debut studio album, Sawayama, via the label Dirty Hit. The song criticises capitalism in the face of climate change over a pop, R&B, avant-pop and electropop backing. A remix featuring British artist Bree Runway, was released on 10 July 2020.
"STFU!" is a song by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama. It was released as the lead single from her debut studio album, Sawayama on 22 November 2019 for digital download and streaming. It is a nu metal, heavy metal, hard rock, pop and avant-pop track which criticizes microaggressions against Asian people. It received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its aggressive tone and the shift in genre and direction. Rolling Stone listed "STFU!" as the 20th best song of 2020.
"Gasoline" is a song by American band Haim from their third studio album Women in Music, Pt. III (2020). The song was written by the band members along with Rostam Batmanglij, and produced by Batmanglij, Danielle Haim, and Ariel Rechtshaid. A remix of "Gasoline" with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was included as one of two bonus tracks of the album's expanded edition. The remix was released as a single on February 19, 2021, by Columbia Records. It marks Haim's second collaboration with Swift, following "No Body, No Crime" on Swift's Evermore (2020).
"Lucid" is a song by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on 25 November 2020 as the sixth overall and first single from the deluxe edition of her debut studio album Sawayama. Sawayama first teased a collaboration with BloodPop on 2 October 2020, Tweeting out "BloodPop X Rina Sawayama Coming Soon" alongside a Polaroid picture with the words "Lucid Mix" written on it.
Dawn of Chromatica is the third remix album by American singer Lady Gaga, released on September 3, 2021, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Consisting of remixes of songs from her sixth studio album, Chromatica (2020), the album embraces an underground, hyperpop production and features collaborations with numerous pop and electronic musicians.
The Lockdown Sessions is the 32nd studio album by English musician Elton John, released through EMI in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States on 22 October 2021. A collaborative album, it was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, after John was forced to pause his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour due to lockdown. The album includes three singles: "Cold Heart " with Dua Lipa, "After All" with Charlie Puth, and "Finish Line" with Stevie Wonder. A 2022 reissue of the album includes "Merry Christmas" with Ed Sheeran and "Hold Me Closer" with Britney Spears.
Crash is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Atlantic Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.
"Beg for You" is a song by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX featuring Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 27 January 2022 as the third single from XCX's fifth studio album, Crash (2022). The song interpolates Swedish singer September's 2006 single "Cry for You", as well as the song "Don't Cry" by Belgian dance group Milk Inc. The song received universal acclaim from music critics.
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).
"This Hell" is a song by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama. It was released on 18 May 2022, through Dirty Hit, as the first single from her second album Hold the Girl.
"Catch Me in the Air" is a song by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama. It was released on 27 June 2022 as the second single from Sawayama's second studio album Hold the Girl.
