Rina Sawayama‘s next single ‘Chosen Family’ isn’t released until April 3, but the musician has shared the track’s lyrics and chords ahead of time and asked her fans to interpret it in advance.
Sawayama has asked her fans to submit video and audio recordings of their interpretations, some of which will feature on her YouTube channel RinaTV.
When the actual single goes live on April 3, she will also be uploading a video to teach her fans the original rendition of the track. You can take a look at the chords, as well as instructions on how to upload your compositions in the Instagram post below.
“‘Chosen Family’ is a very special song for me,” Sawayama said. “The concept of a chosen family is, to me, a queer one – people are often kicked out of their homes or ostracized by their family, friends, and community after coming out. This can be an incredibly painful experience that can be remedied by finding a new ‘chosen’ family.
“The chorus lyrics ‘We don’t need to be related to relate, we don’t need to share genes or a surname’ is an invitation for anyone that feels that sense of otherness to find their chosen family, where they can truly be themselves and feel loved. I dedicate this song to my queer friends who I now consider family – it’s essentially a big thank you to them, as I love them so much and I genuinely don’t think I would be alive right now if it weren’t for them.”
Sawayama continued: “I wanted to offer my fans the chance to get creative and come up with their own melody to “Chosen Family” while we’re self-isolating. When I wrote “ChosenFamily”, I wrote it thinking of it as a gift to my own chosen family, a way to understand and take on some of the pain that they were going through. So I hope this distracts you from this anxiety-filled time, and that by being creative we can stay connected, alone and together.
The pop newcomer’s debut album Sawayama is due on April 17 via Dirty Hit. She’s also the subject of this week’s NME Big Read, in which she talks about talks Twitterstorms, “intergenerational pain” – and her love of Limp Bizkit.
