In times of crisis, it’s important to stay connected with the people who really matter in your life. With her latest single, future-pop singer Rina Sawayama is making sure she does just that.
On Friday (April 3), Sawayama released her new single “Chosen Family,” a powerful anthem of belonging, where the star pays tribute to those in her life who she has come to accept as family, even if their relation isn’t by blood. “We don’t need to be related to relate/ We don’t need to share genes or a surname,” she sings. “We been going through the same thing/ Yeah, you are, you are/ My chosen, chosen family.”
Speaking about the new track, Sawayama said that the song is dedicated to queer people everywhere, who often have to make their own families after being removed from their homes. “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,” she explained. “This can be an incredibly painful experience that can be remedied by finding a new ‘chosen’ family.”
The star continued saying that she wanted to write a song where her fans could come together and feel safe with one another. “[The song] 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.”
As an extra-special thank you to her queer fans, Sawayama also went out of her way to give them access to the song in a different way. Before the track’s release, the star gave her fans the chords and lyrics to the track, and challenged them to create their own interpretations of the song. After the song was released, Sawayama announced she would reveal the top three interpretations, along with a full tutorial on how to play the song, on her YouTube channel.
Check out Rina Sawayama’s new single “Chosen Family” below.