Rina Sawayama thinks it is “insane” that Lady Gaga knows who she is.
The ‘Chosen Family’ singer was approached by Sir Elton John and Charli XCX for collaborations and also teamed up with the ‘Star is Born’ actress on ‘Free Woman’ on Gaga’s ‘Dawn of Chromatica’ remix album, and she’s “honoured” to have been asked to work with such high-profile stars.
She told Britain’s ELLE magazine: “To be surrounded by people who are pushing the envelope, pushing the boundaries of music in the past and present in so many ways is such an honour.
“I mean, the fact that Gaga even knows I exist is just insane.”
Rina released her debut album, ‘Sawayama’, in 2020 and she admitted it was surreal to find fame at a time when the world was in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said: “It was amazing but I was literally sitting in my room.
“There was absolutely no work-life balance because there was no life to be lived.”
The 31-year-old star wants to make songs that have “substance” and can mean a lot to people.
She explained: “[It is my mission] to make a pop song that sounds good but also has meaning. It’s really important to me that it has substance, it has soul.
“I grew up with songs about heterosexual love, and I don’t negate them.
“I think there’s a place for them.
“Most of the world is heterosexual, it’s not a big deal. But my best friends and I are queer and they are not hearing the songs that represent them.”
Rina previously explained she first met Gaga by chance.
She said: “I met her for the first time because our bus broke down outside Vegas.
“I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if we just spent the night in Vegas and saw a show. Imagine if Gaga is on’.
“We had a connection because I was on her remix album.
“I was able to meet her for the first time backstage and she was so sweet, so warm and so full of life.
“She is so influential to me. I don’t really get nervous before meeting people, like I didn’t before meeting Elton [John]. But I was a bit nervous before meeting Lady Gaga.”