When reviewing Rina Sawayama’s second studio album Hold The Girl last month, Uproxx described the track “Frankenstein” as “unhinged melodrama.” The video, out today (October 27), delivers deliciously in that vein.
The Jak Payne-directed video begins with an R-rating as a “dirty hit” with a disclaimer from Sawayama, “I don’t wanna be a monster.” We’re plopped in the middle of a raging house party. Sawayama wanders around seemingly undetected and feeling out of place. She makes her way to an upstairs bathroom, where she looks in the mirror and sees a boss version of herself. “You’re the one / That can save me from myself,” she sings to her reflection — her Frankenstein? — as it crawls out from the mirror. “Destruction triple 9, I need your help / All I want is / To feel beautiful.”
The confident version of Sawayama storms back downstairs and owns the room, dancing unapologetically while the original Sawayama is left locked in the bathroom. The performance (by both Rina Sawayamas) is dizzying — and maybe explains how she landed her debut film-acting role in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Sawayama explained the meaning of “Frankenstein” in a statement. “I wanted to write about how I’ve relied on my partner to help put me back together, but I realized it’s no one’s job but mine,” she said.
The British-Japanese pop star is bringing her Hold The Girl Tour to the US, beginning at the Avant Gardner’s Great Hall in Brooklyn, New York, next Tuesday (November 1). See all 13 dates here.
Watch the “Frankenstein” video above.
