Rina Sawayama performs “Hold the Girl” on The Graham Norton Show, and gives us a lil’ set prop moment

I thought Rina was done with the Hold the Girl promo, as it seems to just completely fall off once the album dropped and her tour started. But I guess somebody at Dirty Hit texted her and reminded her ‘Bitch. You still gotta keep pushing this album.’ So, here we are with a televised performance of the album title track in mid December.

The Graham Norton Show set has really stepped up when it comes to staging for music performances. I remember when all performers got was some small ass podium which could just about fit a small band. Now we’ve got tall structures, room for big ass stage props and projections?! It’s good to see that my TV License money is going toward a good cause.

Of all the filmed and televised performances that Rina has given over the past few months, the “Hold the Girl” performances have always ended up being the strongest, because of the choreo, Rina having a troupe of dancers as opposed to just two, and that she ends up wearing practical outfits for the performances which actually allow her to move freely. Jean Paul Gaultier fit. I see you.

Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl (Live on The Graham Norton Show) | © BBC 

This was a solid performance. And it was cool to see Rina switch it up a little. If I really had to be picky; I wasn’t a fan of the lighting or the projections. Both could have been reworked to really heighten the performance and the bigness of the song. But this was still a solid performance, which sold me far more on the song. Although “Hold the Girl” is still a skip for me.

Rina should be pushing “Forgiveness” for the holidays and giving us a music video on a Spice Girls “Goodbye” type of vibe. But, whatever. It’s good to see Rina still pushing the album. An album that I think could have gone back up the charts and possibly hit number 1 if she gave “Frankenstein” a better roll out.

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💿 Rina reviews: This Hell | Sawayama | Rina
📀 Rina revision: Sawayama (The Random J Pop Revised Expanded Edition)
🗄️ Rina shit: That time Rina performed This Hell on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | That time Rina performed at Coachella | That time Rina got shafted because of racism and xenophobia | That time Rina met Hikaru Utada | That time Rina released a gay anthem and gave it an awful music video