In this episode, John catches up with Rina Sawayama and producer Clarence Clarity to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Rina’s debut album ‘Sawayama’.   Diving deep into the almost 100 track sessions, Rina and Clarence reflect on how the album took shape, from writing demos in Rina’s bedroom to spending months in an LA studio. We hear the pair’s philosophies on creativity and the hustle of making it in the world of music, along with the secrets in crafting their fusion of R&B, noughties pop and nu-metal.   Listen to find out why Rina tries includes at least 10 hooks in each song, how Clarence tried to match a trap beat to Rina’s mum’s Beethoven performance and which member of The 1975 made a secret appearance on the record.  Tracks discussed: Dynasty, Love Me 4 Me, Snakeskin LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to 'Sawayama' here.'Sawayama' - Dirty HitIntro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSAbleton Sontronics SaturnSoundelux U99 OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions): Donate  Follow us on Social Media to keep up to date with the latest episodes and submit questions:InstagramFacebookTwitterDiscord: Tape Notes Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk