"XS" is a song by Japanese-British singer-songwriter

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese–British singer-songwriter, actress and model. Born in Niigata, Japan, she emigrated to London with her parents at age five. She is known for her musical versatility and has been labelled a "musical chameleon". In 2017, she ...

, released on 2 March 2020, as the third single off of her debut studio album, ''

Sawayama ''Sawayama'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama, released on 17 April 2020 by the independent record label Dirty Hit. A follow up to her self-released debut EP '' Rina'' (2017), ...

'', via the label

Dirty Hit Dirty Hit is a British independent record label founded in December 2009 by Jamie Oborne, Brian Smith, and former England footballer, Ugo Ehiogu. It is currently based in West London, England. Their releases are distributed to digital platforms ...

. The song criticises

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

in the face of

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

over a pop, R&B,

avant-pop Avant-pop is popular music that is experimental, new, and distinct from previous styles while retaining an immediate accessibility for the listener. The term implies a combination of avant-garde sensibilities with existing elements from popular ...

and

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

backing. A remix featuring British artist

Bree Runway Brenda Wireko Mensah (born 18 November 1992), known professionally as Bree Runway, is an English singer, songwriter and rapper of Ghanaians in the United Kingdom, Ghanaian descent. She signed to EMI Records in 2018 and subsequently released her ...

, was released on 10 July 2020.

Background, themes and composition

Sawayama said in a statement that "XS" is a song that "mocks

in a sinking world": "XS" is a 2000s-inspired pop, R&B,

and

song with "upbeat

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...

vibes" composed in the key of

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 117

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. It begins with an "eerie" buildup of

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s, while a "shredding" guitar riff appears before and after the chorus.

Music video

The music video for "XS" was uploaded on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 17 April 2020, the same day as Sawayama's self-titled debut album was released. It currently has over 8 million views, making it the most-viewed video on Sawayama's channel. It was directed by Ali Kurr, who had also previously directed the music video for her other single, " STFU!". In the video, Sawayama portrays a "

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Pen ...

-like" "robotic" saleswoman who attends a shopping channel broadcast to promote a beverage named "RINA Water", which consists 99% of 24-karat

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and 1% of

plasma Plasma or plasm may refer to: Science * Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter * Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral * Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics Biology * Blood pla ...

. Later it is revealed that the liquid is extracted from a creature which is chained in an underground factory.

Live performance

On 26 October 2020, Sawayama gave her first televised performance ever on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'', where she performed "XS".

Track listing

*Digital download/streaming #"XS" – 3:21 *Digital download/streaming – Bree Runway Remix #"XS" (Bree Runway Remix) – 3:22

Reception

Critical response

"XS" received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. From over 20 outlets, global critic aggregator

Acclaimed Music Acclaimed Music is a website created by Henrik Franzon, a statistician from Stockholm, Sweden in September 2001. Franzon has statistically aggregated hundreds of published lists that rank songs and albums into aggregated rankings by year, deca ...

placed "XS" as the 21st best song of 2020. While reviewing Sawayama's second album ''

Hold the Girl ''Hold the Girl'' is the second studio album by Japanese and British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 16 September 2022 by Dirty Hit. The lead single from the album, entitled " This Hell", was released on 18 May 2022. The album, recorde ...

'', Cat Zhang of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' named "XS" her debut album's best song, commenting that "

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

was intended as arch anti-capitalist critique in an age of climate crisis, but its luxe vision was a better sell for ''being'' the rich, not eating them; Sawayama whispered "''excess''" as if it were the name of a designer perfume, the scent of “more” intoxicating."

Accolades

References

{{Rina Sawayama Rina Sawayama songs 2020 songs 2020 singles Dirty Hit singles Songs about consumerism Songs about climate change Avant-pop songs Songs written by Nate Campany Songs against capitalism Environmental songs Songs written by Rina Sawayama