Sarina On the Making Of ‘Break Out!!’
How did you come up with the theme(s) for your new EP ‘Break Out!!?’
Each song really had its own inspiration! Most of them were written inspired by life experiences and the way they affected me. The concept of the EP was ‘break out’ because I feel like I’m breaking out into the industry now independently.
How did you work with the producers or engineers to bring your vision for 'Break Out!!' to life? Who did you work with?
In this case there were a couple different ways! For 5 out of the 7 songs I was in the studio from morning til night working closely with the producer on the structure and instrumental make up of the song. However, because I live so far away there were 2 times we had the producers mix the track and then I remotely recorded vocals in Tokyo! Most of the songs I did with Erik Ron (known for iPrevail, Set it Off, and Get Scared.) But I was lucky enough to work with Kevin Thrasher as well! Everyone is a dream to work with though and I’m super fortunate to be able to work with them.
Which song(s) do you like the best and why?
I love them all for different reasons so it’s hard to say! I think my personal favourite on the album for cheer up songs is “I know nothing,” just because I find it so cathartic to listen to and it makes me want to sing along and dance. “Hold me” is another favourite just because of how emotionally raw it is.
What is it about the lyricism, instrumentation, or structure of this genre that resonates with you?
I’ve always loved this genre and really appreciated how it focused a lot on the human experience, particularly mental health, yet at the same time, it has such high energy that it’s hard to feel depressed or sad about the subject matter. I think because of that I really resonated with the whole 2010’s era of pop-punk. I do have to say though that although my current release has that vibe to it, I don’t really stay within the classic constraints of the genre. Especially with songs like “Don’t wanna break your <3” and “I know nothing,” I take inspiration from the pop-punk genre but I don’t follow its typical structure while still trying to keep the transitions seamless! I don’t know if I succeeded in that 100% but I do think the EP as a whole feels cohesive.
How do you think the music of Tokyo has impacted your sound?
I think less than my sound being impacted, my work ethic and the way I go about making music has been. The culture in Japan, especially around work, is known to be very dedicated and very driven. Because of that, I think I am motivated to work really hard on my music while always maintaining good relationships with the people I work with as that is the environment I was raised in.