Before The Buzz: Saïna

Before The Buzz is DMY's new series introducing you to some of the best new artists before they blow up.

On her new EP, ‘HOTEL 555,' Japanese English singer, producer, and multidisciplinary artist, Saïna, leans into themes of self-examination in a space between death and rebirth. Confronting her feelings, she describes 'Hotel 555' as her biggest leap of faith yet.

Built around the enticing backdrop and longing of a Japanese love hotel, Saïna creates an intimate visual world for ‘HOTEL 555' with an accompanying short movie. With alternative R&B melodies, SAÏNA checks into rooms of escapism, exploring anonymity and opportunities beyond the everyday cycle.

The listening experience of ‘HOTEL 555' is thrilling, with sultry undertones and lingering questions. The short movie evokes an entire storyline, giving ‘HOTEL 555' a boundless life. Saïna, carrying a heavy sense of transformation, faces her own shadow and insecurities, refusing to let the darkness fully swallow her.

What's at the core of 'Hotel 555' is passion. Saïna makes a conscious decision to quit her 9-5 and pursue music full-time, giving it her all despite the fear of failure and financial instability. Passion wins. Hard work pays off. ‘HOTEL 555' is the result of the people surrounding her, who helped to shape the work.

Currently on a DJ tour under her duo alias, ZEE-2 - a self-proclaimed “ninja princess making music”, Saïna dissects the ins and outs of ‘HOTEL 555' with DMY. She explains the significance of the angel number, working with Tokyo-based producer Zuma., and speaking things into existence. 

Congratulations on the release of your new EP, ‘HOTEL 555’. How did you celebrate?

The celebrations were spread out, so it almost felt like one long birthday! I partnered with NEER to host a screening of the short film that accompanies ‘HOTEL 555’. People could put on headphones and tune into the tracks, watch the film in the cinema room, then come together for a Q&A to round it all off. Separately, my partner got me a matcha Basque cheesecake with ‘HOTEL 555’ written on it in chocolate and I had my first show of the tour in Macau, on release day. It was a sweet week!

Where did the first glimmer of ‘HOTEL 555’ come from?

The ideas began brewing in 2024, when I did a photoshoot with the co-director I’d later make the short film with. Calvin [Ma] and I met at an intimate show I performed, and he had a week left in Tokyo, so we thought, why not do a fun shoot somewhere? We researched love hotels, purely because some had interesting rooms you could hire for a short time. That was our hack for having no studio! After the shoot, and being introduced to the concept of a love hotel, it felt like the perfect setting for that dreamy space between death and rebirth.

What’s the significance behind the title and the number 5?

The hotel we shot in was actually called HOTEL 555. It had an eerie ring to it, and when I later looked up the meaning of the angel number, it was ‘transformation’. Couldn’t have been more fitting!

You recorded ‘HOTEL 555’ between Tokyo and London. How does environment affect the music you’re working on? Was there a difference between the influence of London and Tokyo?

London has always been my first home, so it’s where I’m most comfortable writing, but I get a different outlook and perspective when I write in other cities. I met Zuma., the producer on 'Desire' and 'For The Love', through a mutual artist, and we worked on those tracks in Tokyo and remotely when I was back in London. At home, I’m constantly surrounded by new and eclectic sounds. Tokyo is definitely less diverse, but it always gives me a fresh angle on R&B, especially when I sing in Japanese.

On 'Merry Go Round' you sing, “stuck in a 9-to-5, it is only temporary.” When did you know enough was enough and that you had to release your inner artist?

I was juggling a music PR internship with my own music. Neither was very financially rewarding, and they were hard to balance. I dreaded the commute and was jumping between tabs (literally!), which left me feeling overwhelmed. I tried to stick it out to learn from the job and build contacts, but it felt like my music career was put on hold because I didn’t have the capacity to give it 100%. Like most of us, I found the leap of faith scary, especially with no financial fallback. But when I looked at how I really felt and how I was spending my weeks, it didn’t make sense to stay. So I decided to go fully into music.

Do you often battle the security of a nine-to-five versus the unpredictable path of an artistic journey?

Not since quitting, though there are tough moments I consider a part-time job. The problem is that a 9-to-5 takes up too much brain power, and I wouldn’t be able to pursue my music with equal effort. DJing has helped me stay afloat and reinvest in my music.

What pulls you out of your darkest hours?

Writing down the thoughts clouding my mind really helps, and sometimes those thoughts become songs. I’ve often written in my most painful moments, and it relieves me, maybe because writing is a way of confronting those feelings. 'Darkest Hours' is about exactly that: confronting the shadow and recognising she is me, and learning from her to become a better human. I’m also lucky to have friends who really get me and who I can talk to. Airing out the thoughts any way I can is what pulls me out of it.

'For The Love' serves as a reminder of why you started. Can you tell us more about when you discovered your voice?

The track is a reminder of why I do this thing called music. I looked around a room and saw meaningless interactions, fake “friendships” and flashy, nonsensical associations. Sometimes you find yourself trying to live up to those things to fit in or appear a certain way. I never felt true to myself doing that, and I realised none of it is really valuable. What is valuable is people who are genuine and love what they do, whatever that is. Those, I believe, are the happiest people.

You were told the project was “too ambitious”. What made you stick with it in spite of the outside noise?

I started showing my deck to people and got enthusiastic responses, but also plenty of “how are you going to make this?” ones. As I fleshed out the script and shot list with Calvin, my confidence grew, but so did my nerves. We’d already planned the dates we’d be in Tokyo together, so it was really happening. Once you pass the point of no return, you just have to see it through. And that wasn’t even the hardest part!

I remember the night before our last shoot day - we’d already run into my DJ tour week - we sat around the table with our heads in our hands, running on a few hours of sleep a night, and the morale was low. I was wondering whether I’d made the wrong choice in writing such an extensive piece. We didn’t have much time left to piece it together narratively, but I knew we had some nice shots. There was no time to be emotional, so we shot what we could and did the best we could. And that’s exactly what we did.

How did you learn to trust yourself and your instincts, creative and personal?

Speaking ideas into existence makes them more real. Yes, talk is cheap, but the more I spoke about my ideas, put mood boards together and fleshed out detailed scenes, the more real it felt. Some of the most whacky ideas I had to find ways to blend in with the rest so they made sense. I’ve learnt to trust my gut: when an idea feels unsettled or underdeveloped, it’s time to drop it or rewrite it. We can’t always settle on the first idea out of laziness!

Why was it necessary for you to tell the story of ‘HOTEL 555’?

Songs can be quite subjective and personal for the listener, whereas a film tells you a story visually, so there’s less room for interpretation. Blending the two was a way to develop the ideas in the lyrics and give the audience more context, while still keeping things surreal and open to interpretation.

What was the biggest driving force behind shooting a short film and releasing it alongside the EP?

I wanted to build a world, not just release songs. These tracks felt like they belonged to a place, so I wanted to give them one. It only happened because of the people around me: Calvin, my co-director, who shared the vision from that first Tokyo shoot, Brett who shot and planned with us, Nuha who styled me, all the people involved in shaping the sound, and not to forget the people who helped me put it out into the world. Together we made it an experience people could step into and remember. That's what made it feel like a shared world rather than just my project. I think the people you build with shape the work as much as the idea does, and I'm already looking forward to bringing that same energy into the next chapter.

Watching the visual, I couldn’t help but feel some reminiscent energy of Lost In Translation. Were you inspired by it at all?

For sure. I loved the mood of it: the big city of Tokyo, lonely souls navigating their lives, and a hotel as the main setting, a place for fleeting encounters. In 'HOTEL 555', it’s her own internal world she’s trying to find her way out of, living in a loop. Instead of another character helping her see things more clearly, it’s her own shadow that shows her the light.

What was the toughest emotion to translate into visuals in the short film?

The first hotel scene was tricky. I wanted it to look sexy, with nice composition and leaning towards explicit, but I also wanted to show that she was uncomfortable, disconnected and unfulfilled. Those are such opposite feelings to capture in the same frame. That was the challenge with many scenes. In the argument with her mum, for example, I wanted to show a strained relationship, with an accusatory tone she avoids, which in turn makes her dishonest.

What was your favourite part about turning ‘HOTEL 555’ into more than a five-track project?

Seeing it on the cinema screen made it all feel so real. It was amazing that everyone who came to this intimate night got involved with the question cards we handed out and made friends around the room.

As a producer of the short film, it’s clear you have a very vivid imagination. Were you always a visual person?

I’d say so. Some of my weird and wonderful ideas come when I’m doing something random like tidying up or in the shower, and I see them in my head. They jump out at me, and I write them down, which often makes even more ideas flow.

As a child, did you often drift off into other imagined worlds?

I did. I also thought about very introspective things, like existence and reality versus imagination. Other people’s lives sparked my curiosity too, especially when I was travelling, and I suppose that’s something you get to see in movies.

What’s your current headspace when it comes to your creativity, making music and balancing it with your day-to-day life?

Creative things need time and space to happen. Forcing ideas or sessions never works, and I rarely get anything productive out of them. On the flip side, leaving ideas to go stale is counterproductive too, so I try to flesh out a first draft while it’s still fresh and then return to it with a fresh mind.

'HOTEL 555' is out now.

Submit music to DMY here.

Read next: Nippa: “My Personification of Love Became My Hometown”