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[[File:Koda Kumi - BLACK WINGS promo.jpg|thumb|550px|Koda Kumi promoting "[[Black Wings|BLACK WINGS]]" (2023)]]
[[File:Koda Kumi 2024.jpg|thumb|550px|Koda Kumi (2024)]]


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==Japanese Discography==
==Japanese Discography==
[[File:Koda Kumi 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|Koda Kumi (2021)]]
[[File:Koda Kumi 2021.jpg|thumb|250px|Koda Kumi (2021)]]
[[File:Koda Kumi - BLACK WINGS promo.jpg|thumb|250px|Koda Kumi promoting "[[Black Wings|BLACK WINGS]]" (2023)]]
===Studio Albums===
===Studio Albums===
* [2002.03.27] [[Affection|affection]]
* [2002.03.27] [[Affection|affection]]
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* [2019.11.13] [[Re(cord)|re(CORD)]]
* [2019.11.13] [[Re(cord)|re(CORD)]]
* [2022.03.02] [[Heart (Koda Kumi)|heart]]
* [2022.03.02] [[Heart (Koda Kumi)|heart]]
* [2024.04.17] [[Unicorn|UNICORN]]
* [2024.04.17] [[Unicorn (Koda Kumi)|UNICORN]]


===Best Albums===
===Best Albums===
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* [2023.12.06] [[Tooi Machi no Dokoka de... (Koda Kumi)|Tooi Machi no Dokoka de...]] (遠い街のどこかで…)
* [2023.12.06] [[Tooi Machi no Dokoka de... (Koda Kumi)|Tooi Machi no Dokoka de...]] (遠い街のどこかで…)
* [2023.12.07] [[So Fever|SO FEVER]]
* [2023.12.07] [[So Fever|SO FEVER]]
* [2023.12.08] [[Never Give it Up|NEVER GIVE IT UP]]
* [2023.12.08] [[Never Give It Up|NEVER GIVE IT UP]]
* [2023.12.10] [[Vroom (Koda Kumi)|Vroom]]
* [2023.12.10] [[Vroom (Koda Kumi)|Vroom]]
* [2024.02.14] [[Silence (Koda Kumi)|Silence]]
* [2024.02.14] [[Silence (Koda Kumi)|Silence]]

Revision as of 15:47, 25 March 2024

Koda Kumi (2024)

Koda Kumi (倖田來未) is a Japanese pop singer from Kyoto. She made her debut through avex trax's sub-label rhythm zone in late 2000 with the single "TAKE BACK", though it wasn't until 2002 that she released her debut album, affection. Since the release of her first best album BEST ~first things~ in 2005, her popularity has grown considerably. Other factors such as her appearance on the Japanese soundtrack of Final Fantasy X-2, her "ero-kakkoi" image, and her "12 Days of Christmas" wide-scale release of one single every week from December to February (2005-2006) had all contributed to her increase in popularity.

Koda is also the elder sister of Japanese pop-rock singer-songwriter misono.

Profile

Biography

Koda Kumi during early audtions

Early Life - Debut

Koda Kumi was the first girl born into her family. Since her mother was a lounge singer, Koda looked up to her and had dreamed of becoming a singer since elementary school.

When she was in her teens, Koda went through a number of auditions where she sang a songs such as JUDY AND MARY's "Hello! Orange Sunshine". She even auditioned alongside Goto Maki for the 3rd generation of Morning Musume when she was seventeen. In 1999 Kumi participated in "avex dream 2000", a singing competition in which hopefuls audition for a chance to become part of avex's next popular idol group of the new millenium. Kumi performed Alone by Okamoto Mayo. After placing second in the contest, she was signed onto the rhythm zone sub-label of avex trax. It is unclear whether or not she made it into Morning Musume when she auditioned, and if she turned it down due to the fact that she signed a contract with avex trax.

In December 2000, Koda's debut single, "TAKE BACK", was released. The single only reached #59 on the Oricon charts. Following her debut and partly as a result of poor promotion by avex, Koda ended up releasing a string of unsuccessful singles. Six months later, Koda released "Trust Your Love" which managed to crack the top twenty on the Oricon charts. She then released an English version of "TAKE BACK" in the United States which reached #18 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music charts.

Koda Kumi promoting affection (2002)

Having worked very hard on writing the lyrics to these tracks and having them not sell well, Koda became depressed. She began overeating to comfort herself. Later, when asked why Kumi was so poorly promoted, Matsuura Max replied that she was overweight and that promoting her with her current image would not help. Koda then started working on her image, keeping a strict diet and committing to a vigorous exercise routine. She has also mentioned that moral support from her then boyfriend helped motivate her to stick with the routine.

Near the end of 2001, Koda joined Komuro Tetsuya's charity drive, song nation. The song project, featuring other popular avex artists such as Hamasaki Ayumi and Amuro Namie, came together to help raise money for victims of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Koda collaborated with avex label-mate BoA on the single, "the meaning of peace".

In March of 2002, Koda released the single "So Into You". The single only peaked at #50, but was the lead single on her debut album, affection. affection reached #12 on the Oricon charts (a higher position than any reached by her previous single releases) and eventually sold around 100,000 copies.

Initial Success

Koda Kumi promoting grow into one (2003)

Koda's next couple of releases were met with mediocre sales. The singles "love across the ocean" and "m・a・z・e" only peaked at #19 and #25 respectively on the Oricon chart, and failed to sell over 30,000 copies. During this time, she also released another single in the US, "Trust Your Love". The single did well reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 Sales Chart, and #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music Chart.

It was rumored that Koda's contract would not be renewed and that she would be dropped from the label. Luckily, her big break came with the release of "real Emotion / 1000 no Kotoba". The single contained the two songs featured in the Playstation 2 video game, Final Fantasy X-2. The single reached #3 on the Oricon charts, becoming Koda's first release to enter the top ten and selling 282,734 copies. The single was #24 highest-selling single of 2003.

Within weeks of Real Emotion / 1000 no Kotoba's release, Koda's second album was released. Her sophomore album, grow into one, showed off a change in style, with more of the tracks having urban flavour to them. The album reached #9 on the Oricon charts, selling over double the amount of her debut album's sales.

Koda Kumi promoting girls ~Selfish~ (2004)

Ero-Kakkoii Image - Major Success

Koda's next releases, ("COME WITH ME", "Gentle Words", and "Crazy 4 U") all managed to chart within the bottom half of the top twenty on Oricon. Her next album, feel my mind reached #7 on the Oricon, although it ended up selling less than grow into one.

With the release of the "Crazy 4 U" music video, Koda Kumi's image had noticeably changed, changing from teen idol to a more mature image focused on sexual appeal. She and her label avex mutually agreed that it was the best move for her career to develop a sexier image (much like how Sugimoto Aya was marketed in the 1980s). This style is referred to as Ero-Kakkoii, which means Erotic-Cool. In the "Crazy 4 U" music video, Koda is scantly dressed, and dances provactively. This image transition is often compared with Christina Aguilera's change going into her music video for her song "Dirrty". The Ero-Kakkoii image would become Koda's trademark and would rocket her to fame.

Success struck again for Koda with the single, "LOVE & HONEY". The a-side, "CUTIE HONEY" is a cover of 1970's anime opening by Maekawa Yoko. The song was originally found as a first press bonus track on her album, feel my mind. The song had two tie-ins: it was the opening theme song to both the Re:CUTIE HONEY anime OVA and the CUTIE HONEY live action movie (in which Koda made a cameo as the diva that sings to Sister Jill). The single did extremely well, reaching #4 on the Oricon charts and selling 150,634 copies.

Koda Kumi promoting BEST ~first things~ (2005)

Koda's next single, "Chase" only manged to reached #18 on the charts and is her last single thus far to not chart within the Oricon top ten. Her next two singles, ("Kiseki" and "hands") were both ballads, and both managed to reach #7 on the Oricon charts.

Koda Kumi's fourth album, secret was a major success. It reached #3 on the Oricon charts, sold a total of 522,201 copies, and became the #22 album of 2005. Two months later, she released the single "Hot Stuff", which is a collaboration with rapper KM-MARKIT.

The Best Sessions

In June 2005, Koda released her 16th single, "Butterfly". The single was an instant hit, reaching #2 on the Oricon chart and becoming the #85 single of the year. The song "Butterfly" won her the 47th Japan Record Awards in December, 2005. Koda then released two more singles: "flower" and "Promise / Star".

On September 21st, Koda released the album, BEST ~first things~. The album was a two-disc best-of compilation containing all of her singles up till that point (this is the only album where her previous three singles are found). The album was a massive hit and reached #1 on the Oricon charts. Even though it is a "best-of", the album is often considered Koda's breakthrough album. The album sold 1,207,793 copies in 2005, becoming the #6 album of the year as well as the highest selling album for a female artist in 2005.

Koda Kumi promoting BEST ~second session~ (2006)

Starting in December, Koda began a release project in which she would release twelve singles, one each week for twelve weeks, as a play on the 12 days of Christmas. Each single would feature Koda in outfits from a variety of places from all over the world; specifically, the theme locations were Alaska, Californa, England, Brazil, China, Spain, Africa, India, France, Hawaii, Italy, and finally Japan (in that order).

The first of these twelve singles, "you" was a winter ballad which rose to the top of the charts. The single became Koda's first #1 single. All of the singles managed to chart in the top-ten. The sixth single, "feel" also managed to reach #1 on the Oricon charts.

When the spines of all 12 singles are lined up, an image of Koda is revealed. The same happens when the back covers of the singles are placed next to each other, like a jigsaw puzzle.

In March 2006, Koda released BEST ~second session~, a compilation of all 12 singles of the release project. The album was another hit, reaching #1 on the Oricon charts, selling 1,768,628, and becoming the #2 album of 2006.

By the end of 2006, BEST ~first things~ had nearly sold two million copies, becoming the #17 album of 2006.

Black Cherry

Koda Kumi promoting Black Cherry (2006)

"Koi no Tsubomi" was Koda's first single to be released after the 12 singles project. Released in May 2006, it debuted at #2 with 140,000 copies sold. This gave the single the highest weekly debut sales for female artists in 2006, until Hamasaki Ayumi surpassed it with her single "BLUE BIRD" in June. The title was reclaimed by Koda after her release of "4 hot wave", which debuted at #2 behind KinKi Kids.

Koda's first photobook, MAROC, was also released alongside "4 hot wave". The photos were photographed by famous fashion photographer Leslie Kee in Morocco.

In October, Koda released her 33rd single "Yume no Uta / Futari de...", described as a "two-story ballad single,". Both songs on the single shared the same melody, with different lyrics and arrangements. This is because Koda felt that the melody contained both sad and happy elements.

Koda's next singles were "WON'T BE LONG", a duet with fellow rhythm zone artist EXILE, and "Cherry Girl / Unmei". Both singles were released a week prior to her fifth studio album, Black Cherry. The album include all the a-side songs from her 2006 singles (excluding "Futari de..."). Black Cherry became the first studio album from a female artist to stay at the #1 position for four weeks since Hamasaki Ayumi's album third album, Duty in 2000.

Koda Kumi promoting "FREAKY" (2007)

Kingdom

On March 14, 2007, Koda Kumi's third best-of compilation, BEST ~BOUNCE & LOVERS~ (a special release limited to 300,000 copies) was released alongside her first single of 2007, "BUT / Aishou". Album and single both reached #2 on the Oricon charts.

Following the trend she started with the release of "4 hot wave" in 2006, Koda released another four-track summer single, "FREAKY". FREAKY became Koda's fourth #1 single.

She then released ballad single "Ai no Uta" in September, which charted at #2. Her next single, "LAST ANGEL" ( a collaboration with former rhythm zone artist Tohoshinki) features the theme song to the Japanese release of Resident Evil: Extinction.

On the December 21st 2007, Koda Kumi became the seventh Japanese female artist to hold a solo concert at Tokyo Dome. Celebrating the 7th year anniversary since her debut with "TAKE BACK" tickets for the KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2007 ~Black Cherry~ SPECIAL FINAL in TOKYO DOME show were priced at ¥7,777.

Koda Kumi promoting Kingdom (2008)

Koda's sixth studio album, Kingdom, was released on the 30th of January 2008, one week after her first single of 2008, "anytime". The album reached #1 on the Oricon charts and held the #1 position for two weeks, selling over 500,000 copies. The CD+2DVD included footage from her PREMIUM LIMITED LIVE IN HALL IN YOKOHAMA ARENA concert as well as music video's for every single track on the album.

Controversy

On February 1, 2008, Koda Kumi was retelling the story (on the TBS radio show, All Night Nippon) of how her manager recently got married and how she had asked her manager "whether or not they would have children". When her manager replied that they wouldn't for the time being, Koda responded by commenting on how they should have children early because "when women are around 35 years old their amniotic fluid go bad".

The comment was so offensive that many radio shows and newspapers received angry complaints from women around the country. avex trax decided that all promotion of Kingdom was to be canceled. Koda's official website was shut down. Websites featuring her were also closed down by companies that endorsed her, such as Kirin and Kose Vise.

Koda Kumi promoting "MOON" (2008)

One week later, Koda Kumi appeared in an exclusive interview on Fuji TV's "FNN Super News" to apologize for the offensive remark she made. Even though she tearfully apologized for the harm she caused, reactions to Koda's apology were mostly negative. An informal poll taken after the broadcast through Sankei Sports' website indicated that 81% of the viewers felt the apology was insufficient while only 9% said it was enough.

Post-Controversy

As of April 2008, her endorsements with Kosé and Gillette were reopened. However, she is no longer the spokesperson for Honda, Kirin, and GemCerey.

Koda Kumi promoting TRICK (2009)

On March 31, 2008 her KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2007 ~Black Cherry~ SPECIAL FINAL in TOKYO DOME DVD was released and reached #1 on the Oricon DVD Charts. Her LIVE TOUR 2008 ~Kingdom~ went on as planned, starting on April 12, 2008, where she again apologized for her controversial remark. The shows on the 15th and 17th of May, 2008 at Yoyogi National First Gymnasium, Tokyo, were filmed for a WOWOW TV broadcast on the 26th of July. LIVE TOUR 2008 ~Kingdom~ was released on DVD on September 24, 2008, becoming her fifth consecutive #1 DVD.

On April 17, 2008, Avex Entertainment announced Koda's 40th single, a "four-elements single," featuring four tracks (much like "FREAKY" and "4 hot wave") called "MOON". It was released on June 11, 2008 and reached #2 on the Oricon Single Charts. Koda followed the release of "MOON" with her 41st single, "TABOO" on October 8, 2008. TABOO reached #1 on the Oricon chart, making it her fifth #1 single. Her 42nd single, "stay with me", was released on December 24th, 2008 and also debuted at #1. It is described as a "winter love ballad" and is featured in the au LISMO CM.

On January 28, 2009, Koda released her seventh studio album, TRICK, which topped the Oricon Charts at #1 for 2 consecutive weeks.

On March 25th, Koda released two albums: Out Works & Collaboration Best and Driving Hit's, the latter is a remix album remixed entirely by HOUSE NATION. On March 31, 2009, Koda released her 43rd single, "It's all Love!" a collaboration with her younger sister, misono. The second song on the single, "faraway", was a solo ballad by Koda, and was used as a theme song for the movie "Subaru".

Tenth Anniversary

The year 2010 marked Koda's tenth anniversary in the music industry. It would be a busy year of live performances and new music. She kicked off the year with a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "Can We Go Back" as the A-side to her newest single of the same name which released at the end of January.

Koda Kumi promoting Best ~Third Universe~ & 8th Al "Universe" (2010)

On February 3, 2010, Koda released her third best-of album packaged with her eighth studio album, BEST ～third universe～ & 8th AL "UNIVERSE". The best-of album included hits from her albums Black Cherry through TRICK, and the DVD included PVs throughout that era and for the new album. Though critical opinions conflicted on her newest album, it managed to rank as the 18th album of the year on the Oricon charts.

In the early spring, Koda embarked on her concert tour for UNIVERSE, which ran until mid-June. In July, she held a two-day concert event titled "Dream Music Park" at Yokohama Stadium. The footage would later be included on the limited release of her ninth album Dejavu.

On October 13, 2010, Koda released her first cover album ETERNITY ~Love & Songs~. It contained modern updates of mostly older J-Pop songs from the 1970s through to the 1990s, but also a cover of her sister misono's 2010 release "0-ji Mae no Tsunderella". Her covers of "BE MY BABY" and "Megumi no Hito" were used in the promotional ads for the album, and have since become staples of almost every live performance.

Koda promoted her new cover album the night prior to its release, through the end of October 2010, with a limited concert series known as ETERNITY ~Love & Songs~ Live at Billboard, and, true to the Billboard approach, was performed in a relaxed setting with a live band that evoked an "unplugged" style.

Koda ended the year with a one-night-only event known as FANTASIA, her ultimate tenth anniversary celebration, held on December 5, 2010. The Queen of Live was true to form with an opening performance of "Butterfly" seeing her "fly" through the stadium, ride around the stage in small cars with her sister misono during their performance of "It's all Love!", and utilize a rotating platform for a variety of heavily-choreographed performances with almost all of her backup dancers participating in the show.

Dejavu, Marriage & Pregnancy

Following her trend of first-quarter album releases, her ninth album Dejavu released on March 2, 2011. The album was notably a return to her J-Urban, J-R&B form with songs like "Okay", "Passing By", and "AT THE WEEKEND". It was front-lined by her up-tempo hit singles "POP DIVA" and "Lollipop". At the end of March, Koda began a seven-month concert tour for Dejavu that culminated at the end of October.

Koda Kumi promoting "Dejavu" (2011)

On August 2, 2011, Koda released two limited edition DVD sets: Aka Ban and Ao Ban (lit. Red Disc and Blue Disc). They each contained a DVD of 25 "best" live performances from her concerts in digest format, as well as behind the scenes footage of her PVs. The sets also came with a photobook.

The artwork for each set came from her upcoming single "4 TIMES", which would be released a few weeks later. Following the tradition of Koda's summer singles, it was a maxi release with four songs: "Poppin' love cocktail" feat. TEEDA, "V.I.P.", "IN THE AIR", and "KO-SO-KO-SO".

On December 13, 2011, Koda announced on her website that she would be marrying BACK-ON's guitarist and vocalist KENJI03 by the end of the month. She had met KENJI03 while recording "Poppin' love cocktail" with his bandmate TEEDA. Three days later, she revealed her pregnancy to her fans at a fanclub mini-concert.[1]

JAPONESQUE & Hiatus

On January 25, 2012, Koda released her tenth album, JAPONESQUE. It had been recorded in both Japan and the United States, becoming her third studio album to be recorded in the latter country. JAPONESQUE reflects this, containing two songs featuring popular American artists: "Slow" featured R&B artist Omarion and "V.I.P." featured an English rap portion by hip-hop artist T-Pain. The CD+DVD release contained PVs for almost every song on the album, a feat that hasn't been matched since Kingdom.

Koda Kumi promoting JAPONESQUE (2012)

The album featured a variety of genres, from electronic to J-R&B, J-Urban and hip-hop to J-Rock, and songs featuring her staple ero-kakkoii and cute styles. The inconsistency of the album's genre was questioned by many critics, but the album was considered a commercial success, and became certified Gold.

Because of her pregnancy, Koda went on a hiatus lasting a little more than half of the year, and 2012 thus marked a very slow year for the usually busy singer. It would be the first year she did not attend avex's a-nation. On July 17, 2012, Koda gave birth to a baby boy.

Her release schedule picked up again in the summer of 2012, beginning with July 25th's release of a new digital single, "Whatchu Waitin' On?". August 1st saw the release of Beach Mix, a summer and beach party-themed remix album which was fronted by the new single. In October, Koda released the single "Go to the top", which was her first release since "Cutie Honey" to be used as an anime opening theme (for Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse).

In spite of her hiatus, Koda didn't forego her Queen of Live status, as November saw a limited concert series entitled KODA KUMI Premium Night ~Love & Songs~. The video release contained footage from the November 13, 2012 performance - the night of her 30th birthday. The show was an extravagant performance of mostly Koda's ballads, with older songs such as "Pearl Moon" and "1000 no Kotoba" being performed for the first time in many years. Koda closed out the year with the release of her first Christmastime ballad since "stay with me" in 2008, "Koishikute", on December 26, 2012.

In March 2013, a little over a year after the album's release, Koda began her three-month KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2013 ~JAPONESQUE~ tour.

Koda Kumi promoting Bon Voyage (2014)

Bon Voyage

Shortly before she began touring, her second cover album dropped, titled Color The Cover. As promotion for the various songs, she performed a handful of them on live TV with the original artists. The album included the B-side to the "Koishikute" single, "Alone", the Okamoto Mayo song Koda sang in the audition that landed her career. It also included a controversial, highly synthesized version of "Pink Spider" by hide.

2013 saw the release of many digital live albums for all of her concert tours from TRICK to JAPONESQUE, as well as five digital-only best-of releases.

In the run-up to her eleventh album Bon Voyage, Koda released three singles: "Summer Trip", "Dreaming Now!", and the digital-only "SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA". "Summer Trip" followed Koda's summer single tradition and included three A-sides. The title song of "Dreaming Now!" was used as the theme for NTV's 'Volleyball World Grand Champion Cups 2013'.

Bon Voyage released on February 26, 2014. The album marked the beginning of her more Western-inspired style, with tracks like "LOL", "TOUCH DOWN", and "LOADED" feat. Sean Paul. In addition to more American-style beats, her music begins to exhibit more English, especially in the form of slang. The album's fanclub release contained footage from her second 'Let's Party' fanclub performance. A few weeks later she commenced her tour for the album.

On August 8, 2014, Koda released her 57th single "Hotel". The single would be her last commercially-available physical single; since then, her singles have been fanclub or digital-only. It also marked the end of her tradition of releasing multi-track summer single releases. Koda's fanclub-only single "Dance In The Rain" was released a day before her 32nd birthday. The PV for it would be released in a special 360° cinematography format for viewing through the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift.

Koda Kumi promoting WALK OF MY LIFE (2015)

15th Anniversary, Best Singles Tour, & W FACE

The year 2015 marked Koda's fifteenth year in the music industry. She celebrated the year with a four-night concert series dubbed The Artist, in addition to her Live Tour 2015 for her newest album WALK OF MY LIFE. On July 22, 2015, Koda released the first of a two-part best-of collection, SUMMER of LOVE. The album included her more upbeat and energetic hits from the past ten years. Almost exactly six months later in January 2016, the second part, WINTER of LOVE, was released. It was a collection of her ballads and down-tempo love songs from the previous ten years. Its release in CD+Bluray format marked the first release of several older PVs in ultra HD format.

On July 18, 2015, Koda would perform her first show in Singapore. During a press event held the day before, she admitted to having issues with her self-esteem. Via a translator, she was quoted as saying, "I have actually never really felt that I am sexy and I do have low self-esteem. There are things about me that I don't feel so comfortable about, but I use fashion and other things to boost my confidence."[2]

Without a major studio album to promote, Koda's 2016 schedule was almost entirely taken up by a seven-month tour in which she performed in each of the 47 prefectures. The concert tour was titled KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2016 ~Best Single Collection~, and was a showcase of her most popular singles since her debut in 2000. She also released one new single that featured in the show, titled "Shhh!". It was released in four limited-run versions each with their own unique cover; one was available to the public through mu-mo, while the three others were only sold at live venues ahead of her shows.

Koda Kumi promoting W FACE ~inside~ and W FACE ~outside~ (2017)

Koda's 2017 album release was her first dual-release of studio albums. W FACE ~inside~ and W FACE ~outside~ were simultaneously released on March 8, 2017. The dual-release of albums would become a new tradition for Koda, similar to her old summer maxi single releases. With the exception of re(CORD), every Koda Kumi studio album release has been split into two separate albums since 2017. W FACE ~outside~ and W FACE ~inside~ debuted at #1 and #2 on the Oricon charts, respectively. Outside was a series of more aggressive, energetic songs, while Inside contained more introspective and ballad songs.

Following the style of her release of "Shhh!", Koda released three venue and fanclub-only physical singles every two months and two days beginning on August 2, 2017 with "LIT", followed by "HUSH" on October 4th, and "NEVER ENOUGH" on December 6th. These are the last physical singles Koda has released, and were unique in that the covers were vinyl-sized.

Koda Kumi promoting AND (2018

AND & DNA

2018 saw the release of dual albums with palindrome titles, AND and DNA. Their release dates were also palindromes of one another, with AND releasing on February 28th (228) and DNA releasing on August 22nd (822). Prior to the release of AND, Koda stated in an interview that she had been taking vocal lessons to improve her sound and range for the new album. She stated that she wanted to "be better at singing."[3][4] Indeed, her range was noticeably greater in tracks like "HUSH". Unfortunately, Koda's twelve-year streak of #1 album debuts came to an end with the release of AND, which debuted at #2 and within a week fell to the #6 spot.

DNA would also debut at #2. Contrasting the bright colors of AND's covers, DNA's covers were almost exclusively shades of black, white and gray, however, the large prop letters from AND were reused to spell DNA. Additionally, while the tracks on AND were lighthearted, upbeat pop songs, the songs featured on DNA were darker and more mature in tone and theme, with rock and J-Urban sounds dominating the feel of the album. "Guess Who Is Back", a rock anthem, was Koda's fourth song to be used as an anime theme, being the fourth opening song for the Black Clover series.

As well as having dual albums in 2018, Koda also had dual concert tours beginning in April with a string of fanclub-only performances under the heading Koda Kumi Fanclub Tour ~AND~ which lasted until June. Footage from the concert would be released exclusively on the limited CD+3DVD fanclub release of DNA as well as the limited 4DVD release of her Live Tour 2018 concert.

Koda Kumi promoting DNA (2018)

Koda's next and main tour of 2018 was KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2018 -DNA-, which spanned a three-month period beginning in September 2018 and culminating in her first-ever New Year's Eve countdown performance in Tokyo, complete with its own special setlist. Prior to the home video release of the concert, footage was shown in a limited theater run between March 8-10 of 2019 at AEON Cinemas in Japan;[5] This is the first time any of her concerts have had theater runs.

re(LIVE) & re(CORD)

In the run up to her new album, Koda released a whopping nine digital singles - over half of the tracklist of her upcoming album - for three months straight, starting July 3, 2019 with "Eh Yo" and ending with the October 30, 2019 release of "again". Koda Kumi broke with her customs and released her next studio album as a stand-alone in the final quarter of the year. re(CORD) was released on her 37th birthday, November 13, 2019, and became her third straight album to fail to debut at #1 on the Oricon charts - instead debuting at #4.

The album contained two covers of Ricky Martin's 1999 hit "Livin' la Vida Loca", and a cover of Go Hiromi's 1999 "GOLDFINGER", his Japanese cover of "Livin' la Vida Loca" - similar to the original song's release in Spanish and in English. Koda also collaborated with Sean Paul for the second time with "Rich & Famous", a song that samples Koda's own 2018 song "CHANCES ALL".

Koda Kumi promoting re(CORD) (2019)

Koda's major tour of 2019 was similar to KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2016 ~Best Single Collection~, in that it did not, in fact, promote her newest album. Instead, it revisited two previous concert tours, LIVE TOUR 2007 ~Black Cherry~ and KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2013 ~JAPONESQUE~. She recreated the performances from these two tours almost exactly, with changes and improvements upon the choreography, wardrobe and stunts such as the opening of Black Cherry with Koda submerged in a tank of water. It was all a part of her upcoming celebration of her 20th anniversary as a studio artist: if you add the '07 from 2007 and '13 from 2013, you get '20.

Fittingly, this new 2019-2020 concert series was titled KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2019 re(LIVE). She would perform half of each old tour's setlist, and then perform her newest 2019 songs towards the end of each performance. The show featured both the Black Cherry and Japonesque setlists, almost back-to-back, and was marketed as a "long stay" event; the shows began as early as 1:30pm starting with Black Cherry, and JAPONESQUE starting that same day at 7pm.[6] In addition to updated costumes for the events, Koda also wore the same trademark pirate outfit from 2007 for a portion of her 2019 Black Cherry performance, as well as the 2013 kimono for her JAPONESQUE show. The revival of the iconic pirate and oiran costumes was also seen in the PVs for "SHUTOUT" and "STRIP", respectively, in which present-day Koda in her updated outfit is facing off against Koda of the past in the older costume.

Koda Kumi promoting KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2019 re(LIVE) -Black Cherry- & -JAPONESQUE- (2019)

The tour ran from September to October of 2019, then returned in February 2020 for two final shows. The concert was released in several video and audio formats one month later on March 11, 2020. Each half of the concert was released separately, in standard 2DVD and Blu-ray formats. There was a limited-edition fanclub 4CD audio edition available only to playroom and Koda Gumi members. The audio version is also available in digital format on platforms such as iTunes, and there is also a non-stop mix of each of the concerts available digitally: re(LIVE) -Black Cherry- iamSHUM Non-Stop Mix and re(LIVE) -JAPONESQUE- REMO-CON Non-Stop Mix.

20th Anniversary & MY NAME IS...

In 2020, Koda would be celebrating her 20th anniversary as a singer in the music industry. In late February of 2020, Koda hinted at a fall arena tour. In late March, Koda announced what would be the firm schedule for her 2020 arena tour, in spite of the COVID-19 outbreak. She would visit a total of four cities from September 12 to December 6, 2020: her exact 20th anniversary.

Koda Kumi promoting MY NAME IS... (2020)

In April, a #STAYHOME initiative was started, and Koda took part to entertain fans. She performed a capella on Instagram livestreams and shared "how-to-dance" videos for several PVs. In addition to full versions of all her PVs being uploaded to YouTube, all of her previous live tours with the exception of re(LIVE) were uploaded. She also performed from home her 2009 summer B-side "Hashire!" as part of the "MUSIC AID FEST -FOR POST PANDEMIC-". Her new songs were recorded from her home studio, and the song and PV for "puff" was based on keeping fit in a fun way despite the stay-at-home orders. The PV was shot from home using her cell phone, and debuted on YouTube in late June.

At the end of July, a limited edition album was announced, titled MY NAME IS..., to be released only to her fanclub on September 11, 2020: one day before her tour started. Her tour was also aptly titled KODA KUMI 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2020 -MY NAME IS...-. Along with the newest summer singles "puff", "Lucky Star" and "XXKK", MY NAME IS... was host to a number of recent and older 2010s hits. Her 2020 tour setlist reflected the tracklist almost exactly. In August, Koda took part in the digital a-nation 2020 event, which was streamed entirely online.

On September 12, 2020, Koda gave her first performance in her 20th anniversary tour. Though a masked, socially-distanced audience was present, the event was also available for a worldwide audience via a mu-mo livestream. It later aired on TV Asashi. On October 10, 2020, Koda announced a December 12 release of two mini albums: angeL (MY NAME IS...) and monsteR (MY NAME IS...), thus recommencing her recent tradition of releasing dual studio albums. They were to include most of her new songs of 2020 as well as eight additional tracks not yet known; this would be the first time songs like "XXKK" would be commercially-available in physical format.

Japanese Discography

Koda Kumi (2021)
Koda Kumi promoting "BLACK WINGS" (2023)

Studio Albums

Best Albums

Cover Albums

Live Albums

Remix Albums

Mini-Albums

Singles

Digital Downloads

Split Singles

Music Cards

Vinyls

Promo Releases

Video Releases

Other Video Releases

Compilations / Other

US Discography

Singles

Vinyls

Live

Tours

Concerts

Concert Series

Filmography

Dramas

  • [2006] Cherry Girl (as Kumi)
  • [2006] Busu no Hitomi ni Koi Shiteru (as Kumi)
  • [2011] Ikemen Desu Ne (You're Beautiful Japanese Remake) (as Herself)

Movies

  • [2004] Cutie Honey (as Diva)
  • [2007] Saiyûki (as Fake Sanzo Hoshi)
  • [2013] Pink Spider (UULA Version) (as Candy)
  • [2021] Zokki

Publications

Photobooks

  • [2006.07.27] MAROC
  • [2006.12.28] Koda Shiki
  • [2007.02.29] MAROC (Deluxe Edition)
  • [2010.12.06] BRAZIL
  • [2011.01.31] Koda Reki
  • [2011.03.28] BRAZIL (Deluxe Edition)
  • [2013.02.22] KODA KUMI "PAPARAZZI" Snap Photobook

Books

  • [2009.10.21] Koda Kumi LIVE TOUR 2009 ~TRICK~ Ura Book (裏)
  • [2016.10.14] Bibody no Shuukan - Customs of a Beautiful Body (倖田來未流 美ボディの習慣)

Calendars

  • [2006.10.14] 2007 Calendar
  • [2007.09.28] 2008 Calendar
  • [2008.10.25] 2009 Calendar
  • [2009.10.30] 2010 Calendar
  • [2010.11.20] 2011 Calendar
  • [2011.11.05] 2012 Calendar

Band Scores

Magazines

For a list of magazines Koda Kumi has appeared on the cover of or was featured, click here.

Awards

Music Related Awards

  • [2005] 47th Nihon Record Taishō for "Butterfly"
  • [2006] Artist of the Year (20th Gold Disc Award)
  • [2006] Download Award for "Koi no Tsubomi" (20th Gold Disc Award)
  • [2006] Artist of the Year (Japan Gold Record Grand Prix)
  • [2006] Pop Album of the Year (Japan Gold Record Grand Prix)
  • [2006] Music Video of the Year (Japan Gold Record Grand Prix)
  • [2006] Triple Crown (Japan Gold Record Grand Prix)
  • [2006] Best Collaboration Video for "D.D.D. feat. SOULHEAD" (Space Shower Music Video Awards 2006)
  • [2006] Best Female Video for "Butterfly" (MTV VMAJ 2006)
  • [2006] Best Video of the year for "Butterfly" (MTV VMAJ 2006)
  • [2006] buzzASIA from Japan for "Trust you" (MTV VMAJ 2006)
  • [2006] Grand Prize for "Yume no Uta" (Best Hit Kayousai 2006)
  • [2006] Grand Prize for "Yume no Uta" (39th Japan Usen Grand Prize)
  • [2006] Best Vocal (48th Nihon Record Taishō)
  • [2007] Artist of the Year (21st Gold Disc Awards)
  • [2007] Best Female Video for "Yume no Uta" (MTV VMAJ 2007)
  • [2007] Best Video of the year for "Yume no Uta" (MTV VMAJ 2007)
  • [2007] Grand Prize for "Ai no Uta" (Best Hit Kayousai 2007)
  • [2007] Golden awards for "Ai no Uta" (49th Nihon Record Taishō)
  • [2008] Best Collaboration Video for "LAST ANGEL" (MTV VMAJ 2008)
  • [2011] Hottest Asian Artist (Mnet Asian Music Award 2011)
  • [2015] Contribution to Entertainment (VMAJ 2015)

Non-Music Related Awards

  • [2006] Best Jeanist (Woman)
  • [2006] Nail Queen
  • [2006] Women of 2006 by Vogue Nippon
  • [2007] Best Stylish Artist Award (MTV VMAJ 2007)
  • [2007] Best Jeanist (Woman)
  • [2007] Nail Queen
  • [2008] Best Jeanist (Woman)
  • [2008] Nail Queen
  • [2009] Best Jeanist (Woman)
  • [2009] Nail Queen
  • [2010] Best Jeanist (Woman)
  • [2010] Nail Queen
  • [2013] Music Short Excellence Award, Cinematic Award (with director Mika Ninagawa for "Pink Spider")

Dance Crew

Current Crew, from Left to Right: OOBA, MINAMI, SHOWKO, Kuu, AKIHIRO, FUKO, MARINA, ACHI

As with most prominent J-Pop songstresses, Koda Kumi has a crew of dedicated back-up dancers who feature prominently in her live shows and PVs. Many of them choreograph the vast majority of her PVs and live shows, some of whom stepped down as dancers but continue choreographing tours. Many still have since gone on to star in other high-profile dance projects.

Current Line-up

Male Dancers

Female Dancers

Former Dancers

Left to right, back to front: OOBA, Fujiken, U★G, SHINTA, Shun; Nanako, Minami, FUKO, Kaichou, Anna

PV Choreographies

Live Choreographies

References

  1. ↑ "倖田來未 オフィシャルサイト". Retrieved 2011-12-13.
  2. ↑ "Japanese singer Koda Kumi says she has low self-esteem". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  3. ↑ "倖田來未「もっと歌うまくなりたい」さらなる"進化"へ (Koda Kumi "I want to be better at singing" to further "evolution")". modelpress. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  4. ↑ "倖田來未、ボイトレ通いで進化中!?　「新しい声と出会える！」「もーーもっと歌うまくなりたいーーっ」 (Koda Kumi, evolving her voice!? "I can meet new ranges!" "I want to sing better songs."". Rittor Music, Inc. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  5. ↑ "倖田來未、全国のイオンシネマで劇場版ライブ映像上映". BARKS. February 5, 2019. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  6. ↑ ""KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2019 re (LIVE)"". rhythmzone.net. Retrieved 2020-10-20.

External Links

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