Koda Kumi “3 Splash”
New Disc Special
WHAT’s IN? July 2009
Translation: Erin Grace

This summer, we’ll be getting a single from Koda Kumi that’s packed with charm. From these types of fun songs, the impression of Kumi as a heroine has completely changed, making for an interesting work. Which you’ll like the best is something you should definitely figure out for yourself.

Interviewer: Akira Okumoto

“I’m changing, and I think this these possibilities are something that’s good to convey.”

—There’s three really fun songs here, aren’t there?

Koda Kumi (From here, “K”): Thank you. Every time I have a release there are all sorts of songs coming out, but I tried lining up these three songs because they’re completely different varieties.

—Your individuality comes out strong, and any of the songs could be the “lead,” but it doesn’t feel strange.

K: Yeah, if a music show made me sing all three songs, I think that would be fine. And this time, I get to wear a jacket, and real clothes on the PV. It’s been awhile since I had to work out for a PV, but we finished the single song by song, with individuality and a leading role. “Lick me” is catchy and a good song for karaoke, “ECSTASY” is a strong and sexy song like “TABOO,” and the last song has a band sound. Pop, R&B, rock – whatever the song, it’s worth it, and it was fun.

—It looks like you’re finishing the PV in which you exercised and were quite absorbed.

K: It’s a “spirit of the times” piece, but I made it by putting a lot of myself into it. (Laugh) Clothes are an important part of making a song better overall, and in order to realize a situation that will allow the PV to convey the song’s world view, we created many competing layers. In “Lick me,” there is a girl whose appearance changes to “Strawberry Girl,” “Mango Girl,” or “Bitter Chocolate Girl,” depending on what ice cream she eats. But at the end she goes back to “Vanilla Girl.” In the end, she’s just a regular girl, the kind that can really seize a man’s heart. That’s the message I wanted to convey.

—“ECSTASY” has a cool and sexy image.

K: The PV has a very high-art feeling, so I wore clothes that you can’t normally wear. I was dancing, wrapped in enamel tape. It was bold and cool, novel and interesting. It was really “near-futuristic.”

—Wow, enamel tape! (Laugh) And “Hashire!” is kind of funky rock, with a sort of sprinting feeling?

K: I’m singing right to the excitement of the awakening of love. We filmed the PV in Guam, and I’m running and dancing in the ocean. My lover’s heart is like a basketball hoop, and I really want to make a dunk shot! Is what I’m going for.

—That’s a story that’s easy to understand, and makes you feel good, doesn’t it?

K: I was reborn in that PV. I feel like the impression you get of the song from hearing it and from seeing the images are different.

—It must have been the same when you were doing an album, but you have to change for every song; can you sink into that world?

K: Yes. Song by song, I get the right quality of voice, and sing in the way that I’ve chosen for it. I’m alone, but I’m not alone. Even though I’m Koda Kumi, I’m also Kuu-chan. In the heart of me, there are so many characters, so I change my voice and facial expressions, and I feel like I want to sing. I alone perform as all these girls, and to the people who listen to me: I change like this! I think these possibilities are something that’s good to convey.”

—Are these endless possibilities that you show us?

K: Yes, yes, the truth is there are so many faces. I tend to think that clothes and make-up alone won’t give me the right look, and I was thinking that even black wouldn’t make me look right, but even if I wore “Cutie Honey” pink, the fans would still say it was good. Only by changing the components can you get a good chemical reaction. Music is the same way. I want to say that a good song is that way because the voice suits the melody.

—That’s an important point.

K: It makes it easy to listen to, and catchy. So I try to choose songs where I can get that good chemical reaction. This time there were only songs I had fun with, so if you can listen to them in the car, please do. You can take them to the sea, and listen to the roar of the sea too. Whatever the situation, please color these with your own thoughts.

TOKYO — Singers Kumi Koda, 26, and misono, 24, put on an unannounced show on Tuesday outside the east exit of Shinjuku station, singing their new song and first collaboration “It’s all Love!”

About 5,000 people flocked to Shinjuku Station Square to hear the pair sing the new track, which went on sale the same day. The song is about misono’s heartbreak and Kumi consoling her. Misono, who is Koda’s sister, said: “It’s a true story. The lyrics include what I said to Kumi just after the break-up. Men tell lies. I hate that.”

Source: Japan Today

Koda Kumi – Driving Hit’s
Experience Koda Kumi’s smash songs in remix. Special remix versions of favorites like Koi no Tsubomi, Butterfly, and Ai no Uta await fans in Koda Kumi Driving Hit’s. The compilation also features other top entries like the Sunset In Ibiza Remix of Take Back, the Free Tempo Remix of anytime, and the House Nation Sunset In Ibiza Remix.of Taboo.

「HOUSENATION」のリミキサー陣によるDRIVING MIXが遂にリリース！
デビューから現在までにリリースした「Butterfly」等の大ヒットシングル全17曲（予定）をコンプリートした究極のMIX CDが登場！

Track List
01. Lady Go!
02. Come Over[Caramel Pod Club Mix]
03. 恋のつぼみ[Shohei Matsumoto Remix]
04. Crazy 4 U[World Sketch Remix]
05. real Emotion[HOUSE NATION Sunset In Ibiza Remix]
06. BUT[MITOMI TOKOTO BIG ROOM Remix]
07. Get Up & Move!![Pink Chameleons Remix]
08. Butterfly[Prog5 Mirrorball Remix]
09. キューティーハニー[HOUSE NATION Sunset In Ibiza Remix]
10. TABOO[HOUSE NATION Sunset In Ibiza Remix]
11. Run For Your Life[Kaskade Remix]
12. 空[Yukihiro Fukutomi Remix]
13. anytime[FreeTEMPO Remix]
14. 爱のうた[The Standard Club PIANO DANCE Remix]
15. COLOR OF SOUL[DJ KANBE & Leisure Central Remix]
16. TAKE BACK[Sunset In Ibiza Remix]
17. Driving

DOWNLOADS:
Step 1, Get the Latest Version of eMule at:
SourceForge.net: eMule

Step 2, Click the following links to Downloads:
倖田来未(Kouda.Kumi).-.[KODA.KUMI.DRIVING.HIT'S].专辑.(MP3).rar

If you like the above materials, please buy the original.

Actress Meisa Kuroki, 20, attended a special screening of her upcoming ballet movie “Subaru” held at the Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall this week. The movie, based on the popular comic of the same name and directed by Chi-Ngai Lee, tells the story of a young aspiring ballerina’s journey to the world stage.

Kuroki said she had to train hard for the movie as she had no prior ballet experience, and that she had put on five kilograms since she stopped training.

Kumi Koda, who sings the theme song – “faraway” – for the movie, made a surprise appearance at the preview, and said of Kuroki: “Well even so, she is still hot. She is even more beautiful in person,” presenting Kuroki with a bouquet of flowers.

Kuroki later said: “Having Kumi on board helps a lot. She also smelled really, really good.”

“Subaru” opens in cinemas on March 20, and Koda’s new single “faraway” goes on sale March 31.

Source: Japan Today

The J-pop sisters Koda Kumi (26, photo right) and Misono (24, photo left) are teaming up for the first time. They are scheduled to release a joint single, “It’s All Love” by chaku-uta download on February 25 and on CD in March and will be appearing on the music show circuit together. Though the younger of the two, it was Misono who first achieved popularity from her debut in 2002 until 2005 as vocalist with the group Day After Tomorrow. One reason for the breakup of the group was said to be Misono’s considerable weight gain, and she was then completely eclipsed by the success of her big sister. Kumi, who debuted in 2000 and had limited success in the club music scene, almost overnight became J-pop’s biggest seller in 2005 and again in 2006 with her upbeat dance numbers, regular TV appearances and “ero-kakkoii” (sexy cool) image. Misono started getting her career back on track in 2006, but more on the TV variety circuit than in music and she is now a regular on such shows as “Quiz! Hexagon.” Both sisters, who hail from Kyoto, clearly enjoy the limelight, share a raucous sense of humor and are said to be close. But they have only ever appeared on TV together once, on “Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ” last December, and have performed together only in private.

Source: japanzone

The annual Nail Queen awards were handed out on Monday as part of the 2008 International Nail Expo. In the music artist category, pop star Kumi Koda received the prize, marking her third consecutive win. This places her in the “hall of fame,” meaning that she is no longer eligible for future awards. She is third person to do so, after Ayumi Hamasaki and Becky.

Ryoko Yonekura won in the actress category, while model Anne won in the talento category. DAIGO took the men’s award, and the women’s soccer team Nadeshiko Japan earned the sports award. Actor Peter was given a special prize.

Source: tokyograph

Kumi Koda (倖田 來未, Kōda Kumi, born Kumiko Kōda (神田 來未子, Kōda Kumiko) on November 13, 1982) is a Japanese Urban and oftenJapanese pop singer-songwriter from Kyoto who debuted in 2000 with the single, Take Back. Koda did not achieve notice until the release of her seventh single, Real Emotion / 1000 no Kotoba (1000の言葉, lit.1000 words), which peaked at the number-three spot on the Oricon weekly charts. Her popularity grew even further with the release of her fourth studio album Secret (2005), her sixteenth single Butterfly (2005), and her first greatest hits album Best: First Things (2005), reaching at the number-three, number-two and number-one spot respectively.

Oricon recently conducted a survey of a thousand women ages 20 to 35 who expressed an interest in fashion. The survey had several questions, and Oricon has published some of the results on its website.

One question asked the women which female celebrity looks best in animal prints, which have recently been catching on as a fashion trend. Ayumi Hamasaki was voted #1, followed by rival Kumi Koda, actress Aya Sugimoto, model Uno Kanda, and actress Erika Sawajiri.

Another pop star, Namie Amuro, ranked #6. The rest of the top ten were models: Yukina Kinoshita, Anna Umemiya, Anna Tsuchiya, and Rinka.

In another part of the survey, Oricon asked which beauty was best suited for boots. Here, Amuro enjoyed the #1 spot, repeating her performance from last year when the same question was asked. Model Yu Yamada moved up from #6 to #2, while Karina jumped one spot to #3 and Rinka climbed from #8 to #4.

Meanwhile, Ayumi Hamasaki dropped from #2 last year to #5 this year. Also on the list were Yuri Ebihara, Kumi Koda, Yukina Kinoshita, Alisa Mizuki, and Moe Oshikiri.

A third section of the survey posed the question, “whose face would you like to have?” The cute but fierce looks of Kou Shibasaki earned her the honor of #1, followed by young actress Aoi Miyazaki. Namie Amuro also appeared on the short list at #3, while Ayumi Hamasaki tied for #4 with Yuko Takeuchi.

Source: Tokyograph

Singer Kumi Koda, 25, this week held a concert at Studio Coast in Shinkiba for some 2,400 fans. Koda sang 18 songs and danced in sexy costumes. She sang her latest song “Taboo” for the first time during the concert as well as announcing the release of another new song “Stay With Me” on Dec 10.

Koda is slowly making a comeback after a self-imposed exile earlier this year following her remarks on a radio program in which she said that “women over 35 had ‘rotten’ fluid in their wombs.”

Source: japantoday