[Koda Kumi] The 200th thread for 20 years in her career

[KarenPang]

Kuu will perform a 3 songs medley of Cutie Honey , Butterfly & GOLDFINGER 2019 in tomorrow's live broadcast of Utacon

https://mdpr.jp/music/detail/1893891

[ALfromHELLSING]

^she is still trying to promote the album using mainly GOLDFINGER 2019, I wish she'd perform again instead. I believe that Kuu or avex thought that G2019 could become a big hit, like め組のひと but it just didn't catch on but then again it had no tie-ins and her music isn't played on the radio either.

Can someone translate what does it say under the album name on the poster?

Spoiler:

To re(PEAT) myself what I said wasn't directed at anyone in this thread but if you chose to take it personally and get offended, I can't stop you.

I can see why some might not enjoy k, MV. The editing is a bit sloppy and could have been more professional. I'm not a blind follower, I see these things but I choose to focus on the positive rather than negative - I'm glad we got a fun MV, which makes me enjoy the song more. Kuu is the main and only artist I support nowadays so I'm just grateful she's still making music. As not too long ago I tried to get back into other artists such as Namie, Ayu & Kana but their latest music didn't click with me.

It's only normal not to like everything. My point was how nowadays people get nasty while expressing their discontent, then mask it with "my opinion". When you trash talk an artist using offensive language, then say I'm still a fan - that's BS cause you are just a rude a**hole. There a few examples in K-Pop industry where artists were bullied online to the point of suicide, people say that's so sad and carry on with their hate speech. I muted some people on my Insta as people turned out to be unreasonable and life's too short for me to waste my time and try to reason with them. It just baffled me how some "fans" can go from supporters to haters overnight but ah well, you learn something new every day and really shouldn't have surprised me in the first place.

On a bright side, me posting that on my insta helped to start a conversation with more reasonable & mature fans I didn't talk to much before.

[Gustavopc]

^ I totally feel on you on clicking with other artists' songs. Even if I'm upset with some decisions Kuu/her team made in the recent years, I still love her releases music-wise, even if it takes a bit I fall in love with them. I don't know if that's charisma, astral alingments or just a matter of taste, but in late 2000s every jpop song I listened to was an instant catch, whereas nowadays it's basically Kuu. I'm having a hard time even with Hikki, who I stanned before knowing Kumi.

Plus, seing her live videos alwaaaaayyyyyssss amazes me, she puts so much energy and ideas into performing, and if she wants you to feel a certain feeling during a song, she'll do everything for you to feel it.

In fact, I guess that's what works in her songs for me. Some pop music, especially western music, does sounds good to my ears but at the end of the song I'm like "well, was that a sexy song? sad? happy?". With Kuu, if the song is up-lifting, I'll end the song lipsync-ing with a smile in my face, but if it's sad I'll be missing someone I never even knew lol This is something I always felt with her songs, like listening to Cherry Girl and feeling the sassy-sexy vibe all over me, or COME WITH ME and feel like in a beach party with some friends. She always has something to tell in her songs, and it doesn't need to be a tragic personal story, it can be just a mood she wants to portrait, and she always does so.

[orbitalaspect]

Yeah, I'm confused about the fuss. Online, people don't have to deal with the sudden reaction of saying something that doesn't land well with others. And when they do, it's often a dog pile. So, I don't know why people act like a post on a forum is the equivalent of saying that to someone's face, because no one psychologically approaches those two spaces the same way.

I'm interested in re(CORD). I just get the feeling so far that it's pretty much like DNA, like AND, like W FACE, like WOML... Kuu really hasn't had an album that felt like a complete concept in and of itself since JAPONESQUE/BV. There are always a few good songs, but they don't deliver the kind of punch that they would have if they were being released 10 years ago.

Whatever works for her. She's at the point in her career where she doesn't have to GAF. The fact that she's put out some 5 studio albums in the last 3-4 years is impressive enough. Would just love to see her reinvent the approach she used to have around having a strong visual and thematic concept to each album.

[KuuXAyu-fan]

NINKI for re(cord)

01 70.00 Ringo Shiina - Newton no Ringo ~Hajimete no Best-ban~
02 37.50 Ozawa Kenji - So kakkoii Uchuu
03 37.36 GANG PARADE - LOVE PARADE
04 26.90 Koda Kumi - re(CORD)
05 22.24 GFRIEND - Fallin' Light

GFRIEND are doing some handshake events for their album so they will probably debut above Kuu. Hope the album makes the Top 10 weekly.

[pedronekoi]

Originally Posted by ALfromHELLSING

Can someone translate what does it say under the album name on the poster?

Spoiler:

「一過去へリスペクト そして未来への記録」
"Respect for the past and recording for the future."

[Gustavopc]

Wow that's 10k more than DNA did on its first week, it'd be so cool if that happens indeed

Also I had totally forgotten that ninki existed lol gave me some nostalgia

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by ALfromHELLSING

^she is still trying to promote the album using mainly GOLDFINGER 2019, I wish she'd perform again instead. I believe that Kuu or avex thought that G2019 could become a big hit, like め組のひと but it just didn't catch on but then again it had no tie-ins and her music isn't played on the radio either.

It's a shame that there's no MUSIC STATION this week , if not I'm sure there's a high chance for Kuu to perform something other than Eh Yo & GOLDFINGER 2019 to promote re(CORD)

Same thing goes for this week's CDTV , it's a pity she's not featured on the show

I would have like to see Kuu perform other songs to promote re(CORD) . A TV performance of again would have been great cos she already performed GOLDFINGER 2019 during MUSIC FAIR

Also I know what you mean , ALfromHELLSING . At this day & age , it can be very frustrating to see negative comments from users on anything everything

Let alone twisting others' words and spinning it into a different thing altogether , it's even more worst

Some take such remarks to heart but if you know how to tune things out properly , then it makes things easier

For me I get real offended extremely easily . I used to fight back online but now I can't be bothered cos I know I'll be wasting my time & effort cos changing others' opinions on things is downright impossible

On a side note , today is Flying Get day for re(CORD) , whee

HMV Narita already put up promo re(CORD) boards inside their store & wish Kuu an early happy birthday









https://twitter.com/HMV_Narita/statu...01353645297664

[Corvina]

Originally Posted by ALfromHELLSING

^she is still trying to promote the album using mainly GOLDFINGER 2019, I wish she'd perform again instead. I believe that Kuu or avex thought that G2019 could become a big hit, like め組のひと but it just didn't catch on but then again it had no tie-ins and her music isn't played on the radio either.

Oh, her music is played on the radio, that's not the problem.
Tho I agree with GOLDFINGER... wish it'd be Eh Yo instead, as she did promote that as well.
But guess since the rugby world cup is over and GOLDFINGER was released, it's sadly her main choice.
Hiromi Go actually performs it every year on Kohaku for years now... might be they wanted to establish something with that, being such a big hit and relatively fresh on people's minds.

Btw. radio - she's going to be on J-Wave as well as グノシーＱ tomorrow.
グノシーＱ is actually a live quiz show with an app (Japan only).

They've finally released her fashion design.
It's a collab with the brand Pony Stone!

Spoiler:

Denim top
・サイズ展開・サイズ詳細：FREE（着丈:770mm　身幅：520mm　肩幅：550mm　袖丈：56 0mm）
・素材：コットン100%
・原産国：タイ
・価格：￥44,000（税抜） / ￥48,400（税込）

Denim pants
・サイズ展開・サイズ詳細：
（M）ウエスト横幅：320mm 着丈：1000mm
（L）ウエスト横幅：330mm 着丈：1100mm
・素材：コットン100%
・原産国：タイ
・価格：￥44,000（税抜） / ￥48,400（税込）

Expensive, but that was to be expected.
Pony Stone is a designer brand.
It's also going to be available through mu-mo.

@Karen
Her fans overall don't have a problem with saying negative things (Japanese unlike), I've actually meant they're, well, pretty chill.
I guess Kuu just generally draws in like-minded people as her fans or is influencing like that.

[Corvina]

Display in the Tsutaya in Shibuya











The discs of re(CORD) are shaped as records!
And they're in different colours, but forgot to make a screencap, haha.



Kinot (or a Japanese fan with him) shared the lyrics of Rich & Famous - they made a (Japanese) wordplay out of chances all - chances are.



I'm glad kinot got so active on Instagram, he's a nice guy to chat with.

[Gustavopc]

Nice idea they had for the discs, looks really cool! Can't wait to see the pics on the booklet and the FC photobook

Plus, I always love looking pics of those displays at discs shops, I wish those were made here in Brazil too lol

[Corvina]

Two more




FC edition





Uta Con starts now.

You can watch it here:
https://mov3.co/en/nhk/



A bunch of loud fans there, for Kuu and some other artists.

[kaled kalil]

The FC version looks so good! Love seeing all the discs together.

She performed a collaboration with all the guests, and the Kouhaku special medley (Cutie Honey and Butterfly) so far. Looking gorgeous as always and her voice sounded good.

EDIT

She's so extra haha, she changed the outfit for GOLDFINGER 19. The red outfit was good as well. They messed up the end a little bit, but it wasn't as messy as the reLIVE BC performance.

[Corvina]

She got the last performance of the show, the final, how nice!
Too bad they had that small hiccup in the dance, but Kuu is always really nervous when she's not performing before fans only and it was just a small one in the beginning.

[KarenPang]

During a live TV performance things might still go haywire you never know what might happen

Other than MUSIC STATION , CDTV , I would have loved to see Kuu perform in tomorrow's live broadcast of Best Hits Kayousai 2019 . It would have been great to see her celebrate her birthday with fans at Osaka Jo Hall tomorrow

But alas no :s

[Corvina]

Interview and self-liner notes for every song are out on mu-mo:
https://shop.mu-mo.net/st/special/ko.../?jsiteid=mumo

She explains e.g. why she covered both versions of Livin' La Vida Loca and also says that without those covers and Rich & Famous feat. Sean Paul, the album probably wouldn't even exist. She initially wanted to make a cover album out of re(cord).
Also, that she first made GET NAKED 3 years ago for W FACE, but only provisional; she then completed it this year, cause she felt it fits now. It's related to her debut song TAKE BACK lyrically.
And more.

[KarenPang]

Happy birthday Kuu

Early birthday surprise at Utacon backstage





https://twitter.com/KODAKUMINET/stat...68712418738179

[Corvina]

Ok, looks like I have some time, so I try to summarize what she says about every song.

01. DO ME

Spoiler:

Conveys the most important message for her, the starting point.
Back in the day she was unsure about herself, reluctant even, but if she's willing to give herself up, who will respect her?
It's about being herself and not to try to be someone else, establishing herself like that earlier in her career.

02. GET NAKED

Spoiler:

A song she provisional recorded 3 years ago for W FACE, but just completed now.
There's a line in her debut song TAKE BACK - 素顔をとり戻せるのはあなただけ (The one who can take back my honest face
is you alone) - she wants to refer to with GET NAKED. Therefore GET NAKED means showing your real face - "you're always free to dress you up, but it's also up to you to take it off (again)".

03. STRIP

Spoiler:

She completed the song before it was picked up as a tie-in song for the Rika drama.
There's no deeper meaning to the lyrics, it's in line with songs as HOT HOT or KO-SO-KO-SO, her sexy side lived out.

04. k,

Spoiler:

A type of song she really likes.
A cute and playful number to spice up the album making process.
She shot the PV pretty much last minute while having the Kanagawa shows of re(LIVE) tour.
DO ME and GET NAKED are conveying the feeling of women living free and uncontrolled, but here they also express the side of women who want to be loved.
The PV is like a gumball gacha machine, she uses balloons in her hair and dances with exercise balls.

05. Rich & Famous feat. Sean Paul

Spoiler:

CHANCES ALL from her DNA album last year was a popular song among her fanbase. There are a lot of popular songs actually, but she likes this song herself, so she wanted to challenge herself to "recover" the song for this album.
Without this song, the album probably wouldn't exist like it is.
She thinks Sean Paul's lyrics are very nice, they convey the message of "no night without dawn" (明けない夜はない in Japanese).
It was hard for her to match Sean Paul's level of rap, but as a result it turned into a nice song with a reggea beat.

06. again

Spoiler:

A song that might only be born because of this album.
again has the same meaning as the "re" in the title and is supposed to be like a summary of her "royal ballads".
The PV has motifs of Ai no Uta and you.
It was a difficult song for Kuu, cause she thinks she is a "strong type" while singing and is not good with softer forms.

07. Merry Go Round

Spoiler:

This song is very popular among her staff.
One of the songs completed early in the recording process.
They observed at her lives that even when fans were coming alone, they said they had a great time.
Even if you're alone, you're not lonely, cause everyone is with you, they said.
That is her ideal. She also says, that might feel exaggerated, but world peace is like that for her as well.
So it's a song she wrote in hope to make everyone happy, a "loop of smiling faces".

08. Eh Yo

Spoiler:

Eh Yo was written to support rugby from Osaka.
Eh Yo means ええよ (yes, right).
It's a collaboration song with Akira Takasaki, guitarist from the rock band LOUDNESS from Osaka (she wanted to collaborate with someone from Osaka for it).
In the album version there's an additional guitar part with him added.

09. GOLDFINGER 2019

Spoiler:

It was a challenge to cover Hiromi Go's version with a Koda Kumi flavour.
The song itself also has its 20th anniversary.
It's a kind of cover song to be a starting or turning point for Koda Kumi.
Just as Cutie Honey and just recently Megumi no Hito were.
There was the plan to initally make this album a cover album.
So this is a key song.

10. プチョヘンザッ!!!

Spoiler:

This might be a familiar (close) song with a feeling of distance.
While having the feeling she has to change as Koda Kumi, she also felt that she shouldn't change in certain aspects.
It's about enjoying it live.
As fans from younger generations have recently started to come to her lives (again), she wanted to make a song that everyone can sing and dance live, which is also why it has a dance also taught by Kloop on the screen live.
It might be kind of childish, but it's one of the things as Koda Kumi that shouldn't change.

11. Summer Time

Spoiler:

She wanted to sing a mid-tempo song during a-nation in summer.
It has a feel-good-melody and a catchy hook.
A song in the veins of Lady Go!.
She jokes, she's born in winter, but herself likes summer best.

12. OMG

Spoiler:

OMG was the last song to be completed.
A light and intimate number like プチョヘンザッ!!!.
A bit nostalgic.
She's proud it's a song being addictive for fans.
Which is an image which fits to the finale of a tour.
T-SK (the producer who wrote the song with/for her) was particular about adding excitement to the last part in the arrangement for the live performances.
She says they exchanged a lot of thoughts about the sound of this song.

13. SHUTOUT

Spoiler:

A song that's important for the order of the album.
She was worried about how to close this album, cause she wanted to value the world she opened with DO ME.
The album gradually becomes fun and lighthearted through its course, but she wanted to go back to the "Koda Kumi" one more time. She in particular was careful with the composition of the song.

14. Livin' La Vida Loca

Spoiler:

It's a latin cover song, which is very trendy right now.
She actually didn't want to go with the trend, but she was surprised about it when she sang it, it lifted her mood!
As a result she covered both versions of the song, the English original and the Japanese one.
And made 2 PVs for each version as well.
She wanted those to be linked, with a trick to ask yourself which one to watch.
The English version has the signs in Katakana, the Japanese version has the signs in romaji, in English.
The PVs are flipped on purpose.

@Karen
Yeah, her dancers are cute, some of them (like Achi and Marina) also posted messages on their Insta, aw.
Kuu is also thanking everybody for all the messages she already received in her Insta stories.

[orbitalaspect]

^ I was a bit shocked by the depth of the lyrics in "again", because it immediately struck me as Kuu sharing a lot of fans' wish to go back and do those glory years all over again. Haven't heard such a well-written ballad since possibly Ayu's "Curtain call"...? I think "again" really deserves to be the big takeaway from re(CORD).

Also surprised she originally intended to do a cover album. I figured Eternal and Color The Cover were just side projects, but she clearly likes reinventing old songs if she wants to keep making cover albums.

I'm also glad she threw one or two cute songs on this album. These used to be a staple on her albums, and she always did a fun and entertaining PV for them for the DVD/BD.

I'd love to know if there's a Kumi Koda no Uta album in the works. It'd be awesome to see people like Ayu and Hikki contribute a cover of a Kuu song. (Personally, I want to hear Hikki do "Ai no Uta" and Ayu do "you")

Anyway, looking forward to tomorrow! Was just listening to WOML this morning and remembered how much I loved the title track. Here's hoping we have great things to say about these songs after release!

[Gubsi]

i listened to the album (its out on OTOTOY since 3.5 hours) and im surprised how good it is overall.

Rich & Famous, Merry Go Round & SHUTOUT are probably the best songs for me on this record. I have so much fun listening to this. weakest songs are still Eh Yo and Put your hands up!!! for me, still nice tho. Covers are still awful and I wish she would've done alternate covers with the light tubes but it fits the theme I guess. Especially with this record being the start to her new chapter in her career sound wise, i'm really excited about her 20th anniversary and her releases in 2020.