226 replies to this topic

[sejl]

I was looking through the threads in the music area and i was suprised to see no Koda Kumi thread!
As i'm sure most of you all know she was turned down by Tsunku when she auditioned for Morning Musume, i think that was a mistake by him. She didn't to long ago release her last single Someday/Boysgirls
out of a total of 12 she released every week since 2005.12.07. I really like the new single and i think she's a great singer

So i made this thread for a free discussion on Koda Kumi
heres some more info if you don't know about her HERE
it has a bio and various other things and a link to her site

heres the single cover to her most recent single

Edited by sejl, 08 March 2006 - 04:27 AM.

[turbos86]

Kumi is great, I enjoy quite a few of her songs. No, not just those with ero dancing and/or clothing~

She didn't get into H!P....well you know, she wouldn't of fit too well....just look at her...not exactly your pedo cute kind of girls that the typical Akihabara otakus would drool over.

Avex is pretty creative with their marketing (the 12 week single release thing)....but if the rumor is right, there's gonna be another 4 single a week thing in april, now that's just lame.

Random thoughts~
Not to sound like I'm jumping on the bandwagon (now that she's hot property), I think Avex is going alittle over board trying to promote her. They KNOW Ayumi won't last any longer at this rate, and is trying to create the next diva to sweep the nation. Koda Kumi did not debut as a sex symbol, they shaped her to be one. By creating this new image that appeals to young female audiences (that's where the money is, seriously), they'll secure a place for her in main stream Jpop....While at the same time, they still milk Ayumi for every last drop she can make from her prestige and fame. Smart move by the big guys. Avex knows how to play their cards right, holding off Ayumi from releasing any singles while Kumi release 12........no wonder their the biggest music company in Japan. LOL~ oops~ going off-topic a bit~

The reason I think Koda Kumi is so popular....she appeals to young girls, because the girls wants to be like her, while at the same time, guys can't keep their eyes off her (atleast a part of her )

Edited by turbos86, 08 March 2006 - 01:13 PM.

[cool_kickin_dude]

that's true about the guys can't keeping their eyes off her.

[l3aKa_poonZ]

yeah..

she's not suitable for MM

cuz' her image's sexy lol

anyway, she's really good singer

:c16: :c16: :c16:

[(AZN)animedude]

if i remember correctly, didn't she sing Real Emotion for FFX-2, cuz that song was stuck in my head for quite a long time, and her other music is amazing as well, but learning that she had tried out for MM surprised me but she seems to be doing quite well even though she wasn't brought in the H!P world

[black velvet]

Wow, I'm surprised this thread isn't littered with talk! Anywho, Kuu is awesome and 4 Hot Wave is AWESOME.

This recent interview I found really touched me, and I wanted to share it here. I'm sure a lot of hardcore fans know about it, but I would love to show this to people who only think of Kumi as a "skank".

(If you look to the side, you can see the rest of the interview videos.)

I know it isn't subtitled, but it really gets in depth about Kumi and what the girl's been through.

To give the lowdown:

Kumi's mother was an enka singer, and whenever Kumi saw her mom sing, she felt captivated and saw how everyone else felt about her mother's voice. She wanted to be just like that, so she set out for singing. When she auditioned for MM and was turned down, she grew depressed, because she thought that she had a great voice, but was too ugly. Later, both she and her sister, Misono, applied to avex and got in. Her sister immediately became popular with her group DAT (Day After Tomorrow) while Kumi was barely noticed.

She grew frustrated as she kept releasing, but was never popular enough to chart. Her depression grew more, and she began eating unhealthily. When she went to her sister's concert, she noticed her sister had a lot of choice in what she wore and everything. When she asked Max Matsuura (Ayumi Hamasaki's producer and founder) why she couldn't do things like that, his reply was, "Because you are fat. If you lose some weight, then we'll talk." It was stated in a straight-foward manner, I believe. Kumi might not have thought it funny the way Max might have, though. She realized that she would never be able to do what she loved to do unless she could become beautiful.

Thus, the ero-kawaii/kakoii Koda Kumi was formed a little later. Really, Kumi admits that she doesn't like this style, and even told avex. Their reply? "You don't always get to do what you'd like to do. This is a way of making you popular and giving us more money. If you want to sing and become popular, this is going to be your style." Kumi has admitted to having eye surgery, which I believe is common among most Asian artists. Also, on another show, and if someone can help back me up, she admitted to having a breast implants. (I'm not sure if she really said that, as it's being denied several places now, so don't throw it around as the truth.)

Her dear mother talks in the interview and speaks of how she stood by Kumi's side. :c40:

(Thanks so much to mishidabo for translating some of it for me. If someone else wants to correct what I've typed or add to it, please feel free to do so. You, too, mishi. :c16:)

[opensky]

she just had her first pb released a few days ago...

http://us.yesasia.co...pid-1004316491/

[Novaforever]

Thank you VERY much for explaining the interview and posting the link Black Velvet! I've heard some vague facts from it, but that was a really nice summary you gave.

Koda Kumi is actually one of my favorite artists right now. She has kind of continuously been one of my favs for years now (ever since So Into You) but the special thing about Koda is that I seem to 'rediscover' her every so often. I'll just just listen to her albums again and find a new song that blows my mind that I guess I didn't care about the last time. Or I just get reimpressed by her excellent voice and dancing. I have a TREMENDOUS amount of respect for her. I think she has the most impressive work ethic out of any Japanese performer right now. She definitely went through a period where she didn't have any sucessful singles, but was still really proud of the music she made. So she kept challenging herself. Like with her 12 single release run. That got her a world record I believe for most consective singles. And her 4 Hot Wave, besides being an excellent single, Is also the first 4x A-side single ever (correct me if i'm wrong).

It's really easy for people to dismiss Koda with thoughts like 'Oh well she's really just selling on sex appeal.' And yeah that is partially true. But she also has an amazing voice and well thought out songs. She changes her genre of music more than any other singer, and in my eyes, kind of avoid classification.

[black velvet]

Thank you VERY much for explaining the interview and posting the link Black Velvet! I've heard some vague facts from it, but that was a really nice summary you gave.

It's really easy for people to dismiss Koda with thoughts like 'Oh well she's really just selling on sex appeal.' And yeah that is partially true. But she also has an amazing voice and well thought out songs. She changes her genre of music more than any other singer, and in my eyes, kind of avoid classification.

Your very welcome, and thank you! I mainly wrote what mishidabo explained to me over MSNM. :c33: I'm still a noob at Japanese, though I'm doing some self-learning. The video has been a bit of a controversial topic in several places, but since mishidabo understands a lot of Japanese, and was watching it while telling me about it, I trust him. I think that since Kumi has brought about this interview, people will understand more of what she's been through and think a bit more when they call her a "skank/whore/etc." She sees that people see her in that sort of negative way, and that's why she doesn't like it, but she's willing to go through with it.

Anywho, I agree that Koda is very versatile! 4 Hot Wave had 4 different styles to me. (ballad, rock, hip-hop, then pop) When FFX-2 was released, I fell in love with the song, and only did a small amount of research on who the singer actually was. (I was too in love with Hamasaki and Gackt at the time. ) She does have an amazing voice, and it's perfect for any genre. :cool Also, that new PB, Maroc, looks gorgeous!

[toxic025]

KK shes ok, not really a big fan of her music but I do luv to watch her lives per

[Proto]

Used to listen to her alot. Stopped after the 12 single project period. I only liked one out of 12 songs and IMO, she went for quantity over quality during that period. I must say she's a decent artist though. Her lives are always appealing and several of her songs are really, really great. I really enjoyed Selfish, Cuti Hani, Real emotion and even older ones like m.a.z.e.

[opensky]

heres a short vid of her pb making of

[SacredCultivator]

Hmm got into her for her looks in the beginning, then got exposed to some of her Music Videos and some are pretty dirty.. Lol found a Subbed copy of her 'Shake It' video and I was like ><

But overall I do like her music, I mean 1000 Words was featured in FFX and we all know how big that game was.

[Ol' Dirty Pepto]

Hmm got into her for her looks in the beginning, then got exposed to some of her Music Videos and some are pretty dirty.. Lol found a Subbed copy of her 'Shake It' video and I was like ><

But overall I do like her music, I mean 1000 Words was featured in FFX and we all know how big that game was.

FFX-2, she sang 1000 words in X-2

[black velvet]

Both "What Can I Do For You?" (English & Japanese) and "1000 Words" were sung by Koda in FFX-2, as Yuna.

Those were my first Koda songs as well. When I first played the game, I had the beginning stuck in my head.

[amran]

Both "What Can I Do For You?" (English & Japanese) and "1000 Words" were sung by Koda in FFX-2, as Yuna.

Those were my first Koda songs as well. When I first played the game, I had the beginning stuck in my head.

the song are Real emotion and 1000 words. i love 1000 words especially and when i played back FFX..i cried during the song sang by yuna. :crying

[sailormari]

i just download and watch the video for cherry girl and what i have to say is :w00t!: OMG
this video rocks i love it i cant stop watching it this my new fav song from her

[black velvet]

i just download and watch the video for cherry girl and what i have to say is :w00t!: OMG
this video rocks i love it i cant stop watching it this my new fav song from her

Yeah! :w00t!: The dorama looks fantastic, too! If I could just get some more money, I'd buy Black Cherry + Cherry Girl dorama. :c16:

Also, no one really commented on Yume no Uta/Futari de . . . Well, I hadn't really gotten a hold of it until recently, but it's a wonderful ballad, though I can't seem to tell the difference from the two songs.

[Live4Ai]

she just not my cup of tea, not like her style.

[sailormari]

in case anyone is looking for Koda Kumi videos i post a bunch on the random file thread
heres a link to it
http://www.hello-onl...a...st&p=166531