Kumi Koda: Ten of her best songs

 

When most people think of Kumi Koda, they may think of "Cutie Honey" or "Ai no Uta", but there are actually a lot of incredible songs in her catalogue, so much so that the list goes on and on. Kumi Koda's recent songs are especially wonderful because she's been writing and singing the songs she wants to sing, so she's calling all the shots. I think many people don't know this about her, but Kuu (as many fans lovingly call her) has been writing the lyrics for her albums since her debut. She's grown so much as a songwriter and singer and even her sound has evolved, so her recent songs feel like some of the best of her career. She's moved away from lyrics about just love and heartbreak and now focuses on lyrics that encourage her fans, sending them messages of self-affirmation and self-love and telling them they should live life exactly how they'd like to. In her recent music, there are very strong lyrics about being free to speak your mind and living life for yourself without caring about what others think of you. This is why I'm choosing to focus on music from 2015 and onwards, because I think it was a rebirth for her. Unfortunately, many fans who do not know Japanese don't get to feel how much her lyrics pack a punch as of late, elevating the songs even further.

With that, I'd like to share my favorite lyrics & songs by her while explaining the meanings behind them.

10. Dance In The Rain

There's a line of hope in an opening in the clouds,
but I don't have any wings,
so I can't take off well
C'mon, close your eyes
And imagine it
And spread your wings
and then you dance, gotta dance,
dance in the rain
Throw all the sadness away
cause you dance, gotta dance, gotta dance, dance in the rain
Believe that something will change
and go towards the light that is tomorrow

This song is included in the album "WALK OF MY LIFE". Especially after she released that album, it felt like the crossroads where it began to feel as if the the “real Kumi Koda” was singing. It is now known that "WALK OF MY LIFE" contains a lot of songs that she herself wanted to sing and perform. She thinks that 'Dance In The Rain' in particular is a song where she was able to express what she wanted to say, and that it made her realize her starting point as an artist.
The message in the lyrics is to dance magnificently in the rain, no matter how painful it may be, and to continue to keep on living.
It has a message similar to Lady Gaga's "Rain on Me". "Dance in the Rain" was released in 2015, so it's interesting that it was written five years before Lady Gaga's. The two of them are on good terms, so maybe Gaga was inspired by the Japanese diva!

9. For...

Are you happy now?
Are you smiling now?
What you believe in isn't wrong
I want you to always be as you are

A song from the 2020 album "AngeL". It's a song that Kuu made while she was thinking about her fans during the Covid pandemic. She actually made this song together with her fans on an Instagram live during the "stay home" period, so the lyrics are shown as written by Kumi Koda and all fans in the credits. It's very sweet.

During that time, there were probably many artists that wondered when they'd be able to see their fans again…
If you think about that while listening to it, the meaning of the lyrics strikes a cord in your heart. It personally makes me feel like tearing up when I listen to it!

8. XXKK

I had a habit of
not showing my weaknesses
There were many nights
where I wanted to cry
now is the time
for me to stand up
MY NAME IS…
XXKK Celebrate tonight, cheers!

This song was released by Kuu on her 20th anniversary. She's an artist who took the world by storm, and she's one of the most successful artists in Japan, so I think it's okay for her to brag a bit. According to her, "XXKK" was created because she felt like writing a song for herself and showcase her pride as an artist.

It was included in the album "MonsteR", and I don't think there was an album that showed such a raw image of "Kumi Koda" until then.
　
Regarding "MonsteR", she said,

"I want to express myself in the lyrics a little bit more, with more of a message than when I was expressing myself in W FACE, and include something like the trajectory I've built up until now and how I'm feeling."

7. It's My Life

I can't hide my shaking heartbeat
It's starting - this is reality
One day I awoke and noticed
that this world is broken
Life was cold
Life isn't sweet
But I'll cut down the self I was until now,
be reborn, and pull through with my own strength

This is a song that is about never giving up your freedom and not being swayed by the opinions of those around you. This is a great message for her fans! I think that the more influence you have, the more effectively you fulfill your role as an artist. Kuu is definitely one of the most influential artists in Japan.
During the drop, she hits you with some impactful words, "Give me a break, man", and declares that since life is unpredictable, she'll carve it out on her own.

6. SOMETIMES DREAMS COME TRUE

I might have been wrong at times
And I probably noticed what was correct..
I'll probably cry again and again
But if I believe in myself
Get rid of my anxiety
And start moving forward
Sometimes dreams come true

Having a dream is a wonderful thing.
But it's hard to achieve that dream if you don't take action.
This song is also included in the album "WALK OF MY LIFE". It's a song with a message for those who have a dream to never give up on it.
It also reminds you of a young Kuu in her youth who was chasing her dreams.

She had said about this song,
“This is a song written by Jessie J when it first came to me in English. I thought it was a wonderful message about chasing your dreams. I decided to rewrite it while imagining the life I lived until now."

5. WHO

Who cares about what others think of you? Who?
Happiness? Unhappiness? Who decides that, who?
Up down up down Trippin on your dreams,
Where you heading to next?
I want to keep being myself forever.
I never give up!

A song from the album "AND". In this song, I think she's trying to tell her fans to not waste their lives/time on other people. The choice to be happy is within each and every one of us, and it's up for us to decide.
About this song,

“I think that ‘WHO’ has a message that can only be conveyed through song. If I were to convey these lyrics into just speech, it might sound harsh or mean, but I wrote the lyrics because I thought it would be easier to convey if I put them into my music. I'm normally a negative thinker. In order to become beautiful, you have to polish the inside. So when I thought about what I should do with my life, I came to the point where I had to affirm myself instead of denying everything. For that reason, I wanted to make a song that affirms oneself. I wanted to tell the world, "Who cares about what's going on around you? It's no use living like that."

4. DO ME

 

Things that I can pull off,
you definitely can't,
You don't have what's in me
Open your eyes, —ay—ay.ay .ay—ay

you may hate me
but I too
Would never want to be you

This track is in the 2019 album "re(cord)". It's a song similar to "XXKK'' where she seems to be boasting, but (and this is just my personal interpretation) it means that Kuu wants her fans to realize that they have talent and to continue living with pride. Having a certain amount of pride is not a bad thing.
It expresses Kuu's strong and tough demeanor, along with her opinions on life, like in the words "What's good about being empty and skin-deep?"
She said about this song,
“People are said to be afraid of things they’ve never seen before, or things they didn’t expect, and therefore have a negative reaction to them, which is where criticism comes from. But now I can proudly sing 'If you like this path, go there, don't be afraid."

3. BOW WOW

Doing the "right" thing isn't everything,hater
I'm satisfied with how I live my life
How about you, can you complain?
You can go on about this and that
after you're able
to be proud of yourself

I've piled this onto myself day after day
You've never been there to see it,
so why are you so arrogant?
Don't say a word, don't try to hurt me
You're not worth it
BAD…Bow Wow

A song from 2022's "heart".

If you sit and think about the situation in Japan in 2022 along with the lyrics, you might get the deeper message hidden within this song.

"How boring this world has become, my life is my own."

Especially in 2022, I think it's important to form your own opinions & beliefs and stick to what you think is right. Kuu wants her fans to think about various things going on around them, and there may be fans who have felt inspired to question things after hearing these words.

"Doing what's "correct" isn't everything, though? hater"

"Hater" I think stands for the people who criticize and judge others. This song is a battle cry against these people.

2. NO ONE

I'd rather be hated than
to not be known at all.
how many paths have we chosen
How many unknown challenges have we overcome
while feeling lost until now
The tears from those days are gone
and have become a beam of hope shining at our feet,
Hoist your ideals, wake up

Many artists suffer harsh criticism in the public eye. It's not limited to just Kuu, but there were times where she was met with controversy after becoming famous and she had to overcome the slander that came along with it. But it is precisely because of those times that we have the Kumi Koda that exists today. Each time she was hurt, she climbed out of that hole on her own and repeated this while learning from her mistakes. During those times she was attacked by the public much more than necessary, and I'm sure it made her think about a lot of things. Is it really necessary to be loved by the public?

It seems that she was able to overcome the difficult times while thinking that the love from her fans was enough. I think that these experiences made her stronger. Kuu is now stronger mentally, has her own voice, and has been able to put her true feelings into her lyrics.
"I'd rather be hated than to not be known at all." seems like it could be her motto. She had said she ruminated over this phrase a lot, and that she really wanted to put it in a song. When she heard the intro to "No One", she thought, "This is the song!"

She said in an interview:
“I was always able to stand up again even after stumbling over, so I wanted to express this in this song, the path I have walked until now. But it isn't just for me, it's for all the people in the world struggling against the odds. I wanted it to be a song that encourages those people."

1. WALK OF MY LIFE

I think this song, to all her fans, is considered one of her master-works. She has said herself that this is "the signature song of Kumi Koda". Like I said earlier, one of the things Kuu learned from her painful past was to move forward without worrying about what other people thought about her. There are also the lyrics, "It's about how I lived, not about what others think." The message might sound simple, but even such straight-to-the-point words can leave an impression.
When everyone hears the title "WALK OF MY LIFE", they might also recall "WALK", a song that Kuu has a special attachment to from the beginning of her career. This can be considered a sequel, but taken a step further and with a deeper meaning than 'WALK'. 'WALK OF MY LIFE' tells us that you need to believe in yourself and continue on walking your own way. If you end up at a crossroads that makes you feel lost or like you're taking a big risk if you continue, you should choose your own path and do what you feel is right without the persuasion of others.

The line "I am finally free" feels like physical liberation, but it also stands for being emotionally liberated when you realize that you have the option to free yourself. The title symbolizes looking back on the walk of your life, which has been quite a difficult road that comes with great success, and moving on to the road ahead. "WALK OF MY LIFE" will continue on forever, but Kuu, who has grown from her past, will continue to walk without a bit of hesitation, well-prepared for her future path. Her challenges to come in the future are also something to look forward to.

As someone born and raised in New York, I personally would have loved this song anyway, but the fact that the PV for "WALK OF MY LIFE" is set in New York made me feel even more love for this song and album. I'm really happy that she chose New York as the setting for this incredible song.

Take a listen to the tracks above here!

Here are the lyrics to "Walk of My Life", which are my absolute favorite.

"You're great" I tell myself - yet unable to do anything
I held my tongue,
I'll never see the same scenery again,
and I overlooked
the importance of right now

Someday the day will come when even the pain
that won't stop, and the ringing will disappear -

the world turns
"I'm alone, I'm alone"
I won't say things like that anymore

When we step forward, we're likely to stand still
Everyone probably searches for the meaning of life
I am finally free
I say that those around me haven't changed,
so I must be the one change now
I can finally
start from where we ended
So begins a walk of my life

They kept saying "You're strong, aren't you?"
But in front of the mirror
my back was always trembling, you know?
There really isn't
anyone who knows their true self

Making mistakes over and over, turning back over and over
But, even so,
I'll keep advancing to where I want to go
I'll never stop

I will get stronger as I cry
I will learn the meaning of standing back up
I am finally free
I say that those around me haven't changed,
but I must be the one to change now
I can finally
start from where we ended
So begins a walk of my life

The withered, fallen leaves sadly
and nervously fall asleep
I'm actually smiling
just from looking around at my surroundings

It's not about "What do people think of me?"
It's about "How did I live?"
Rather than go on like someone else
I'm going to go on like my own self

When we step forward, we're likely to stand still
Everyone probably searches for the meaning of life
I am finally free
I say that those around me haven't changed,
but I must be the one to change now
I can finally
start from where we ended
So begins a walk of my life

I can finally
start from where we ended
So begins a walk of my life