J-rock Belgium: J-Pop Corner: Koda Kumi (倖田來未)

This week I will not introduce an other J-rock band to you, but a celebrated pop artist. My music interest goes further than simply rock so I got the permission to do this “J-pop Corner” once a month. If you really don't like this segment, then please, let us know!

For the first week I want to introduce you all to the lovely Koda Kumi (倖田來未). Some of you may know her songs from the popular game “Final Fantasy X-2”, or maybe you know her as the “Nail Queen” and trend setter of the “ero-kakkoii” style. Her music style can be described as pop/R&B. Similar artists are Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro.

Koda was born into a musical family. Her grandfather and mother master traditional Japanese instruments while little sister Misono was the former lead singer of “Day After Tomorrow”. The dream to become a singer was inspired by Koda's mother who performed in karaoke bars. Koda pursued her dream, but had to overcome an inferiority complex. She had been bullied many times because of her appearance.

In 2000 she got signed to “Avex-trax's” sub-label “rhythm zone”. That year in December she released her debut single “TAKE BACK”, but it only reached #59 on the Oricon charts. Apparently Avex had done little promo for the single. In the end she released a bunch of unsuccessful singles. Six months later things started to look bright. The single “Trust Your Love” made it's way into the Oricon top 20. Thanks to the success of that single, Koda released an English version of “TAKE BACK” and reached #18 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music charts.

After that there was an other unsuccessful period for Koda. There were even rumors that she would be dropped from the label because of poor sale numbers. Luckily for her, “Final Fantasy X-2” featured 2 songs of her new single “Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba”. This lead to her big break through since the single reached #3 on the Oricon charts.

With the release of “Crazy 4 U” Koda had transformed from a teen idol to a more mature image that focused on sex appeal. Both Avex and Koda had agreed to change her image, and so the ero-kakkoii style was born. Not only her physical appearance got more sexy, but she also explored more themes of sexuality and taboos. With the song “Taboo” she stood up for homosexuality. In an interview she said: "I'm the type of person who thinks that [in a relationship] it doesn't matter what sex the other person is. No matter who they are, it doesn't change the 'I love this person' feeling, does it?". But after the image change and her cover of “CUTIE HONEY”, Koda's popularity kept growing at a steady pace and now she's one of Japan's most influential pop artists.

In 2011 she married the vocalist/guitarist of the rock group “BACK-ON” and on July 17 2012 she gave birth to a baby boy.