After 10 years, she became one of the best-selling artists of the decade and one of the most popular and influential artists in Japan.
Koda officially debuted with the single TAKE BACK in December 2000.
In 2002, after the release of several singles, she released her first studio album affection, which charted at #12.
Some success came her way when she was asked to do the main songs for the video game, "Final Fantasy X-2", with real Emotion/1000の言葉 (1000 words), Koda also provided the voice for the character Lenne in the Japanese version of the game as well as the character, "Yuna's", opening sequence dance via motion capture. The single proved to be a success, debuting at #3 and becoming Koda's first release to enter the top ten. It sold 282,734 copies and became the #24th highest-selling single of 2003. A few weeks later, Koda released her second studio album, grow into one, which debuting at #9.
In 2004, Koda released three more singles before the release of her 3rd studio album, feel my mind which again showed Koda's determinated progress, charting at #7.
From here on, Koda's success increased and her popularity rose with the release of her 11th single, a cover of 1970's anime opening, キューティーハニー, debuted at #4. This single also marked the start of Koda's to be trademark, new style: "ero-kakoii" (or "ero-Kawaii") which roughly translates as: "sexy-cool" or "sexy-cute". Koda's fourth album secret was released in February 2005. The album debuted #3 with 505,600 copie sold, making it the #22 album of 2005.
With Koda's popularity reaching new heights, she held her first live show, "secret ~FIRST CLASS LIMITED LIVE~", (later becoming one of the top 10 selling DVDs in Japan) and released her sixteenth single, Butterfly. Debuting at #2, it became her highest charting single of her career to date and was very well received by the Japanese public. Following this success, she released her first best-of compilation, BEST ~first things~. This is the album which is said to have skyrocketed her career, reaching #1 on the weekly charts and selling 1,207,793 copies, making it the #6 album of the year and the highest selling female album of 2005.
In December 2005, Koda Kumi began her 12 Singles Project in which she released one single each week for twelve consecutive weeks. The first single, you, became Koda's first ever #1 single. Each of the remaining singles from the project charted in the top five of the weekly singles chart. The success of the project was celebrated with the release of Koda's second best-of compilation album BEST ~second session~ which sold over a million copies in just over a week. It became the #2 album of 2006 with 1,768,628 copies sold. During this time, Kumi also won the 47th Nihon Record Taishō (best award prize in Japan) with Butterfly.
Her 30th single, 恋のつぼみ, the first single to be released since the 12 singles project, was released in May 2006 and debuted at #2 with 140,000 copies sold. The track became one of the most downloaded single of the year, with more than 2 millions legal downloads in just a few weeks. After the release of several successful singles, including 4 hot wave (a maxi summer single) and 夢のうた, which had become her #1 and #2 best selling singles with more than 300,000 copies sold, Koda released her fifth studio album, Black Cherry which remained at the #1 position for four weeks, selling more than 1 million copies. By the end of 2006, both BEST ~first things~ & BEST ~second session~ had nearly sold two million copies. Koda Kumi became the highest selling female artist of the year.
In 2007, Koda Kumi released several singles including 愛のうた, which became one of the most sung songs in Karaoke and one of the biggest hits from Koda’s discography. On the December 21st 2007, Koda Kumi became the seventh Japanese female artist to hold a solo concert at Tokyo Dome. During the concert, she celebrated the 7th year anniversary since her debut in front of 35,000 fans. By the end of the year, Kumi became, for the 2nd time running, the highest selling female artist of the year.
In January 2008, during the promotion of her 6th album, Kingdom, Kumi appeared as a guest on TBS radio show, "All Night Nippon". During which Koda mentioned her manager had recently got married and that she had asked her manager, "whether or not they would have children". When her manager replied that they wouldn't for the time being, Koda responded with her opinion that they ought to have children as soon as possible, as, "when women are around 35 years old their amniotic fluids go bad."
The comment was deemed so offensive that many radio shows and newspapers received angry complaints from women around the country. Koda's official website was shut down, along with endorser websites featuring her. Despite the public backlash, the album reached #1 on the Oricon charts for two weeks, selling over 600,000 copies.
4 months later, Koda made a return to the market with Moon Crying. Through the song, Koda expressed her real feelings and her apologies. The song quickly became a success and Koda was able to make a return to performing her songs on TV and radio. Shortly after the release of her 40th single, Koda released the upbeat single TABOO (to become one of the most popular song with her overseas fan-base) as well as the winter ballad single stay with me (which reached 2,000,000 downloads in few weeks) before the release of her 7th album : TRICK, which topped the Oricon Charts at #1 for 2 consecutive weeks.
In 2010, Koda celebrated the 10th anniversary of career beginnings, making it know that she wished to make the year special for her fans, the first project of the year was the release of her 8th album, UNIVERSE, coupled with a best album containing the biggest hits from her 2006~2008 works. During the year, she released several singles, including Lollipop & 好きで、好きで、好きで。, the later became her biggest digital success since 2008. She later released her first cover album, ETERNITY ~Love & Songs~, and held her first Stadium Tour in Summer 2010. In December, 2010, Koda Kumi hold a special concert in Tokyo Dome, for the 2nd time, in order to close the first chapter of her career with her fans.
Koda released her ninth studio album named Dejavu in March 2011. Shortly after its release, the singer started her national tour. Although Koda decided to perform in hall in order to be closer to her fans, this live tour is so far her longest tour to date with 72 dates from April to October.
Koda's 50th single was released August 2011 titled 4 TIMES. It included 4 songs as well as 4 music videos (first time since Summer 2006). The main song of the single is Poppin' love cocktail feat.TEEDA, a summer song produced by the pop rock band BACK-ON. The same year, she released 2 more singles where Koda shows the sexiest image of herself. In November 2011, Koda performed in Singapore for Mnet Asian Music Awards. She was the only Japanese star to perform and won the "Hottest Asian Artist" award. Koda's tenth album album was announced on December for a release in the beginning of 2012. Entitled , JAPONESQUE, the album includes a music video for each song, 17 in total. In the same time, Koda surprised everyone by writing on her official site that she is engaged to Kenji03 from BACK-ON. She announced her wedding by the end of the year. Few days after, Koda also confessed that she was 8 weeks pregnant.
darling
倖田來未 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
喧嘩もするけど
眠れない夜は
どこかに行くかもって
不安になるよ oh baby
たったひとりの
かけがえない人よ
ずっとずっと側にいて
darling ギュッとしてよ
darling 私に
今世紀 最高のキスをしてよ
ねぇdarling 離さないで
darling 愛してる
あなたが照らす 光の下だけでいい
落ち込んでいるとすぐ気付いて
頭なでてくれる
いつだって 私の味方だと
太い腕で支える
あなたをきっと
今までずっと探していたんだ
離さない
darling 大きな声で
darling 叫ばせて
今世紀 最高の出逢いだって
ねぇdarling こっち向いて
darling とろけそう
甘く甘く 絡ませて欲しいの
ひとりぼっちにしないでね
愛してる 数だけキスを...
不安にもしないでね
わがままかな?
こんなあたしも好きでしょ?
ねぇdarling
darling ...
darling ...
darling ギュッとしてよ
darling 私に
今世紀 最高のキスをしてよ
ねぇdarling 離さないで
darling 愛してる
あなたが照らす 光の下だけがいい
darling...
darling...
darling...
darling...
These lyrics from 倖田來未's song "darling" express deep feelings of love, longing, and vulnerability in a relationship. The singer expresses how much they cherish the everyday moments with their partner, even though they argue sometimes. The uncertainty of sleepless nights triggers feelings of anxiety, questioning whether their partner might leave. The singer emphasizes the irreplaceable nature of their loved one and pleads for them to always stay by their side, symbolizing a desire for security and reassurance in their love.
The chorus of the song repeatedly calls out for the partner to hold them tightly and share the best kiss of this century, highlighting the intensity of their desire for physical and emotional closeness. The lyrics portray the partner as someone who is attentive to the singer's moods and always supports them, offering comfort and strength through physical gestures like stroking their head and embracing them with their strong arms. This dynamic of care and understanding creates a sense of deep connection and reliance between the two.
The singer reflects on how they have likely been searching for their partner for a long time, emphasizing the fear of losing them and the urgency to express their love boldly. The plea to not let go and the declaration of love intertwine with imagery of being bathed in the partner's light, symbolizing the warmth and positivity they bring into the singer's life. The desire for a passionate and enveloping love is conveyed through the request to be held tightly and the longing for sweet, intimate moments shared under the partner's radiant light.
The closing lines of the song express a mix of insecurity and self-awareness, as the singer questions whether their moments of neediness or selfishness might burden their partner. However, they also express confidence in their partner's affection for them and playfully ask if their partner loves even these aspects of them. The repetition of the word "darling" throughout the lyrics reinforces the intimacy and affection shared between the singer and their partner, encapsulating the depth of their bond and the fervent expressions of love and devotion woven throughout the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kumi Koda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind