Mami Kawada (川田まみ), born on February 13, in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, J… Read Full Bio ↴Mami Kawada (川田まみ), born on February 13, in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, is a former J-Pop singer signed to Geneon Entertainment Inc. Her vocal talent was first discovered by Eiko Shimamiya (島みやえい子), who was her teacher at vocal school in Sapporo, Hokkaido. She was then introduced to "I've Sound," a music production group. Where Kawada became attached to Shimamiya.

As a member of I've Sound, she performed many songs which were included as theme songs of TV anime series and videogames. Mami was usually paired up with co-I've member Kotoko when making soundtracks for anime. Examples of these are Onegai Teacher, Onegai Twins, Starship Operators, Shakugan no Shana, Baldr Force EXE Resolution OVA, and Hayate no Gotoku wherein Kotoko will perform the opening theme while Mami will perform the ending theme or vice versa. In 2002, she and Shimamiya grouped themselves as the band "Healing Leaf" and performed some theme songs for visual novel games, but only one song was featured in the I've Girls Compilation, "Ame ni Utau Ballad" (雨に歌う譚詩曲).

Her debut single, "Radiance", released on February 23, 2005, was used as an opening theme for the anime Starship Operators. Her most successful single was "Joint," released on October 31, 2007, and used as the first opening theme for the sequel of the anime series Shakugan no Shana, Shakugan no Shana II. In autumn 2008, Mami Kawada also established her official website together with her official fan club "M.A.L.L.", which stands for "Mami Artist Lasting Live."

Her debut album, "SEED" was released on March 29, 2006 and reached #12 in the Oricon weekly charts, charting for five weeks selling over 25,000 units. Her second album, "SAVIA" was released on March 26, 2008. However, it didn't do well in the Oricon weekly charts (#15) but after less than six months, she had her second live tour for her second album. Her third album, "LINKAGE" was released on March 24, 2010 and ranked #26 in the Oricon weekly charts.

On January 24th, 2016, Kawada announced that she would be retiring from music. Her final concert was held on May 21st, 2016.

On February 3rd, 2018, it was revealed that Kawada had gotten married to I've composer/arranger Tomoyuki Nakazawa, and had given birth to a child during the two years since her retirement.

Clap!Clap!Clap!
川田まみ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

ah 焼け付くようなsunlight
素足には熱い砂浜駆ける
ah 蹴り上げた砂が太陽に反射して
思わず「綺麗...」って
いつも見ていたのは
地平線の向こうまで遠く遠く
だけど奪われた
理屈じゃない

"今"を閉じ込めよう!
Clap!Clap!Clap!
ah 涙が溢れる
それだけ深くて強い夢だった
ah 夕焼けはいつだって
私達をおいて沈むの
いつも追いかけた
地平線の向こうまで遠く遠く
だけど支えられた
駆け込む場所仲間とはしゃいで
Clap!Clap!Clap!

いつも見ていたのは
地平線の向こうまで遠く遠く
大好きなチョコレートシェイク
何度も通うファストフードshop
これが揃わなくちゃ
会話も弾まないよ
きっと明日も
ah Let's enjoy today!!
両手に抱えた荷物は置いて

そう明日の元は合図、
私達のClapで

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 川田まみ's song Clap!Clap!Clap! seemingly tell a story of a group of individuals who are experiencing a moment of self-discovery and coming together as a community. The song opens up with a description of a scorching sun and a hot sandy beach being run on by someone with bare feet, which is followed by a moment of admiration of the sand reflecting the sun. The person is marveling at the beauty of the world around them; they have always seen beyond the horizon, but they have never felt the need to experience it till now. Through this moment of reflection, the singer urges the group to lock up the present moment and hold onto it with everything they have, which is expressed through the repetition of "Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The chorus reveals a sense of bittersweet urgency, as tears overflow, and dreams are realized. The sunset is representative of the end of a journey, and it happens too quickly for the group's liking. They’ve been chasing the horizon for so long, but they've finally been caught up in the moment, coming together to celebrate their success, their friendship, and their support system. The final verse touches on the importance of finding enjoyment in simple pleasures, like enjoying a chocolate shake together. The singer is expressing a sense of hope and optimism by urging the group to let go of their baggage and to come together as a community, signaling that the future is something that can be controlled by communicating and cooperating with one another.

Line by Line Meaning

ah 焼け付くようなsunlight
The scorching sunlight that burns like fire

素足には熱い砂浜駆ける
Running on the hot sandy beach barefoot

ah 蹴り上げた砂が太陽に反射して
Sand kicked up reflecting off the sun

思わず「綺麗...」って
Involuntarily thinking how beautiful it is

いつも見ていたのは
Always looking at

地平線の向こうまで遠く遠く
Far beyond the horizon

だけど奪われた
But it was taken away

理屈じゃない
It can't be explained logically

"今"を閉じ込めよう!
Let's capture the present moment!

Clap!Clap!Clap!
Clap, clap, clap!

ah 涙が溢れる
Tears overflowing