During her third year of junior high school, her father fell ill and collapsed. After this Mai had ambitions to become a nurse, but she still enjoyed singing and was considering pursuing a career. Later Mai found out from a friend about a vocal audition going on so she made a demo tape and impressed the scouts. An indie label made 500 copies of the tape and had a Hokkaido radio station play it, with the copies being sold at a Sapporo CD shop. It was sold out in four days. After this, Ruppina was created.
In her third year of high school she visited Tokyo with her family and was additionally scouted in Shibuya. She sent her Ruppina demo track to avex, impressing CEO Matsuura Max so much that he personally went to Hokkaido to meet her. Mai was still torn between becoming a nurse or a singer at this point and Matsuura helped her make up her mind by telling her that “Songs can also encourage people.”
She moved to Tokyo in July that year, recording a demo tape in May 2002. Ruppina’s first single Free Will/Violet Flow was put on the market as a limited release in December of that year. Throughout her career as Ruppina, five singles, two mini-albums, and one full-length album (excluding the Best) were released. However, Ruppina was not going in a direction Mai wanted: even though “Kudo Mai” was reflected as “Ruppina”, Mai felt that she wasn’t right as “Ruppina”. With lots of support from her friends and family, she made steps to becoming solo as “Mai”, starting with her In the Name of Love single. After the best album Ruppina Best was released, the Ruppina project was ended November 16th, 2005.
The next month would mark Mai’s official “solo” debut. Her first single - “Reborn” expressed the theme of rebirth and the art of female beauty without the need of clothing. The song was used as the ending theme for Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, beginning with the December 5th episode. Unlike Ruppina, whose music was more a mix of pop, rock, and techno, as “Mai”, her music is consistently a mix of techno and pop. What makes Reborn unique (and all of Mai’s singles, for that matter) is that Mai was totally nude during the song’s PV and is nude on the jacket cover, but lights and positioning of her arms and legs hide most of her. Reborn was also used as the theme song for the Xbox 360 game “eM”.
“Eyes” was released almost five months later, this time with the theme of “awakening”. It builds on the theme from Reborn in that after being born, one awakes, and standing confidently one can progress towards his or her goal.
Mai will appear in the 2006 movie Backdancers! as the fictional pop star Mayu, leader of Mayu With Super Tigers. The song she recorded for the film is included on its soundtrack.
Recently, Mai has released her third single “Princess Candy” and following debut album “MAISELF”.
Reborn
舞 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
Ain′t no stress on me Lord, I'm movin′ forward
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
I'm so—I′m so reborn, I'm movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin′ forward
Ain't no stress on me Lord, I′m movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward
Very rarely do you catch me out
Y′all done "specially invited guest"'d me out
Y'all been tellin′ jokes that′s gon' stress me out
Soon as I walk in, I′m like, "Let's be out"
I was off the chain, I was often drained
I was off the meds, I was called insane
What a awesome thing, engulfed in shame
I want all the rain, I want all the pain
I want all the smoke, I want all the blame
Cardio audio, let me jog your brain
Caught in the Audy Home, we was all detained
All of you Mario, it′s all a game
I'm so—I′m so reborn, I'm movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin′ forward
Ain't no stress on me Lord, I′m movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward
I′m so—I'm so reborn, I'm movin′ forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward
Ain′t no stress on me Lord, I'm movin′ forward
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
I had my issues, ain't that much I could do
Peace is somethin' that starts with me (with me)
At times, wonder my purpose
Easy than to feel worthless
But, peace is somethin′ that starts with me (with me, with me)
Had so much on my mind, I didn′t know where to go
I've come a long way from them hauntin′ me
Had me feelin' oh so low
Ain′t no stoppin' you, no way
Oh, things ain′t like before
Ain't no stoppin' you, no way
No stress yes, I′m so blessed and-
I′m so—I'm so reborn, I′m movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward
Ain′t no stress on me Lord, I'm movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin′ forward
I'm so—I′m so reborn, I'm movin′ forward
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
Ain't no stress on me Lord, I'm movin′ forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward
(Movin′ forward, movin' forward, movin′ forward)
Movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
Something was wrong (Keep movin' forward)
Couldn't hold on, why? (Keep movin′ forward)
So long (Keep movin′ forward)
Sit here in this storm (Keep movin' forward)
Time goes on (Keep movin′ forward)
Really couldn't find my way out (Keep movin′ forward)
Of the storm (Keep movin' forward)
Which way do I go?
I′m so—I'm so reborn, I'm movin′ forward (which way do I go?)
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward (which way do I go?)
Ain′t no stress on me Lord, I'm movin′ forward (which way do I go?)
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
Keep movin' forward, keep movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin′ forward
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
Keep movin' forward, keep movin′ forward
I'm so—I′m so reborn, I'm movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin′ forward
Ain't no stress on me Lord, I′m movin' forward
Keep movin′ forward, keep movin' forward
In "Reborn," 舞 sings about his journey of rebirth and his ability to move forward, letting go of stress and negativity. He talks about how he used to feel drained, insane and engulfed in shame, but now he is free from all of that. 舞 also acknowledges that peace starts within him, and he has come a long way from feeling low and haunted to being free from stress and feeling blessed. The song is an anthem for anyone going through a difficult time and needs some inspiration to keep moving forward.
One of the interesting things about the song is that it is a collaboration between 舞 and Kanye West. The two artists have a long-standing friendship and worked together on the production of the song. Another interesting fact is that the song was released as part of a collaborative album between 舞 and Kid Cudi called "Kids See Ghosts." The album focuses on mental health and the struggles that people face in life.
"Reborn" is also known for its use of samples, with the song using a sample from a song called "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk. The use of the sample was a nod to Kanye West's love for the group and their music. The song also features a guitar solo by Mike Dean, who is a frequent collaborator with Kanye West.
In terms of chord progressions, "Reborn" uses a simple four-chord progression, with the chords being F# minor, D major, E major, and A major. The song has a simple and catchy melody that gets stuck in your head after listening to it.
Overall, "Reborn" is an uplifting song that speaks to the power of resilience and moving forward. It is a collaboration between two musical giants and features impressive production, samples, and guitar work. The song has resonated with fans and has become an anthem for anyone going through a difficult time.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so—I'm so reborn, I'm movin' forward
I have been reborn and I'm moving ahead in life
Keep movin' forward, keep movin' forward
I am determined to keep moving forward in life
Ain't no stress on me Lord, I'm movin' forward
I am not under any stress and I am moving ahead confidently
Very rarely do you catch me out
I don't often get caught off guard
Y'all done 'specially invited guest'd me out
You have intentionally left me out of events
Y'all been tellin' jokes that's gone stress me out
Your jokes have been causing me stress
Soon as I walk in, I'm like, "Let's be out"
As soon as I enter a situation, I want to leave immediately
I was off the chain, I was often drained
I had a lot going on and often felt exhausted
I was off the meds, I was called insane
I was not taking medication and being called insane
What a awesome thing, engulfed in shame
Despite the shame I am feeling, I know that this life is an awesome thing
I want all the rain, I want all the pain
I want to experience all that life brings, the good and the bad
I want all the smoke, I want all the blame
I want to take responsibility for my choices and actions
Cardio audio, let me jog your brain
Let me stimulate your mind with my words and music
Caught in the Audy Home, we was all detained
We were all locked up in the same place
All of you Mario, it's all a game
Life is like a game of Mario, we all have to play it
I had my issues, ain't that much I could do
I had my own problems and there wasn't much I could do about them
Peace is somethin' that starts with me (with me)
I have learned that peace starts with me and my own actions
At times, wonder my purpose
Sometimes I wonder what my purpose is in life
Easy than to feel worthless
It's easy to feel like you're not worth anything sometimes
But, peace is somethin' that starts with me (with me, with me)
I remind myself that peace starts with me and I must work towards it
Had so much on my mind, I didn't know where to go
I was feeling overwhelmed and lost
I've come a long way from them hauntin' me
I've made progress from my past experiences that once haunted me
Ain't no stoppin' you, no way
I won't let anything stop me from achieving my goals
Oh, things ain't like before
Things have changed from the way they used to be
No stress yes, I'm so blessed
I am feeling blessed and stress-free at this moment
Something was wrong (Keep movin' forward)
Something wasn't right and I had to keep moving forward to find the solution
Couldn't hold on, why? (Keep movin' forward)
I couldn't hold on to the past and had to keep moving forward
So long (Keep movin' forward)
I had to say goodbye to the past and keep moving forward
Sit here in this storm (Keep movin' forward)
I have to stay strong even in the middle of the storm
Time goes on (Keep movin' forward)
Time keeps moving forward and I must too
Really couldn't find my way out (Keep movin' forward)
I was lost and couldn't find a way out
Of the storm (Keep movin' forward)
But I had to keep moving forward even in the midst of the storm
Which way do I go?
I am unsure which direction to take
Keep movin' forward, keep movin' forward
But I know I must keep moving forward regardless
Movin' forward, keep movin' forward
I will continue to move forward towards my goals
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.