舞 (Mai) is also known as Ruppina. Real name: 工藤舞, Kudou Mai) was born July … Read Full Bio ↴舞 (Mai) is also known as Ruppina. Real name: 工藤舞, Kudou Mai) was born July 18, 1984 in Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan. She has been involved musically and enjoyed singing since she was a child. During her sixth year in elementary school she was part of Ishikari Kurenai Taiko, a drum group, and Ishikari Ryuusei Umi, a soran (traditional Japanese dance) dance group. It was a huge team, winning the semi-grand prix award out of 400 teams in her second year of high school.

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”.

Redemption Song
舞 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom
'Cause all I ever have

Redemption song
Redemtion songs

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the book

Won't you help to sing
Another song of freedom
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

And other songs of freedom
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs

Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Redemption Song" by 舞 speak to the struggles faced by those who have been oppressed and sold into slavery or forced labor. The song begins with the image of old pirates robbing and selling the singer (I) to merchant ships, taking them away from the "bottomless pit." The deep pit could be a reference to a literal dungeon or abyss, or it could be a figurative representation of the system of oppression that has entrapped the singer. Despite the disempowering experience, the singer continues to sing songs of freedom, calling for others to lend their voices to the cause.

The second verse provides some hope as the singer points out that their hand was made strong by the hand of the Almighty. This could represent a strong sense of faith and connection to a higher power that helps the singer rise above the circumstances of their capture. The third verse speaks to the need for mental emancipation, suggesting that individuals must free their own minds before they can free their physical bodies. The lyrics also reference some of the contemporary issues of the time, including the fear of nuclear war and the ongoing violence against prophets (a likely reference to civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.).

Ultimately, the lyrics of "Redemption Song" make a poignant call to action for all listeners to join in singing songs of freedom that can help bring about change and justice.

Line by Line Meaning

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
In the past, pirates robbed me

Sold I to the merchant ships
They sold me as a slave to merchants for profit

Minutes after they took I
I was taken away as a slave soon after being captured

From the bottomless pit
From a place of eternal suffering and hardship

Won't you help to sing
Can you please join me in singing

These songs of freedom
Songs that celebrate freedom and liberation

'Cause all I ever have
Because all I possess in this life

Redemption song
Is a song of redemption

Redemption songs
Are songs of redemption

But my hand was made strong
However, my faith made me steadfast

By the hand of the Almighty
By the divine intervention of God