''Kingdom'' is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter

Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emot ...

. It was released on January 30, 2008, a week after her single '' anytime''. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts with sales of 421,302. It remained on the charts for thirty-three weeks. The album was released in four editions: CD, CD+DVD, CD+2DVD and CD+2DVD+Poster, with limited editions of all versions carrying the bonus track ''Black Cherry.'' Kingdom has been certified triple platinum by

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

for shipment of 750,000 copies in Japan.

Information

''Kingdom'' is Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi's sixth studio album and tenth album overall. It was released on January 30, 2008, a little over a year after her previous studio album, ''

Black Cherry ''Prunus serotina'', commonly called black cherry,World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub of the ...

.'' The album was her fourth consecutive album to claim the No. 1 spot on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Al ...

s, continuing her streak, which began in early 2005 with her '' Best ~first things~'' album. It contained new material and was her first album to have music videos for every song – including the introduction. She would later do this again for her 2012 album '' Japonesque.'' The album was available in four versions: CD, CD+DVD, CD+2DVD and a limited edition CD+2DVD+Poster. The first DVD featured sixteen music videos for each song on the album, including the music video for the non-album song " Run For Your Life." The second DVD was of her ''Premium Live in Hall in Yokohama Arena'' concert performed at the

Yokohama Arena is an indoor arena located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five-minute walk from the ...

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

on June 20, 2007, which was done in part to promote her first

pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...

game, '' Fever Live in Hall.'' The CD+2DVD edition contained a slip cover, three stickers of the different album covers and a booklet, which contained photos of the concert. The album's artwork was to symbolize Kumi's popularity in the Japanese music industry at the time, with Kumi donning a crown and sitting on a throne.

Packaging

''Kingdom'' was available in four editions: *CD: contains fourteen musical tracks. *CD+DVD: contains fourteen musical tracks, fifteen music videos and the live video for ''Black Cherry,'' which was performed during her '' Live Tour 2007 ~Black Cherry~ at

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

. *CD+2DVD: contains fifteen musical tracks, fifteen music videos with the live video for ''Black Cherry,'' her one night show "''Premium Limited Live in Hall in Yokohama Arena,''" which was performed on June 20, 2007, a slipcover for the album and a booklet with images from the one night show. *CD+2DVD+Poster: contains fifteen musical tracks, fifteen music videos with the live video for ''Black Cherry,'' her one night show "''Premium Limited Live in Hall in Yokohama Arena,''" a booklet with images from the one night show, a slipcover for the album, three stickers of the album covers and a full-sized poster. The limited editions of all versions contained the bonus track ''Black Cherry'' on the CD, which was the full version of the introduction from her last studio album, ''

.''

Controversy and cancelled promotion

On January 31, an inflammatory statement by Kumi made on the talk show

All Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am (JST). It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming heard on stations under both JRN and NRN ( TBC Radio, CBC Radio, etc.). ...

created controversy, causing

Avex Entertainment is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

(via Koda Kumi's request) to cancel all promotions for ''Kingdom'' on February 2. Her website was shut down with a letter from Kumi posted on the page, apologizing for her remark. During the radio show, Kumi was asked what she thought about her manager's recent marriage, to which she responded lightheartedly, "When women turn 35, their

amniotic fluid The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a gravid amniote. This fluid serves as a cushion for the growing fetus, but also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products between ...

goes rotten, so I hope they have a child before then." The statement caused backlash due to Japan's low birth rates and the sensitivity of the subject. Due to the statement, she lost promotions for GemCerey, the KOSÉ "Visée" line and

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

. Kumi made an appearance on FNN Supernews to apologize for the remark, saying how she deeply regretted hurting thousands of Japanese women and mothers. She also made several public apologies and apologized during her tour for ''Kingdom''. Despite the backlash, the album still reached No. 1 on

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike i ...

. In ''Koda Reki,'' Kumi's published biography, she said how she still cries when she thinks about the comment and hurting "many Japanese women." She goes on to say how it was that moment in her career when she realized how immature and unprofessional she was, not realizing how many people listened to her words due to her fame. She admitted how she had cancelled several rehearsals for ''Kingdom's'' corresponding tour, '' Live Tour 2008 ~Kingdom~,'' due to the severe anxiety she would get when she believed that she would walk out onto the stage to perform, only to have an empty arena.

Music videos

The album contained music videos for every song on the CD, including the introduction. It also featured the live version of "Black Cherry," which she performed during her '' Live Tour 2007 ~Black Cherry~ Special Final in Tokyo Dome.'' It also featured the non-album music video for "Run For Your Life," which was originally released on her single '' Freaky'' in 2007. Several of the music videos lined up to perform one coherent story line – much as was done during her ''12 Singles Collection'' from her '' Best ~second session~'' era with five of the music videos. Those that lined up where "Koi no Mahou", "Himitsu", "Amai Wana" and "Anata ga shite kurete koto." All four videos contain the same piece of jewelry to signify their connection and story. The DVD also featured alternate renditions of her music videos " Ai no Uta" and " anytime," both with different scenes not released in their single counterparts. The second DVD featured Kumi's one night show "Premium Live In Hall," which was performed at Yokohama Hall to help promote her first

game, '' Fever Live in Hall.'' Koda Kumi would later release another studio album where every track had corresponding music video for her 2012 album '' Japonesque.''

Track listing

CD

DVD1: Music Videos

DVD2: Premium Limited Live in Hall in Yokohama Arena

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingdom (Kumi Koda Album) Koda Kumi albums 2008 albums Avex Group albums