The Electric New Paper :
Dirrty young thing
Forget sweet young things. Red-hot Japanese star Kumi Koda stands out from the competition because she's a... dirrty young thing
By Chang May Choon
07 April 2006
HER name is synonymous with sex in Japan.
Some say J-pop singer Kumi Koda is the Japanese equivalent of Madonna. Others say she's 'dirrty' like Christina Aguilera, who's known for her sexy album, Stripped, and its hit single, Dirrty.
Fans have even coined a new phrase - ero-kakkoii (Japanese for erotic-cool) - to describe Kumi's sizzling appeal.
Now, she is set to take Singapore by storm and become the biggest Japanese sensation since Ayumi Hamasaki.
One small hitch, though.
Her latest album, Best - Second Session, which comes with a bonus music video DVD and a concert DVD, has been slapped with an M18 rating by the Board of Film Censors.
This is because of the sexual innuendoes in her music videos, said record label Warner Music.
The rating is not out of character - in Taiwan, the censors banned one of her recent music videos, I Want It Now, which sees her dressed skimpily and dancing erotically around two guys.
But it's unlikely to stop the sexy kitten from purring all the way to the bank.
In her hometown, Kumi, 24, is the hottest pop artiste of the moment, with smashing album sales of over 1.2 million copies last year and major trophies like Japan Gold Disk Award cementing her credibility.
Elsewhere, her outrageous antics - like becoming a mamasan for a day to celebrate album sales of one million copies - have also hogged headlines from Hong Kong to Taiwan to China and even here in Singapore.
Perhaps the best sign of her rising popularity here is her last album, Best - First Things, selling almost 4,000 copies with little promotion.
Seeing her potential, her local record company, Warner Music, has embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign to propel her to megastardom here.
SHOCK & AWE
TV ads showing Kumi's spilling cleavage with provocative dance routines performed in the skimpiest of outfits have been shown since 30 Mar, causing many jaws to drop - some in awe and others, in shock.
Mr James Kang, marketing director of Warner Music, said: 'She's the next person to wow audiences like Ayumi did a few years ago (by posing topless on the cover of her album, Loveppears).
'She's very sexy, yet she maintains a certain classiness. A lot of girls like her for being so daring, because flaunting your sexuality is like making a feminist statement. The guys drool over her.'
And while most Asian female artistes prefer to portray love as sweet, demure and romantic, one of Kumi's videos shows her dressed up as a princess who aggressively goes out looking for 'passionate love', he added.
But won't the M18 rating affect sales, since J-pop fans tend to be younger?
Mr Kang remained undaunted, because he insisted that 'Kumi appeals mainly to people above 18 anyway'.
The M18 rating, he said, referred to sexual innuendoes in her music videos. One video shows Kumi dancing with a sword held between her legs. In another, she commands hunks to strip.
A check with major labels here revealed that two recent Western releases, Norweigian trio A-Ha's Analogue and American band Queens Of The Stone Age's Over The Years And Through The Woods, were rated M18 for nudity in their bonus music videos.
Mr Kang is confident that the TV-heavy marketing campaign that he has mapped out for Kumi - who debuted in 2001 under the wings of renowned producer Max Matsuura, who also groomed Ayumi - will work for her.
MORE THAN A SEX KITTEN
Mr Kang said: 'With Japanese releases, we tend to be very conservative because the Japanese wave has gone down in recent years and only big names like Ayumi Hamasaki and BoA are able to sell decently.
'But Kumi is definitely the most exciting breakthrough artiste in Japan in a long time, and we're going to make her the next J-pop sensation here.
'She's 'dirrty' like Christina Aguilera. But she's more than just a sex kitten. She's also a powerful performer and vocalist.'
So far, the feedback from fans has been positive. They're definitely not complaining about the raunchy videos.
Civil servant Desmond Lee, 33, recalled watching Kumi strip down to her lingerie in a scene.
He said: 'She's sexy! When she comes on TV, her big round eyes command attention and there's her seductive dance moves.'
Another fan, sales assistant Tan Kim Yong, 23, said: 'I saw the TV commercial and I kept thinking about it, so I went out to buy her CD with DVD. She's not only sexy, but she's also a charismatic performer.'
Secretary Cindy Lam's first reaction, however, was shock.
'It's quite shocking because you'd never expect her to be so daring,' said Miss Lam, 25.
'But it's tastefully done and she only reveals, she doesn't expose herself.'
Kumi's new album, Best - Second Session, which includes a bonus music video DVD and a concert DVD, is out in stores.
Leggy war between J-pop queens?
ON her latest album, Best - Second Session, Kumi Koda covers up her bosom with a long-sleeved top.
But she shows off her long, smooth legs instead, wearing micro shorts.
Critics say it is just like Kumi to spring a surprise when you least expect it.
Launched on 8 Mar, the album has sold a staggering 983,000 copies in Japan in just a week.
Looks like she is soaring her way to the J-pop queen throne, but where does that leave reigning queen Ayumi Hamasaki?
The answer could lie in Ayumi's latest maxi single, Startin'/Born to Be.... It was coincidentally released on 8 Mar, and she also flaunts her legs on the cover.
Is Ayumi, 28, feeling the heat of competition, with Kumi hogging the news these days?
Just last week, the Asian media was abuzz with news of Kumi accompanying her 26-year-old boyfriend to the police station to pay some parking fines.
It was the first time that the Japanese paparazzi managed to snap pictures of Kumi's beau - who works in the food business.
Born in Kyoto like her, they have been dating for two years and are reportedly living together.
Although there are similarities between both J-pop queens, Mr Kang of Warner Music believes Kumi does not pose a threat to Ayumi.
He said: 'Ayumi has transcended the heavenly queen status in Japan, and has gone on to craft things her own way. It is unlikely that she would be too bothered by Kumi.'
Then why play tit for tat?
'Ayumi has always been showy, like appearing topless in two covers - Loveppears and Unite. But maybe Kumi inspired her to raise her stakes in the sexy game.'
