''Affection'' is the debut studio album by Japanese pop and R&B singer

Koda Kumi , 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 Emotion ...

. It was released on March 27, 2002. It has been her only album to not chart in the Top 10, debuting at No. 12 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 in Nov ...

and staying on the charts for six weeks, making it her lowest-charting studio album. During its run, it had only sold 91,360 copies. The limited editions of the album contained remixes for "

Take Back "Take Back" is a song recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda, taken as her debut and lead single from her first studio album '' Affection'' (2002). It was released on December 6, 2000 via Rhythm Zone in two physical editions; a CD sing ...

" and "

Trust Your Love "Trust Your Love" is a song recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi and was used as the second single from her debut album '' Affection'' (2002). It was released on May 9, 2001 via Rhythm Zone in two physical editions: a CD single and 1 ...

", which had previously been released on her

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

release of the singles. This album carries her most famous ballad, "walk," which, starting from her first tour, '' Secret ~First Class Limited Live~'' (2005), she has performed at every concert. It also contained her first

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

attempt, "Till Morning Comes," which featured Japanese

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

VERBAL, who is part of the hip-hop duo

m-flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...

Information

''Affection'' is singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's debut studio album. It charted at No. 12 on the Oricon weekly charts, but was her lowest selling album with only 91,360 copies sold. The album was predominantly R&B with the only pop song being "Best Friend Of Mine," which was done

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

. This has also been Kumi's only full a capella song to date. The album was also released as a limited edition, which contained two

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es performed in English: " Take Back onathan Peters' Radio Mix and " Trust Your Love ex Hector Main Radio Mix" both songs which had been previously released on her

release of the singles. This edition was sold with a slipcase cover, as well. Though the album contained

a-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

s, there was no accompanying DVD. Instead, the music videos for "Take Back," "Trust Your Love," "

Color of Soul ''Color of Soul'' is the third Japan single by Japanese artist Koda Kumi. It charted No. 29 on Oricon. The single became her first to contain a booklet with an inlay. It was her first single to not have a North American counterpart, whereas Kumi ...

" and the limited single " So into You" were later placed on her DVD ''

7 Spirits ''7 Spirits'' is the first DVD released by artist Koda Kumi and was released the same day as her second studio album ''Grow into One''. The DVD contains the music videos that correspond to her singles from albums ''affection'' and ''Grow into One ...

,'' which would be released a year later on March 19, 2003, alongside her ''

Grow into One ''Grow into One'' (stylized as grow into one) is the second studio album released by Japanese pop and R&B singer Koda Kumi, released on March 19, 2003. It barely peaked in the Top 10 on Oricon, coming it at #8, and charted for 43 weeks. The albu ...

'' album. The album contained her first collaborative effort on the CD, which was "Till Morning Comes." The track featured

Verbal, who is part of the hip-hop duo

. Although her song "

The Meaning of Peace "The Meaning of Peace" (stylized as ''the meaning of peace'') is a single by Japanese R&B singer-songwriter Koda Kumi and South Korean pop singer-songwriter BoA. The single debuted on Oricon and No. 12 and remained on the charts for twelve weeks ...

," which had been performed with female singer

BoA Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...

, was released prior in December 2001, the song was not classified as a

and was, instead, classified as a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

. ''affection'' also contained her most famous ballad, "walk," which, starting from her first tour, '' Secret ~First Class Limited Live~,'' she has performed at every concert. In 2010, she would release a ten-year anniversary version of the song, titled "walk ~to the future~", on her '' Suki de, Suki de, Suki de.'' single.

Promotional Advertisements

At the time of the album's released, Koda Kumi had not made a debut on television and traveled to local

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s to sing and promote. ''"I had to go across the country and sing in clubs for promotion purposes. . .it was tough on me." – Koda Kumi'' In KODA REKI, Kumi's self-published biography, Kumi talks about how she felt guilty for not meeting what she felt was her staff's expectations as far as single sales. She explained how she had to go to nightclubs to promote her singles and album, and the difficulty to adjusting to the night life. Despite this, however, she said she was still "happy for the experience."

Packaging

The album was released in two editions, a standard CD and a limited edition CD. The regular edition contained fourteen musical tracks, along with the booklet and the

obi strip An is a strip of paper looped around a book or other product. This extends the term ''obi'' used for Japanese clothing; it is written with the same ''kanji''. It is also referred to as a , or more narrowly as . Obi strips are most commonly foun ...

. The limited editions, however, contained two bonus tracks, remixes for the songs "Take Back" and "Trust Your Love," and a slipcase cover. The remixes of the two tracks were performed in English. Both remixes were from her North American releases of the singles – which she had released under the stage name "Koda" – neither of which had received a release in Japan.

Music videos

''affection'' did not receive a CD+DVD release or a corresponding DVD upon its release; however, promotional videos were released during each singles' release. The promotional videos for the

s released during the album's era were not released on a DVD until ''

,'' which also carried the music videos for the then-released album ''

.'' The ''affection'' era videos released on the DVD were: *''Take Back:'' the initial debut video of the artist "Koda Kumi." *''Trust Your Love:'' set in the winter

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

. *''Color Of Soul:'' the video showed the many different angles of people around the world. *''So Into You:'' set in Japan, hinting towards

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

s in Japanese culture.

Track listing

Charts and sales

Alternate Versions

come back #come back: Found on the album (2002) #come back LUG in LANGUAGE Remix'': Found on

Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3 ''Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3'' is the fourth remix album by Japanese people, Japanese singer/songwriter Kumi Koda. Like her first Koda Kumi Driving Hit's, Driving Hit's, all of the songs are remixed by duo House Nation. It came in at #6 on Oricon, ...

(2011) walk #walk: Found on the album (2002) #walk ~to the future~: Found on single Suki de, Suki de, Suki de. (2010) #walk

oichi Ono Remix was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu Nagamasa had no hope of winning, and chose to commit seppuk ...

'': Found on

Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 4 ''Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 4'' is the fifth remix album by Japanese singer Koda Kumi. The album is remixed entirely by electronic duo House Nation. The CD contains remixes of songs from previous albums, up to and including '' Japonesque''. It was r ...

(2012)

References

{{Authority control Koda Kumi albums 2002 debut albums Avex Group albums