''Candy'' is the seventh single of the ''12 Singles Collection'' by Japanese artist

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 Emotion ...

. The single featured

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 ...

Mr. Blistah from Clench & Blistah, and became her second to feature an artist – her first being "

D.D.D. "D.D.D." is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Kumi Koda, taken from her second greatest hits album, '' Best ~second session~'' (2005). It contains guest vocals from Japanese music duo Soulhead. It was written by Soulhead members and sis ...

," which featured

Soulhead Soulhead (known as SOULHEAD in Japan) is a Japanese urban contemporary/ R&B duo consisting of sisters Yoshika Sawayama (よしか) and Tsugumi Sawayama (つぐみ). Both were born in Hokkaidō; Yoshika was born on July 20, 1978 and Tsugumi was bo ...

. As with the majority of the singles in the collection, the single was limited to 50,000 copies. The single peaked at No. 3 on the

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 ...

charts and charted for seven weeks.

Information

''Candy'' is singer-songwriter

's seventh single released in her ''12 Singles Collection'' and twenty-fifth overall single. The single became her second in the series to feature an artist – her first being "

," which featured sister-duo

– and featured

Mr. Blistah from the rap duo Clench & Blistah (known as CLENCH&BLISTAH in Japan). Kumi had worked with both rappers in 2003 for her song "Teaser," which was the first track on her second studio album ''

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 album ...

.'' The single ranked in the top five on the charts, taking the No. 3 spot on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

s, and remained on the charts for seven weeks. As with many of the other singles in the collection, this single was also limited 50,000 copies. Each single in the ''12 Singles Collection'' had unique

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

based on certain cultures in various countries. The back cover of each single was a piece to a puzzle, which could only be completed by purchasing all twelve singles. The same was done for 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 ...

s, which contained a full image when arranged together in order. However, the obi strip image was omitted on the Hong Kong versions. The song was written and produced by Daisuke "D.I" Imai, who had worked with Kumi several times in the past and would work with her many times in the future. Daisuke has been producing music in Japan and for

avex 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 ...

artists since 1999. While the song's score was written by Daisuke, Kumi and Blistah co-wrote the lyrics. Kumi's lyrical portion was about wanting something beyond appearances, money and sex, while Blistah's portion was about offering money and pleasure. While "Candy" was the seventh single released in the collection, its accompanying music video was the prelude to the story-line driven videos, "

you In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

," " Lies," "

feel Feel may refer to: *Feeling Music Bands * Feel (New York band), a dance and R&B band * Feel (Polish band), a pop rock band Songs * "Feel" (Kendrick Lamar song), 2017 * "Feel", by Phora, 2018 *"Feel", by Mahmut Orhan, 2016 * "Feel" (Kumi Koda so ...

" and, ultimately, " Someday." The video opened with narration, done in English.

Music video

The music video for the song was the first in the story-line driven videos; the continuing stories being "

," "

" and " Lies." Unlike the other music videos, which featured the love interests discussing heartbreak, "Candy" opened with narration spoken in English. The video carried the theme of a wealthy prince from the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

, played by Mr. Blistah, attempting to buy the affection and love of the princess of the sky, played by Kumi, who had no desire of love or power. He attempts to seduce her by giving her the powers of fire and ice, but ultimately fails. Towards the end, the dragon turns back into a dog who runs down the hallway. Dissatisfied with monetary possessions, the princess travels to Earth and splits herself into several different personas to find what love is and why it is considered special. This leads her to the loves in the following videos "you," "Lies," "feel" and the conclusion in "Someday."

Cover

For the collection, each single was given its own unique cover art, each which represented a dress from a different culture. The cover of ''Candy'' represented an African theme, whereas Africa is a large continent with many different cultures. Along with differing cover art, each obi strip contained a piece of an image, which when put together in order, would reveal a full picture of Kumi. The same was done for the back covers of each single.

Track listing

(Source)

Chart statistics

Sales

*Initial week estimate: 39,110 *Total estimate: 47,856

Alternate Versions

Candy feat. Mr. Blistah #Candy feat. Mr. Blistah: Found on the single and corresponding album BEST ~second session~ (2006) #Candy feat. Mr. Blistah nstrumental'': Found on the single (2006) #Candy feat. Mr. Blistah J Mad Reggaeton remix'': Found on

Koda Kumi Remix Album ''Koda Kumi Remix Album'' is the first remix album by Japanese pop- R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on February 22, 2006, the same day as her last single from ''12 Singles Project'', '' Someday/Boys♥Girls''. It was only available as a di ...

(2006)

External links

#Avex Network (2005)
Kumi Koda Official Web Site
#Daisuke "D.I" Imai
Daisuke Imai Official Web Site

References

{{authority control 2006 singles 2005 songs Koda Kumi songs Rhythm Zone singles Songs written by Koda Kumi