''Hotel'' (stylized as ''HOTEL'') is the fifty-seventh single by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese artist Kumi Koda. It was her first single release since 2013's "Dreaming Now!." It debuted at #5, but took the weekly position of #7 on Oricon and remained on the charts for four weeks. The a-side's music video was heavily inspired by Koda Kumi's time in Dubai. The single contained two a-sides and one

b-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 compan ...

. The a-sides were the title track and the song "Money In My Bag." The latter's music video was only released on the "fan club" edition of the single. The b-side was the

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

/R&B track "Turn Around."

Background information

''Hotel'' is Japanese singer/songwriter Kumi Koda's fifty-seventh single under the

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 ...

sub-label Rhythm Zone. The single debuted at #5 on the daily

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 ...

, but dropped in rank to take the number seven slot for the week. Despite not being a limited release, the single only charted for four weeks. The single became her first release in nearly a year, with the prior being "

Dreaming Now! ''Dreaming Now!'' is the fifty-sixth single by Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda and was released on November 13, 2013. It charted at No. 5 on Oricon, took No. 9 for the weekly ranking and charted for four weeks. The song was written by Kumi ...

" in 2013. "Hotel" carried three tracks, with two of the songs carrying corresponding music videos. The title track is mid-tempo dance track containing elements of

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

, R&B, reggae and hip hop music. The music video for the song was heavily inspired by Koda Kumi's time spent in Dubai, with the hotel in the video resembling the architecture and structures of the city. The coupling track "Money In My Bag" is a mostly hip-hop track, which Kumi had described as "not usually a category for "Koda Kumi," but how she "wanted to try a new style." The single's only

, "Turn Around," was a slower R&B/pop number with Kumi singing about the scent and experiences of summer.

Music videos

"Hotel" was directed by videographer Kanji Sudo, who would later direct the music video for "

Like It "Like It" is a song performed by Belarusian singer Zena. It represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The song was performed during the first semi-final on 14 May 2019, and qualified for the final, where it finished in 24th place with 31 ...

" from her ''Walk of My Life''

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

. The setting for the video was to introduce the viewer to Koda Kumi's hotel and the resort's small staff. The video contained a dual theme of day versus night, showing the personas most people carry during the day - very prim and proper - while, during the night, their inner selves come out. "Money In My Bag" was also directed by Kanji Sudo. The video was centered around night and was a hip-hop-infused dance number,

choreographed Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

by FUKO, a dancer who has been with Kumi since her 2006 album '' Black Cherry''. The music video was only available on the fan club editions of the single, which omitted the video for "Hotel."

Track list

Charts

Alternate versions

Hotel # "Hotel": Found on the single and corresponding album Walk of My Life (2015) # "Hotel" lastik Funk Remix Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 7 (2017) Money in My Bag # "Money in My Bag": Found on the single and corresponding album Walk of My Life (2015) # "Money in My Bag" tarfvckers Remix Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 7 (2017)

External links

Official Website

References

{{authority control 2014 singles 2014 songs Japanese-language songs Koda Kumi songs Rhythm Zone singles Songs written by Didrik Thott Songs written by Koda Kumi Songs written by Sebastian Thott