Ima Sugu Hoshii (今すぐ欲しい / Want You Now) is the ninth single in Japanese singer

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 ...

's ''12 Single Collection.'' As with the other singles, ''Ima Sugu Hoshii'' was limited to 50,000 copies. It debuted at No. 2 on Oricon Daily, taking No. 5 for the week, and charted for seven weeks.

Information

''Ima Sugu Hoshii'' is Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's ninth single in her ''12 Single Collection'' and twenty-seventh overall. The single debuted at No. 2 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 too the fifth slot of the week, remaining on the charts for seven weeks. As with the majority of the singles in the collection, ''Ima Sugu Hoshii'' was limited to 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 is a cover of the Sugar Soul song by the same name, originally released in January 1997 and later put on their album ''Those Days.'' Sugar Soul's DJ HASEBE and Aiko Machida reproduced the single with Kumi. However, the rap that Kumi performed for the bridge was not in the original song. 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 ...

Zeebra , known professionally as , is a Japanese hip hop recording artist and DJ who made his first appearance in 1995. Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis and K Dub Shine, and the older brother of f ...

wrote the lyrics for the rap. ZEEBRA had also worked with rapper KM-MARKIT during their time together in the Ubarian Gym, and who Kumi had worked with for her song " Hot Stuff" and KM-MARKIT's song " Rainy Day." Jewels from the sister duo the

Heartsdales Heartsdales was a Japanese-American hip pop duo composed of sisters and , known by their stage names Rum and Jewels, respectively. Yumi was born on December 17, 1981 and Emi on December 4, 1976 in Tokyo, Japan. Their family moved to the Yonke ...

also assisted in writing the lyrics. In

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, the single was released under the name ''Jigeum baro weonhaeyo'' (지금 바로 원해요 / I want it right now) and was initially banned due to the explicit lyrics. However, the song was later restricted from being played on the radio until after ten o'clock in the evening.

Music video

"Ima Sugu Hoshii" was not part of the story-themed videos and, instead, carried a theme of Kumi trying to find a suitor. Much like the lyrics, the video itself was very risque, with Kumi in lingerie during her solo scenes and with several of the suitors performing illicit acts in front of her. Most notably was when two men began kissing and performing sexual acts. Due to the

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 ...

of homosexuality in Japan, this type of imagery had not been used in mainstream music videos.

Cover

For the collection, each single was given its own unique

, each which represented a dress from a different culture. ''Ima Sugu Hoshii'' took influence from the country of France, and showcased the art form of ballet. 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 list

(Source)

Charts

Sales

* Initial week estimate: 35,966 * Total estimate: 47,411

References

* Avex Network (2006)
Koda Kumi Official Web Site
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