is a song recorded by Japanese-American singer

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

. It was released via

Epic Records Japan Epic Records Japan is a Japanese record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Its founder was Shigeo Maruyama. Between 1978 and 1988 the label operated as a wholly owned subsidiary: Epic/Sony Inc. () was established in August 1978

and

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

on November 26, 2021, as one of the several singles for her eighth Japanese studio-album ''

Bad Mode is the eighth Japanese-language studio album (eleventh overall) by Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada. It is also her first bilingual album release, with songs in both Japanese and English. It was released on the Sony Music Japan sublabel Epi ...

'' (2022). The track serves as the main theme for the TBS Friday night drama ''Saiai''. It's co-produced by Utada and the British music producer

A. G. Cook Alexander Guy Cook (born 23 August 1990) is an English music producer, singer, songwriter and the head of the UK record label PC Music. Cook released his first solo singles in 2014. He has also collaborated with PC Music artists such as Hannah ...

Critical reception

"Kimi ni Muchū" was well received by music critics. Music critic Koremasa Uno pointed out the similarities between "Kimi ni Muchū" and Utada's 2008 track " Stay Gold" in the prelude and chord progression. Nanami Ikusa of ''Numero Tokyo'' praised the track's production and said "this is a sound that can only be produced by Hikaru Utada among Japanese artists today." Reio Fujii on an InterFM radio program said: "When I first listened to it, I really enjoyed listening to the simplicity of the arrangement. I'm attracted to it. Because it's simple, her singing voice resonates very much.

Promotion

The music video for "Kimi ni Muchū" premiered on YouTube on December 9, 2021, the 23rd anniversary of her debut in Japan. The video uses part of the performance and behind-the-scenes clips from her online concert "Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios" in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, which was made available on the release day of ''Bad Mode'' on January 19, 2022.

Track listing

;Digital download / streaming # — 5:54

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from an E-ontokyo press release. *

– songwriting, production, full vocals, keyboards and programming, vocal recording *

– production, programming *

Steve Fitzmaurice Stephen Fitzmaurice is an Irish mixer and producer based in London, England. His credits include albums for Depeche Mode, Seal, Sam Smith, Ian Brown, Kylie Minogue, Sting, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, The Kooks, Alicia Keys, U2, Hikaru Utada, an ...

– mixing (at Pierce House, London) * Yuya Saito – vocal track editor (at ABS Recording, Tokyo) * Jody Millina – bass synth

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

References

{{Authority control 2021 singles Hikaru Utada songs Songs written by Hikaru Utada 2021 songs