"''Koi no Tsubomi''" (恋のつぼみ / ''Bud of Love'') is

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 ...

's 31st solo under the

Rhythm Zone (RZN) is a record label in the Avex Group that releases urban contemporary Japanese music. History The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura with a focus on urban music, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile. In 2000, ...

label. It was the first single to bring in the new era after Best ~second session~. The single was released in CD and CD+DVD and charted at No. 2 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 ...

, selling over 140,000 copies in its first week and staying on the charts for twenty-one weeks. It became the highest selling song debut for a female artist, until Ayumi Hamasaki surpassed it with her single ''

Blue Bird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

'', which came out a month later on June 21.

Information

''Koi no Tsubomi'' is Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's thirtieth 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 and first to kick off her '' Black Cherry'' era. The single charted No. 2 on the Oricon Weekly charts and remained on the charts for twenty-one weeks. The song managed to sell over one million copies in digital downloads, according to

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

. ''Koi no Tsubomi'' became the highest selling song debut for a female artist, until Ayumi Hamasaki surpassed it with her single ''Blue Bird''. However, Kumi would later reclaim the spot with her release of her next single, ''

4 Hot Wave ''4 Hot Wave'' (stylized as ''4 hot wave'') is the 32nd single by Japanese singer Koda Kumi, released through Rhythm Zone on July 26, 2006. The singles contains the quadruple A-side tracks "Ningyo-Hime", "I'll Be There", "Juicy", and "With Your Sm ...

.'' The song was used as the theme song to the Japanese drama ''Busu no Hitomi no Koishiteru'' (ブスの瞳に恋してる / In Love with the Eyes of an Ugly Girl), which starred

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-pi ...

Goro Inagaki is a Japanese musician and actor from Itabashi, Tokyo. Inagaki was a member of the Japanese pop group SMAP. A year after the group's dissolution, Inagaki, alongside his former bandmates Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori formed the group Atar ...

. The song was also used for the television commercial of the 2006

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

film Cars.

Music video

The music video for "Koi no Tsubomi" was inspired by Koda Kumi's younger sister's,

misono , publicly known mononymously as Misono (stylized as misono), is a Japanese singer-songwriter and TV personality. She was born in Kyoto, Japan, and is the younger sister of singer Koda Kumi. Career In 2000, Misono participated in the summer v ...

, video " Kojin Jugyō" (個人授業 / ''Private Lessons''), which was also a new take on the classic

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

'' Cinderella.'' The videos' similarities start with both sisters having their own little

fairy A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...

, who is able to transform their appearance. However, where "Kojin Jugyo" ends with the spell wearing off and returning misono to her original state, "Koi no Tsubomi" ends with the transformations staying and each girl affected to thank the fairy.

Track listing

CD

DVD

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Alternate versions

Koi no Tsubomi #"Koi no Tsubomi": found on the single and corresponding album '' Black Cherry'' (2006) #"Koi no Tsubomi (A Cup of Milk Tea Bossa Nova Version)": found on the single (2006) #"Koi no Tsubomi (Instrumental)": found on the single (2006) #"Koi no Tsubomi (Shohei Matsumoto Remix)": found on ''

Koda Kumi Driving Hit's ''Koda Kumi Driving Hit's'' (known in Japan as KODA KUMI DRIVING HIT'S) is the second remix album by Japanese people, Japanese pop music, pop star Koda Kumi - her first being Koda Kumi Remix Album (2006). It reached #6 on Oricon and remained on t ...

'' (2009) #"Koi no Tsubomi (JAXX DA FISHWORKS Remix)": found on ''

Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 7 ''Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 7'' is the ninth remix album by Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda. The album was released April 5, 2017. It debuted in the top ten on the Oricon Albums Charts at number 9. Keeping instep with her prior ''Driving Hit ...

'' (2017) #"Koi no Tsubomi (Adolfo De La Torre Casmartino Remix)": found on '' Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 9 -Special Edition-'' (2019)

Cover versions

On September 17, 2019 Dream Ami released a cover of "Koi no Tsubomi" as the theme song of FOD original serial drama "Bus no Hitomi ni Koi ni suru suru ri 2019".

References

{{authority control 2006 singles 2006 songs Japanese television drama theme songs Koda Kumi songs Rhythm Zone singles Songs written by Koda Kumi