"Maze" (stylized as "m•a•z•e") is

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 sixth domestic CD single. The single charted at #25 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for five weeks.

Information

''m•a•z•e'' is

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 R&B singer Kumi Koda's sixth domestic 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 (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, ...

. It charted at #25 on the Oricon Weekly charts and, despite the low charting, remained on the charts for five weeks. The single was her second single released for her

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 ...

, ''

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 albu ...

.'' The single's

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 ...

, "one," featured

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

R&B singer

LISA Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

, who would later feature both Kumi and 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 ...

in her song "

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

." Both Kumi and the Heartsdales would also be featured in the music video, which carried a futuristic, but

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

-looking

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. "one" was also placed on the corresponding album, ''

.'' Despite LISA being in the song, the track listing on the back covers of the single did not list her as the featured artist. Both "m•a•z•e" and "one" made it to the album ''grow into one,'' but only "m•a•z•e" had its own

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

placed on the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

7 Spirits ''7 Spirits'' is the first DVD released by artist Koda Kumi and was released the same day as her second studio album ''Grow into One''. The DVD contains the music videos that correspond to her singles from albums ''affection'' and ''Grow into One ...

.'' In 2015, thirteen years after the single's release, Kumi would perform the song "one" with LISA live during her ''15th Anniversary Premium Live'' at a-nation island.

Promotions

"m•a•z•e" was used during a scene in the

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Television) ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

''Psycho Doctor'' (サイコドクター / SAIKODOKUTAA). Due to this, the music video for the track would center around

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and

psychosis Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...

Music video

The

for "m•a•z•e" carried a

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...

theme, with Kumi being evaluated by a male

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

. Throughout the video, Kumi

hallucinates A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...

seeing the psychologist and his assistant performing odd tasks and experiments, which seem to be triggered from the images she is shown - many being disturbing. At the end of the video, she is seen walking to board a plane to escape from her own

. The theme for the music video was brought on due to the song being used in the Japanese drama ''Psycho Doctor.''

Track listing

(Source)

Charts (Japan)

Alternate versions

m•a•z•e #m•a•z•e: Found on the single (2002) and corresponding 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 albu ...

(2003) #m•a•z•e 12 Remix'': Found on the single (2002) #m•a•z•e NITED COLORS Remix'': Found on

Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3 ''Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3'' is the fourth remix album by Japanese singer/songwriter Kumi Koda. Like her first Driving Hit's, all of the songs are remixed by duo House Nation. It came in at #6 on Oricon, only staying on the charts for seven week ...

(2011)

References

External links

Koda Kumi Official Site
{{authority control 2002 singles 2002 songs Koda Kumi songs