wish it had more older songs too ... still gonna listen tho haha

Interesting that the first ten songs are the exact same ones in AND and also in the same order, really wanna hear how it's gonna sound. Hope it's as good as DH7!

(The cover tho..........)

Some lazy soul made this awful cover with instagram editing tool...

The good part is, we have an AND version remixed...

I guess it was inteded to remember instagram tbh, given that break on the PARTY PV and also now the fact she's created an account there... But I think there were a million better ways to make us remember of instagram lol

Lol I like the cover.

I'm not gonna buy AND album but I'm gonna buy DH8 xD the cover is strange, I don't like it.

I like the cover - I don't know what is not to like about it other than that it is not another beauty shot (which probably everyone who complains wants)

I think the cover kind of captures the mood. It's interesting and not just a standard beauty shot.

I'm kind of surprised they're going to release another Driving Hits. I'm guessing we'll see a few remixes used in the upcoming tour.

The cover is fun. I'm so excited for another DH!!!!! :love

The cover is cool, like it. lol
I have deleted the complete album since I don't like a single song. I hope DH will change that and finally give me a new Kuu song I can party to. I really need one.

I like the cover! As well as the idea of a remixed version of the whole album despite not having heard the original yet lol. Some more old songs would've been nice but overall I'm looking forward to this.

gurl if you are going to reuse your same shooting please choose a better photo, so many pictures that could have fit better. e.g. these ons

https://i.imgur.com/74zxp3n.png

https://i.imgur.com/CJqpHZS.png

what a way to ruin an amazing catalog of covers :weep

That pic with the glasses would be perfect, they could play with the round lenses and the 8 :(

I'm excited to see all the tracks from the album, DH7 have a lot of the album tracks but not all.

Ok, now everytime that I listen to WHO I sing some parts in english XD

I like to cover. Giving me 80's Miami Vice vibes lol.

Yes! I am excited for the new DH album. I thought she would wait until after DNA was released to release her next DH album. I am hoping it'll be similar to how 7 turned out. 7 is my favorite out of all the DH's.
The cover is ok, I love how the '8' looks, but would have preferred another picture of her.

When I saw it on Instagram, I thought it was fan-made. lol I was like, it would have been nice if DH8 actually happened. Then I saw another post with this photo and rushed here to see if the whole thing is real. Haha in any case, the cover is weird but I like it.

It actually does, which is really cool.

I'm excited about the new DHit's! The cover is a little weird, but fun at the same time. And YAS to her showing some love to Selfish.

GOT ME GOING' and real Emotion are probably gonna be a mess. I really dislike TeddyLoid's remixes, too much noise.

I'm with you on this one. I think this is an awesome cover.

And let's not get into "amazing catalog of covers". Koda has some pretty god awful and unsexy covers. Like, I'm thinking Kuu's doing some beekeeping after that one shoot.

AND 1st week position & sales - #6 ; 14,538

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5580116571?lp=5028

It was really close between #4 to her position of #6. Sales wise, she sold what I thought she would 15k. It's more about her yearly shipments than the oricon sales.

A pity she wasn't able to keep her #1 streak, but we all know it was more good timing than actually having great sales these last few years. What matters at the end of the day is that she gave us such an amazing album :heart

Talking on which, she's mentioned on instagram something about DNA still being recorded, right? You guys think we might get a single before it or it'll be just the album?

I would like a single before. Create some hype.

This pic is so perfect for DH8. Way better than the actual cover. She has made a big wrong decision.

the pic is boring. that hand looks awful and the whole thing looks like a bad photo edit. I really like the actual cover and I'm glad it isn't as standard as that.

I just think it's a shame cuz the DH series always had amazing shots as covers and the DH8 picture isn't even good imo. a blurred mess.

I wasn't thinking much of the DH8 cover when I saw it yesterday but I think it must have grown on me in the last 24 hours because now I'm thinking it suits being a cover for a remix album.

Honestly, I really like the cover. It’s one of her best. 5 and on are my favourite. The first four are okay, but not as good.

Ah well I was talking about the DH series specifically which are all great/extravagant until she came up with that thing for #8 :'c

https://i.imgur.com/tJv69Ba.png

even Beach Mix is awesome lol

I am forever pro-Come With Me. Best worst album cover ever. So bad it’s good. So ugly it’s amazing. Like a pug.

And I don’t think Black Cherry was supposed to be sexy, but more high fashion.

TBH, DH7 was a nice cover but it was really the one that broke with the series. #8 is just yet again doing something different.

Am I the only one still hoping that they'll eventually release Beach Mix 2??

Last night i dreamed that we're getting DH9 after DNA than... ��

I want another Beach Mix so bad. I prefer it over all of the DH albums, it's still my workout album every now and then.

I love this comment and I agree lol

New Re:DUA eyeliner is coming!
http://evercolor.jp/redua_professional_eyeliner

http://www.aiseis.jp/ecjp/us_img/red...onal_lp_01.jpg



And driving hit's 8 previews are available on fc!!

BTW it's not just optic-wise that DH7 has changed a lot...
Also the generes changed and DH7 is also the first DH which isn't Non-Stop-Mixed...

Yes, and I'm guessing that DH8 will also not be in the ''non-stop-mega mixed'' format.

I'm happy for something different, cause DH's 7 is my favourite!
DH's 8 is described as a dance remix album.
And it's not mentioned it's non-stop, so it probably isn't.

I always found DH series covers to be boring. That changed with the latest two, which I really like.

Even with the basic color sets from photoshop, DH7 is my fav cover overall, I just love how they put the number over her and it covers one of her eyes, still matching the idea from the W FACE booklets pics even with her two eyes showing. After that comes DH2, those giant lashes and her make-up are just SO pretty and impactful and powerful :heart

DH5 is also nice, love the shooting, and DH6 would have been perfect if the BG wasn't a dull grey colour.

Kuu preparing the tour.
She recently went back to purple hair.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/s0O4r0.png

Love that style.

Can somebody rip the previews from the fc?

Previews of DHit's 8 - http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5582242887

Love LIT, it sounds so gooood! And lets vogue with Brain.

https://m.popkey.co/500e24/za8mD_s-200x150.gif

I didn't find previews in the global koda gumi, is it only on playroom?

btw I was looking at the Q&A there and...
So now it's not green, nor purple or even pink lol

edit
Oh thanks for sharing the baidu link!
SWEETEST TABOO sounds like it'll be better than the album version, as someone mentioned it sound a bit like Big Boys Cry and I hate that song lol
GOT ME GOING' was the most surprising one for me, liiiiiiving for it.

I can't listen to them T_T

Loved the first three ones, sounded better than the album version. Hated WHO.
In general, I guess it will be an OK DH. Not the best, but not bad.

Not impressed with the previews.

I won a ticket for the new osaka show on may 5th from the koda gumi lottery Im soooo happy I will get to see her live :D

Wow they really polished up WHO - kept its strengths and dropped the shit from it.

I thought Selfish sounded really good until after the vocals it took a disappointing turn.

Anyways, at least this has quite a few songs I’ll be able to listen to, unlike the new studio album.

Damn purple is so overused. I would like smth like this for a change :b

https://i.imgur.com/nR3WtRx.png

She kinda had this style for Dreaming Now/Let's Party Vol.2 era but it was not the whole thing

https://i.imgur.com/M6oXkJ6.png
https://i.imgur.com/mhF8XoB.png

Kuu is taking part in the Sukkiri Super Live 2018 on April 21st.

http://rhythmzone.net/koda/news/detail.php?id=1059301
http://ntvlive.jp/sukkiri2018/

YAY I hope for performances of new songs. Last year the Super Live was broadcast live, so I hope the same thing goes this time.

@maze Well, Ultra violet is the color of the year, I guess if there is a year for her to use this color in 2018. haha

Funny enough, Emerald was the color of 2013, the year where she had that Emerald hair color.

Queen of pantone-coloured hair

A colour I'd like to see her doing again would be that long blond hair from the So Into You video and also the one for the BEST ~second session~ shotting :P Long black hair would also be nice, she has had black hair for so few times in her career

I really enjoyed her style during the Let's Party Vol. 2 era. The hair, the make-up. It was all on point for me.

+1

i have yet to listen to AND; but I'm just dropping in to say how happy I am that at least kumi is giving us remix albums~

I finally got to listen to AND since it's available on Spotify. In my honest opinion, it's not one of her best albums. I wasn't expecting anything because I haven't gone crazy over anything she released after WALK OF MY LIFE, so I'm not too surprised.

Because the beautiful cover arts, I enjoyed SWEETEST TABOO and BRAIN. GOT ME GOING' is my favorite track, it's too bad there's a typo in the title :laugh

I know the new music style she's been adopting over the past few years is liked by many fans, but I guess in general it's just not my cup of tea. She seems happy, though, and I think it's really important for an artist to work on things they enjoy. :)

I wonder.... AND is the most meldoy driven and radio friendly album for ages.
It's pretty different compared to W FACE and WOML.
Actually, when I first listened to it, I thought most of the songs could be easily heard at the Eurovision Song Contest. :laugh
Saying that, I'm pretty sure DNA will be much more in the same vein as WOML amd W FACE outside, the edgier style she adopted in recent years.

AND is indeed her most mainstream release since Bon Voyage (if you take out W Face ~Inside~). She definitely began transitioning her sound and challenging her audience with HOTEL, which remains an oddball of a song.

I took out W FACE inside, cause it was a ballad heavy album and compared to AND, AND is much more suitable for radio play and mainstream with its pop tunes.

I really cant get into this album all that much. WHO is kinda a bob as with the other midtempo pop song which I cant even remember its title...

sigh kuu

I like HOTEL.

HOTEL isn't bad, but as a song it's just a bit odd in terms of structure and composition. It definitely set a tone going into WALK OF MY LIFE, which is a challenging body of work.

I had the chance to watch the full JAPONESQUE videography again and the whole album project remains so impressive. I miss the days when avex would really invest in their artists.

^ Don't even get me started on JAPONESQUE ): I'm still sad there was no +BR version of it even tho some of the PVs are out there in HD on YouTube

^I was always surprised Rhythm Zone didn't reissue the album as a CD+Blu-Ray combo in 2013. A wasted opportunity, but Rhythm Zone was a little slow on the Blu-Ray front.

what surprises me the most is the Japaneses using more DVDs rather than Blu-ray's EVEN NOW. it drives me nuts

In JAPONESQUE's case, not all the PVs were filmed in full HD, like the videos from 4 TIMES, so the blu-ray would end up looking a mess with the resolution. The first release which all the PVs were recorded in full HD was Color the Cover.

^ Really? I have HDTV rips of both PLC and VIP o-o I don't think they'd shoot two PVs in HD and not the others

Well, I mean, it makes sense considering these were on singles leading up to JAPONESQUE. If they were all filmed at the time of JAPONESQUE's release, it wouldn't make sense to have varying quality. But if it became more profitable to move to HD PVs for Koda, the transition would have to happen at *some* point. And I doubt the Rhythmzone is going to deliberately put it off until the first post-album single so everything on the next album (being released a year later) is all similar. They'd be losing out on that shmoney TODAY. And we all know how well business would do with the marshmallow test...

@Gustavopc It's not much of a matter having a HDTV rip of a PV, because we do have that for TAKE BACK, Trust Your Love and many others, and it doesn't mean that they are in HD, just upscaled.

I think no one reported but AND was #44 this week, selling 1,196 copies. So far the sales are 15,734.

There is little difference between the numbers reported by Oricon and Billboard (maybe the FC version?):

Oricon
#6 14,538/14,538
#44 1,196/15,734

Billboard:
#5 14,859/14,859
#39 1,270/16,129

Sneak peek for the tour goods coming with the tickets.
The dog tag with different customizable plates:

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/ddKGV6.png

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/E11Ldy.png

The 2nd one is an empty bottle you can fill with perfume or water or anything else (with a separating plate in the middle you can remove);

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/4H1lCC.png

Queen of functional and customisable goods.

OK... so when's the next album coming out?? :P

I love Kuu's Instagram posts of her doing her hair. Somehow I just love her for using good ol' Manic Panic. I prefer Olia Bold, myself :P

They added another date to the FC tour:

May 18 - Club Cocoa in Hakodate

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/JK5YnK.png

http://rhythmzone.net/koda/news/detail.php?id=1059624

Its website:
http://www.clubcocoa.jp/index.html

It was chosen from the entries of the "Where do you want Kuu to come to" FC campaign (if you guys remember).
It's the smallest venue of them all for a very intimate performance.
Ticket round starts March 23rd.

From her website:
Lol.

----------------------

There's an interview included in the FC edition of AND.
Haven't read all of it yet, but here are some interesting things (plus info from the last FC magazine):

- While AND has it's meaning because of celebrating the people and things bringing her to the place in life she is now, DNA is going to be an album built on the sound of the current Koda Kumi - J-POP / Club / Hip Hop.
- She first wanted to make an FC only album this year.
- For Kuu NEVER ENOUGH is close to Damn real.
- She recorded SWEETEST TABOO 3 years ago, but it didn't fit WOML album back then.
- BRIDGET SONG was in the top 3 of songs in the W FACE TOUR questionnaire. As she also really enjoyed singing such a positive life song, ALL RIGHT was created (remember, BRIDGET SONG was also written by her husband).
- Kuu really likes OUTTA MY HEAD. It channels her high register and wasn't easy, but she wants to become a more skillful singer now.
- The lime green outfit for the LIT PV was speficially created for it.

I'm loving her Instagram! Very personal and good content :)

It's great to see Kuu is still adding more dates for her upcoming fanclub tour

A Baidu user wrote on http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5604622427 that Hakodate's Club Cocoa can only accommodate 200 fans which doesn't get anymore closer to Kuu than this

Those who are able to ballot & score tickets for this easily has super duper good luck

Someone on Instagram pointed out, that this pullover is probably gonna be among the tour goods (cause of the print - it says Fanclub Tour in the triangle and an A in the middle of it).

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...924/gvNvWt.png

Tour goods should be up soon.

Japonesque was her last true masterpiece for me. It's been a slow downhill slide from there.

Seems like a nice goodie, can't wait to see what else they got, I really wanna buy a new t-shirt from Kuu :P

That's exactly what I thought after listening to it for a few days. I think if it received good promotion it could have performed better but at the same time, I still wouldn't expect it to sell 100k. Maybe 30k at best with the good amount of the promotion.
I love AND, it's not my all time fav album from her but it's a solid one and doesn't have a single filler on it. My only issue with it that it's super short, even with two bonus tracks.

I really hope by J-Pop she means a new traditional J-Pop ballad, like stay with me, Kimi Omoi, Koishikute and not Lick me -Part 2-.

Wait... she's already releasing another studio album this year?? :tired But... why?

I mean, I just listened to AND, and it is so low quality, like they invested 0 in this release and hired a bunch of amateurs.

I haven't enjoyed a Kuu's album in full since Bon Voyage, which was like 4-5 years ago :(

I know that she usually focuses more on quantity than quality but it's embarrassing to see her release something this bad.

wow we didn't listen to the same album at all then, i've seen some people call the album trash music-wise but quality-wise that's a first

Its all relative, so I don't bother to get offended when people talk like that. I really enjoyed the album, and thought that is was all around amazing. When I see Kuu post and talk about her albums, I know that she cares and is doing what she loves. You can see her passion. People can state their opinions as facts all they want, but it just makes it look like an ill-informed opinion.

^ The way you worded your post is so condescending. God forbid people have different opinions. I thought the album was forgettable and nothing special, a pedestrian effort by Kuu. The last song I enjoyed from her was Gimmie U and the last album I liked was Bon Voyage. IDK what direction she’s taking with her music nowadays but it’s just not enjoyable to me anymore. I keep coming back in case she surprises me (and plus her albums are on spotfiy lol) so idk I have some hope for DNA but I’m not holding my breath.

People, it's just opinions.
Some people like her change since WOML, some don't.
Just keep it on a nice level and don't insult Kuu or other fans and listener.

AND Oricon Update:
3rd week sales: 864 #71
Total so far: 16,598

#5 on the daily charts today!
https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/d/2018-03-19/
#3 sold 882 copies and she's ahead of Namie's Finally. Not sure what caused the boost but perhaps she can sell 1k next week.

I wonder what caused that kind of a boost? It could be that CM announced not too long after the album release. Yeah, she'll definitely scan well over 1k easily.

total sales so far 16k omg, way lower than w face. I have faith in dna though. I don’t know what you mean when you pointed out dna is ahead of finally. You know finally sold almost 2 million copies right??.

^ Finally is still charting daily on Top 10, it got #7 and AND got #5 yesterday

Bon Voyage is my last favourite album from her although my copy of And has yet to arrive.

I'm sorry you found it condescending, but nothing I said was incorrect. People are free to not like Kuu's music. I haven't truly loved a ballad from her since Secret. But, I'm not so rude as to act as though the woman doesn't do what truly makes her happy and what she thinks is good.

I haven't liked an Ayu album since Love Songs, but I still stan for her, all day everyday, because I love that she doesn't seem to give a fuck and just does her and looks like a million bucks while she does it.

Hmm. I must have misinterpreted your post than. I apologize. I understand from your perspective now, and I actually agree. I’m glad Kuu found a niche that she enjoys and it makes her happy. I just don’t care for it lol.

AND will probably end up selling as much as W FACE's first week, around 20k total.

As for streams: the album has +155k streams on Spotify, with the most popular non-single songs being SWEETEST TABOO, PARTY and WHO.

Tbh I've been following Kuu since around BEST ~second session~ and I've been WAY more into her since her style change around WOML. I feel like she finally found her "style" that suits a lot of different parts of her personality, and I'm glad she isn't trying to stretch herself super thin anymore by doing a ton of songs from different genres. I love Kuu's trashy urbanish pop though, so YMMV

AND is still doing good today, being at #48 today, even though it's new release day.
Maybe the boost is because of Instagram? Idk.

Its all good, homie.

Personally, I'm a big fan of like, gangsta rap and all that ratchet stuff, so her Money in My Bags are life for me :laugh Although, I would sell a few of my cousins for another hands :laugh