[tenshi no hane]

I've started translating Koda Reki~

Here are two lovely messages Kuu-chan wrote:

Spoiler:

10 years have passed
Since I first started singing as Koda Kumi
As I continued singing, I knew:
“Life is not easy.”

It’s not just me. Everyone has painful days.
There are lots of people
Who grit their teeth and keep fighting.
Though sometimes you might be unable to carry on…

But please look around you at such a time.
Because “something important” is definitely by your side,
Supporting you with outstretched arms.

This book tells of the journey I’ve taken so far
And the memories of the tears I’ve shed.
I’m praying from the bottom of my heart
That those reading this book
Will be encouraged and will smile.

Koda Kumi
2011.2.2

(p.3)

~~~

Music is all I have,
But I have it.

On days when life hurt me
On sleepless nights
Songs were always by my side.
Songs strongly connected me
With so many people.
I’ve been singing as Koda Kumi
For 10 years now.
At some point singing became
My dream, my job
This also caused me pain
But now, once again, I feel:
“I love singing. I love this stage.”

(p.13)

edit: + a part about what pushed her to become a singer:

Spoiler:

Roots

When I was a child, there was a “unforgettable sight”. That was the sight of seeing lots of adults gathered in one place. As the alcohol flowed, the place would get more lively and people would always ask my mother “please sing” or “I want to hear that song”. When my mother would stand up shyly, grab the mice and start to sing, the adults who had been chatting up until then would fall silent and everyone would look at my mother. In a second, everyone would be drawn into her song… Amidst the loud applause, I thought: “Singing is really great, huh? I want to try singing like my mother and move people’s hearts.” That was what started everything.

My mother was a young mother. Her female friends didn’t have any children yet, so I was raised as everyone’s “daughter”. My mother and her friends loved to sing ♥ They would meet up at our house and have girls talk. The words “Let’s go to karaoke ♥” would always be said (laughs). There my mother and her friends would first sing ‘Koi no Bakansu’ by the Peanuts and then lots of other songs in harmony!! I remember me and misono copying them and practicing really hard.

If my mother was the reason why I wanted to become a singer, she was also my teacher. People still often tell me, “your singing voices sound alike”.

The more I sang, the more the feeling “I want more people to listen to me” grew…

After my first audition in my 3rd year of elementary school, I went on countless other auditions. I virtually always got rejected. I often got rejected in the applicant screening phase… But the thing that always pushed me on was my “groundless confidence” that “I could definitely sing well!!” (laughs) And also the endless love of my family who never opposed my choice and watched over me. I could maintain my groundless confidence thanks to my mother and my father. When I felt down, my mother would tell me, “Kuu-chan, you really can sing well”. And my father would smile happily when he listened to my singing. I was spoiled, right? (laughs) But thanks to their indulgence, I am here now. Now, as an adult, I feel really grateful towards my parents.

I would always be in 2nd place at auditions.
Even during the audition at avex trax which would lead to my debut I ended up in 2nd place.
I think that’s why I look up to “1st place”.

My singing career started with the thought:
“I want to be number one someday. I want to become a top artist.”

(p17)