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[Modelpress:JPN] Kumi Koda Part1


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Kumi Koda in Modelpress interview 

The first challenge in the 14th year from debut

and her resolution for the coming 15th year 

 

Translated by n&n @ www.onehallyu.com

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ã€Modelpress】Kumi Koda’s first digital single song “Dance In The Rain†will be revealed on iTunes on Nov 5th. It is going to be the 15th year from her debut in December but she is challenging something new one after another right now in her 14th year. We’re going to interview about the reason for that, and her next activities she’s planning in the coming 15th year.

 

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Kumi taking an interview of Modelpress

 

 

Kumi made a 360-degree view VRMV(Virtual Reality Music Video) for the first time in the world with her new single “Dancer In The Rainâ€. VRMV is a video content you can feel the sensation of parallel world. HMD(head mounted display) ,represented by Oculus Rift, displays entire 360-degree view and the 3D audio system makes the stereophonic sounds.

 

In her VRMV wearing this Oculus Rift, you could find masked men in the display and their leader, Kumi will invites you to the unknown world with her navigation. In this magical world you can feel the rain, a beautiful beach spreading in front of you, a huge mysterious rock floating and you will meet Kumi and the dancers jumping all over 360-degree view. 

 

The general director is YKBX(Masaki Yokobe), who got awards in some art competitions around the world and gave a successful performance of Miku Hatsune at Theatre de Paris Chatele. The sound director is Evala, the expert of stereophonic sound. Also Khaki ,a VFX artist and a programmer Masato Tsutsui joined the work. Many Japanese creators worked together on this latest technology. 

 

“Dance In The Rain†also has a 2D MV. In this MV, there are four characters in each four scenes, white desert, white tower, an altar surrounded by mountains and a rooftop of the ghost town. The four characters indicate four feelings we have, fear, despair, gratitude and hope. In the white tower, Kumi is tied on a chair and some black feathers make her blind. After Kumi saw a certain video, she will free herself and bravely opens a door into the new world. The video she is watching in this MV connects to the world of VRMV.

 

 

---It was a powerful VRMV. First of all, would you tell me your first impression seeing your work completed?

 

Kumi: I realized again that the virtual world is keep progressing. I really enjoyed working with this kind of new technology. I can say that it is worth seeing(you can enjoy it) because many scenes in both VRMV and MV are connected.

 

 

---I got a feel like riding an attraction from the VRMV.

 

Kumi: I know. I wanted to do in a huge scale but if there are too much moves, people’s eyes would get sick. So me and the producer worked hard on it and it was a process of trial and error. That is why the result was far from what I first imagined. I used all my might and the work evolved further and further.

 

 

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â—†She talked about fashions she’s particular about which occurred “chemical changeâ€

 

 

She worked with many top designers like Misha Janette, a fashion director who designed Nicki Minaj’s outfits, Yohji Yamamoto, worldwide Japanese top designer who announced “dicord†recently. And she also worked on Yohji’s daughter, Satomi Yamamoto’s own brand “LIMI feuâ€.

Fashions which show you women’s strength and beauty will also catch your eyes. This is the first time Yohji and Satomi Yamamoto family joined the project. An energetic rising designer Roggykei, Lady GaGa’s favorite, joined too. So also in fashions, she got great supports.

 

 

---It’s a MV you can enjoy even only from the outfits.

 

Kumi: Yes, the fashion is one of the highlight. Yohji Yamamoto and LIMI feu’s soft style and Roggykei’s unique style were mixed in a good way which is great. It’s like how interesting the combination of ballet music and HIPHOP will be. Mixing different genres brings another new genre.

 

---The collaboration of Kumi and Yohji Yamamoto was also unexpected.

 

Kumi: I get that a lot. Though I don’t wear his fashion brand in my works, I usually wear them in private. I’ve always thought that I will collaborate with him someday, so I’m really glad I made it this time. And I found a nice “chemical change†here.

 

 

--- Which part did you work hard?

 

Kumi: I tried to work on designing at first but the outfits Yohji Yamamoto made were too wonderful. So I decided to use it in the MV like flying up in the air. I think I was able to pull out his own style/concept.

 

 

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â—†The reason she challenged something new in her 14th year

 

 

---How were the concerts you went abroad recently like Taiwan?

 

Kumi: Taiwanese like cool concept songs more in concerts. The reactions in concerts are really different between Japan and Taiwan.

 

 

---Really! I think you also had a concert in Singapore, and you got a praise as ’Japanese Madonna’ from your dance stage with sexy dresses and high-heels.

 

Kumi: There are styles which are too unique in Japan but in overseas, they really like them. I was pleased to know that Kumi Koda could be accepted as an artist, also in overseas.

 

 

---Are you going to start activities overseas seriously?

 

Kumi: I would like to if I had a chance. This VRMV was also announced at TENT LONDON(an art festival in London). It was nice that I recieved good reactions there. 

 

 

---It is a great thing for your 15th year when you challenged something new in the 14th year.

 

Kumi: I’m so nervous though. But nothing happens if you don’t take a step forward so I thought now is the time to challenge before 15th anniversary. That’ why “Dance In The Rain†is a challenging song for me. It was hard to dance with ballad songs but like the name of the song literally, I express my wishes “Keep dancing no matter how much you suffer.†And dancing was the starting line for everything to me.

 

 

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Kumi trying the 360-degree view VRMV “Dance In The Rainâ€

 

 

 

 

 

Source for the original page in Japanese: http://mdpr.jp/interview/detail/1443586

 

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