#KOKIAnniversary

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KOKIAnniversary - the entries!

July 22, 2017 - Happy 41th birthday to KOKIA!

As previously announced, the month of July marks my own KOKIAnniversary. I asked you to share your own stories and KOKIAnniversaries, and below are the submissions you have sent in, in time to celebrate KOKIA’s own birthday!

* Your submission not included? Want to change your submission as yet? Forgot or had no time to enter, but still want to share your story? Please don’t hesitate and let me know. KOKIA’s birthday is of course a very nice occasion to share the love, but I will keep using this tag #KOKIAnniversary for any future entries!

And now without further ado, KOKIA in your own words!

My KOKIAnniversary is April 2009, one month after the release of the KOKIA~AKIKO ~balance~ and the AKIKO~KOKIA albums. “INFINITY” was the song that helped me through becoming homeless and then being left my boyfriend at the time. I continued to be a huge fan, valuing every release with all my heart.

There are so many songs that have come, and every one is paired with a moment in my life. From the last six songs on REAL WORLD, to the peaceful reflection on “Hontou no Oto” and “Mou Ichido…”. Reaching back to beauty of Remember me’s “Sora” or a.i.g.a.k.i.k.o.e.r.u.’s “cocoro”, all the way to the tribal chants on Where to go my love?’s “Hito no Naka ni Aru Mono” and the gratitude of “Ai wa Kodama suru”.

Then there was I found you. When the previews were made available, and I heard the first few seconds of “Ogre to Umarete”, “I Found The Love”, “I Found You”, “Recover”, and I felt the broadest range of emotion I’ve ever felt from music. My favorite song is still “Dear Armstrong”. Hearing it, I sob so deeply for the people I have known, and loved, and miss, because it is true that, for those people I love and have loved to exist, the world is a wonderful place.

Today, I’m as devoted as I ever was, only that I’m more grateful for each KOKIA song because they continue to make me grateful. If the world is made a wonderful place by the people I love and have loved, then the soundtrack is the sound of KOKIA… and it truly is a wonderful world.

- Joshua Peterson, 30, USA

My KokiAnniversary! 10 years ago - after watching a series on tv here in the UK ‘Japanorama’ I google for more. Suddenly it was like an explosion - a girl singing “Remember The Kiss”. Such purity - such intensity! What??? Who??? I couldn’t understand how this amazing voice was confined to Japan. Then a new world opened - she’s big in Europe. Fanatical following, ecstatic reception in Paris. I don’t speak Japanese but I can sing with her in perfect Japanese! So the journey goes forward: from the youthful energy of 'Power Of Smile’, the glorious optimism of 'Pinch Wa Chance’. The heartbreaking depth of 'Time To Say Goodbye’. Now we soar the operatic heights of 'I Believe - Umi no soko cara’ and the independent power of The Voice. Soon after, I’m in New York and visit the site of Ground Zero. Kokia has been there, healing a nation. I am in the same room where she sang with the New York choir! But she’s long gone. Then - she’ll be in concert in Dublin! A brief flight and I meet her! In a world of billions of people how can this be…yet it happens - we can all be together, us fans. Real World brings me to a wider consciousness, then amazingly I hear she’ll perform in London - my home town! Again, how can this be?? In a world of billions there is KOKIA, singing for us, a group of fans in a small room in Islington. Together we all sing 'Remember The Kiss’ word-perfect together. And after, “I met you in Dublin” “Yes, I remember!” In a world of billions how can this be? So we have followed her life together, and now the satisfaction of 'I Found You’, the true love of partnership, marriage, baby Leo. I feel we all got there with her, and we’ll follow, whatever the next step.

-Utameni

[Summer 2004] I had listened 2 The Power of Smile but never given it fully importance until I discovered Uta Ga Chikara album. Just her name vaguely in my memory and the simple album cover... I'm glad I tried it. I was smitten by her.

 - e-hime from @happiikokia

Hi! I’m Eira, I’m 19 years old and I’m from Russia.

This year marks 5 years since I discovered KOKIA’s music.

One day in 2012 I was just randomly surfing the Internet and found one of her songs. I don’t remember very well but if I’m not mistaken it was EXEC_COSMOFLIPS. So that’s how I got into her music. For a couple of years my favorite albums were Musique a la Carte and Fairy Dance ～KOKIA meets Ireland～. Back then I wasn't really much into lyrics but later I started to learn Japanese and realized how beautiful they are. There are a lot of artists I like but KOKIA became so special to me. I know that whenever I feel down I can listen to her music and it never fails to make me feel better. I’ll never be grateful enough for all the support her songs give me. I’d say the most meaningful songs to me are Ano Hi no Watashi ni, bridge, Chiisana Uta, moment ~Ima wo Ikiru~ and many more. I really like KOKIA’s personality and I like to read her blog as well. I wish for her to  always be happy and have many more anniversaries to come.

Eira, 19, Russia

My KOKIA anniversary

最初にKOKIAに出会ったのはYoutubeであるアーティストの色々な作品を検索し、大量の作品をuploadしているユーザーサイトを訪問した時に見しらぬアーティストの作品を発見、興味を持ちその作品を視聴した時である。それは今から思えばKOKIAの調和であった。今まで耳にしたことのない音楽、且つ圧倒的な歌唱力に驚き、それをきっかけにYoutubeにあるKOKIAの様々な曲を検索し、KOKIAというシンガーソングライターが忘れられない存在となった。それがいつの時点であったのかは遠い記憶の中になってしまった。たぶん2009年のある真夜中のことだったと思う。

初KOKIA Concertは2010年4月30日オーチャードホールの音の旅人東京公演だった。

席は３階。ステージから離れていたがその代わりステージ、１階席、２階席と全体が良く見えた。コンサートの終盤やさらにアンコール曲Road to gloryの終了時には１階で始まったスタンディングオベーションが波のように３階まで押し寄せたので私も立ち上がり拍手をした。今から思えばKOKIAファンのそんな行動は本当に珍しいことだった。この時のことは良く覚えている。この日を私が本格的にKOKIAファンになったMy KOKIA anniversaryとしたい。

- ale

July this year marks my 10th KOKIAnniversary. Back in 2007, I was searching for some Japanese music in the early summer. I suspect I was originally looking for Asuca Hayashi, but truth be told, I have no clue anymore, for I was quickly distracted by two other songs that I had accidentally downloaded instead. It turns out I had clicked on KOKIA's 'Arigatou' and 'Shiroi Yuki'. I was immediately taken captive and couldn't stop listening. Maybe this artists had more songs? Some clicks of the mouse later, I'd discovered the album 'trip trip'. That was the start of a decade long (so far!) adoration. KOKIA’s music has been with me ever since, through the highs and lows. I had already decided on studying Japanese language and culture, and KOKIA’s music strengthened that resolve. The album ‘moment’ came out during an especially rough time for me, and it was then that I realized just how much support music could bring.

Not too long after, I started this blog in an attempt to share news about KOKIA with the non-Japanese fans. It’s not always been easy to keep it up to date, but I’ve met amazing people along the way, people whose paths I would never have crossed hadn’t it been for KOKIA’s music connecting us. And so, I want to keep continuing for as long as KOKIA does, hoping her music will bring you as many good things as it has brought me. Here’s to decades more to come!

- Mizumi, 26, the Netherlands

[kokiafans]

KOKIAnniversary!

KOKIA’s 20th anniversary is coming up next year, but I have a little KOKIA related anniversary myself this year. July 2017 marks 10 years since I first discovered KOKIA’s music, so I thought this might be a nice opportunity for me to share my story and to ask you to do the same!

When is your KOKIAnniversary? 

Maybe you remember the exact day you first heard KOKIA’s music, or maybe it’s been so long that you only vaguely recall the year. Was it one song that stuck out to you? Did you first hear her music in a game or series you loved and wanted to hear more? Did you fall in love with her music immediately or was it a gradual process? Any favourite albums or songs you’d like to gush about, or any story related to KOKIA in your life you’d like to share? Anything goes!

Share your KOKIAnniversary stories with KOKIAfans!

Submit your KOKIAnniversary and story no later than July 20, 2017 (in your own time zone). This will give me time to collect them and compile a post on July 22, just in time for KOKIA’s birthday.

Guidelines:

If you remember, tell us when you first heard about KOKIA and/or when you first became a fan of her music! That would be your KOKIAnniversary. If you don’t know an exact date or year, no worries, just give us your best guess. Anyone is welcome, whether you first found KOKIA’s music last week or whether you’ve been following her since her debut.  If you’re comfortable with it, sign with your (nick)name, age, and country. KOKIA fans are a varied group of people, so it’s nice to see that reflected in these stories. Of course, if you’re not comfortable sharing some or any of that information, feel free to skip out! For the rest, anything goes! The theme is KOKIAnniversary, so maybe you want to look back on your years as a fan, or maybe you want to tell a story about what KOKIA’s music means to you. Maybe you attended a concert or even got to meet her in person? Whatever you want to share, go ahead! The main idea is to share stories, but if you have pictures you want to share instead, those are definitely welcome as well. It would be nice if your story was in English since that’s the language used on this site, but it’s no requirement.

How to submit:

Use the submit option on kokiafans. You won’t need a tumblr account to do this, and if you don’t have an e-mail address, you can just fill in info@kokiafans.com.

If you just want to leave a short message, you can use the ask option (also available for anonymous messages).  

On Twitter? KOKIAfans is too! @ kokiafans so that I can see your submission there (and feel free to send me a message if I haven’t liked your post before July 20, as I might have missed it in that case.)

Send in an e-mail to info@kokiafans.com.

On July 22:

I will compile all stories in one big post (or several, in case I get a lot of submissions), and share it here with a link back via the twitter. Keep an eye out for this blog on July 22 to see your message and read the others’!

Ending notes:

I will post your message directly to keep it authentic, unless there’s a really good reason not to do so (e.g. copyright infringement) or if you’re explicitly asking me to (e.g. if you want me to spell check or translate). Feel free to ask me to exclude certain parts from posting or if you change your mind later on! For any other questions, you can send me an ask or an e-mail via the methods above.

[kokiafans]

KOKIAnniversary: reminder to submit your stories!

When is your KOKIAnniversary? When did you first discover KOKIA’s music and what does she mean to you? Be sure to let me know by July 20 so your story will be featured on the post of July 22, KOKIA’s birthday!

More information can be found in this post.

How to submit:

Use the submit option on kokiafans. You won’t need a tumblr account to do this, and if you don’t have an e-mail address, you can just fill in info@kokiafans.com.

If you just want to leave a short message, you can use the askoption (also available for anonymous messages).  

On Twitter? KOKIAfans is too! @ kokiafans so that I can see your submission there (and feel free to send me a message if I haven’t liked your post before July 20, as I might have missed it in that case.)

Send in an e-mail to info@kokiafans.com.