#title is from fukurou by kokia

[kokiafans]

Notes from July 22, 2023 KOKIA stream

KOKIA wrapped up her stream of her 25th anniversary concert ‘you and me’ earlier today, and she was present in the chat through all of it, tuning in from London. In between the many congratulations for her birthday and gratitude for her sharing the concert, she also dropped some comments that I feel are of interest, so I’ve collected them below.

First of all, the concert itself is currently up for pre-order as a Blu-ray release. Though there is also a limited edition, that one has already sold out, and apparently numbers are going fast for the normal edition too. Pre-order via KOKIA Jirushi soon! The limited edition might get an increase, but KOKIA is not sure yet - she didn’t expect them to move this quickly.

She also promotes her new upcoming album, the KOKIA 25th Anniversary Best Album ‘The Lighthouse’ (also up for pre-order). Every single song will be remastered, so not only will the album feature 5 brand new songs (2 of which we heard in the concert), all older songs will sound as new too. All songs will be adjusted to have the same leveling, so no odd changes in volume between songs. The cover of the album is a photo of Ôarai Isozaki shrine in Ôarai. KOKIA took the photo herself on her phone, when she was visiting nearby Hitachi Seaside Park.

In reply to questions from overseas fans, KOKIA replied she hopes to be able to hold concerts in Europe in the near future again, and she does state she’d love to go over to America as well.

KOKIA later does reveal she’ll be holding a concert in Shanghai, China in December. No further details are known at this point.

Initially, she was only going to perform the song Fukurou (’Owl’) on one of the two days, but since it got so popular, she decided to perform it on both days anyway. Today’s stream only covered the songs from day 2, so 3 songs remain Blu-ray exclusive.

Speaking of the animal songs: the Animal CDs will very soon get a digital release. I assume she’s referring to volume 3 and 4, as volumes 1 and 2 already have digital releases.

The concert opens with KOKIA holding and opening a music box, which she was given by fans for her 20th anniversary, so she wanted to bring it back to her 25th as well.

As for the new songs: KOKIA mentions how songs that make her cry while she’s writing them often become highly requested songs. One example is I believe ~umi no soko kara~, and she mentions The Lighthouse is a new one. The song features the sound of waves and KOKIA mentions how it might be the ‘new’ I believe. The intended meaning of it is ‘I won’t leave a single person behind. Shall we go together?’ The light of the lighthouse means music, waiting for someone to listen to it like they look up to the light of a lighthouse.

The new song The Cell leaves the sea for space; the title refers to the cells in your body vibrating with sound connecting you to the universe. 

And finally, KOKIA thanks her fans for tuning in, saying she had a great birthday!

[kokialyrics]

TRANSLATION MASTERPOST

KOKIA album [2019.08.13] ～tontonton 音楽動物園～ (ongaku doubutsuen, ‘musical zoo’)

This album combines the tracks from both tontonton albums. 

Tracks:

Disc 1:

1. Bear ~the bear’s first love, he’s stumped~ (クマ ～くまおの初恋 クマったな～ (Kuma - ~kuma ono hatsukoi kumatta na~ )) 2.  Giraffe ~the long-necked giraffe~ (キリン���長い首したキリンさん～ (Kirin - ~nagai kubi shita kirin-san~)) 3.  Hippo ~Madam Hippo’s (Mrs. Hippo’s) dream~ (カバ～マダムヒッポ（カバ夫人）の夢～ (Kaba ~ Madamu Hippo (Kaba fujin) no yume~)) 4.  Raccoon dog ~festival night~ ( タヌキ～祭りの夜～ (Tanuki ~Matsuri no yoru~)) 5.  Sloth ~it’s fine already~ (ナマケモノ～もういいじゃん～ (Namakemono ~mou ii jan~)) 6.  Monkey ~monkey see, monkey do~ (サル～真似っこおサル～ (Saru ~Manekko osaru~)) 7.  Owl - ~a guest has arrived, the owl reports~ (フクロウ～フクロウが知らせる客が来たと～ (Fukurou - ~Fukurou ga shiraseru kyaku ga kita to~)) 8.  Sheep ~a lost child’s bleat~ ( ヒツジ~迷子のメェ～ (Hitsuji ~mago no mee~)) 9.  Wolf ~howling wolf~ ( オオカミ～遠吠えオオカミ～ (Ookami ~tooboe ookami~)) 10.  Lion ~cowardly lion, be my friend~ (ライオン~弱虫ライオン be my friend～ (Raion ~Yowamush raion be my friend~)) 11.  Whale ~here is mama’s treasure~ (クジラ～ママの大事さんいらっしゃい～ (Kujira ~ Mama no daijisan irasshai~)) 12.  Zebra ~the zebra’s pajamas~ ( シマウマ～シマウマのパジャマ～ (Shimauma ~shimauma no pajama~))

Disc 2:

1. It’s starting ~concert of living beings~ ( はじまるよー ～いきものの音楽会～ (Hajimaru yo ~ikimono no ongakukai~)) * 2. Chicken ~just one chicken~ ( ニワトリ ～1羽でもニワトリ～ (Niwatori ~ichiba de mo niwatori~)) 3. Kangaroo ~kangaroo pocket~ ( カンガルー ～カンガルーポケット～(Kangaruu ~kangaruu poketto~)) 4. Panda ~my dream is in pastel colors~ ( パンダ ～パステルカラーは夢～(Panda ~pasuteru karaa wa yume~)) 5. Kitten ~my name is Kitten, fluff fluff~ ( 子ネコ ～je m’appelle 子猫ふわふわ～ (Koneko ~je m'apelle Koneko fuwafuwa~)) 6. Snake ~haniho snake, mrs. minor key~ ( ヘビ ～はにほへび短調夫人～ (Hebi ~hanihohebi tanchou fujin~)) 7. Elephant ~my heart won’t lose to my big body~ ( ゾウ ～大きな体に負けないハート～ (Zou ~ookina karada ni makenai haato~)) 8. Gorilla ~the gorilla has fallen over~ ( ゴリラ ～ゴリラさんがコロンだ～(Gorira ~Gorira-san ga koronda~)) 9. Donkey ~I don’t know about that much~ ( ロバ ～そんなに多くは知らないけど～  (Roba ~sonna ni ooku wa shiranai kedo~)) 10. Mouse ~good night, kiss~ ( ネズミ ～お休みでチュ～ (Nezumi ~oyasumi de chu~)) 11. Frog ~wrapped in spring, ribbit~ (カエル ～春に包まれてケロ～ (Kaeru ~haru ni tsutsumarete kero~))

* This track does have lyrics, but they only consist of the title and the words ‘ton ton ton’.

[kokiafans]

KOKIA YouTube livestream [2020.12.26]

KOKIA has just wrapped up her second consecutive livestream, and with this, her final livestream of 2020 has come to an end.

Like yesterday’s livestream, this one is still available to rewatch on her official YouTube! You can still catch it until January 10, 2021 via her YouTube channel. KOKIA does note that due to the poor video quality in the first half, an improved version might be uploaded later.

Below follows the tracklist so you know what to expect, plus a report for future archiving purposes.

Tracklist:

1. Dear Armstrong 2. Fukurou ~Fukurou ga shiraseru kyaku ga kita to~ (‘Owl ~a guest has arrived, the owl reports~’) 3. Watashi no naka no kemono ('The beast inside me') 4. Kurage ~uchuuyuuei Floating soul~ (’Jellyfish ~space walk~’) 5. Hoshi no uta (’song of stars’) 6. Memo (new song) 7. Anshin no naka (’From a secure place’) 8. something blue & something red 9. Tsugi no kuni e to baton watasu (’Passing on the baton to the next country’) 10. Yume no tochuu ('on my way to my dream') 11. Oto no arubamu (The album of music)

Pianist: Souta Seta Guitarist: Daisuke Takagi

Welcome to the final livestream of 2020!

After her first song, KOKIA does her introduction in English, saying she feels singing is the best way to express her feelings rather than speaking, so please, enjoy the show!

After Hoshi no Uta, KOKIA mentions how this song was from her recent album which is for sale via her official web shop. What a strange year it's been, huh. Because she expresses through singing, she's created a lot of songs; it's easier to write when things are tough than when she is happy. In these songs, she expresses her wishes for herself and everyone. What follows is one of those songs, for which I didn’t quite get the title, but it’s a very recently written song expressing her gratitude. ETA: KOKIA has revealed in her January 10 blog entry that the song’s title is ‘memo’.

After something blue & something red, KOKIA mentions she really didn't get to perform on stage much this year, which is a pity. But don't worry, because she still gets to sing through the livestreams! Let’s say goodbye to 2020 and she wants to see people from the stage again in 2021. She keeps saying the same thing, but she means it from the heart: thank you for being her musical family and always supporting her, waiting for her. She'll continue to sing no matter the situation, don't worry! She thinks we need music now more than ever to soothe our hearts, so wherever she is, she's just singing. Tokyo, London, no matter where. Just sing! 

Thank you very much for today. In sadness can be beauty, and sometimes even sorrow makes us shine. Let's go for a lovely future. Thank you truly so much. May the next year be a wonderful one for us all.

See you next year!

[kokiafans]

tontonton Animal Concert update!

Via KOKIA.com/news

I started the project ‘tontonton’ back in 2017, creating albums for which I write songs with an animal motif. 

So far, I’ve released volume one Doubutsu no ongakkai (’animal concert’) and volume 2 Ikimono no ongakkai (’concert of living beings’), but now, I’m putting all 22 animal songs from both these albums together so that you may enjoy them as one album.

To commemorate this update, the name is also changing: the album with animal themed songs will be called ‘Animal CD tin’!

I’ve included  all recorded song titles below. (T/N: see below the ‘Read more’ link)

I also took this opportunity to start selling gift sets at good values.

Please be sure to check out the KOKIA Jirushi web shop.

http://ancocoro.shop-pro.jp

(T/N: KOKIA is also selling separate tins (without CD included), featuring the animals that haven’t been featured on the tin covers before.)

From volume 1, Doubutsu no ongakkai 1. Kuma ~kuma ono hatsukoi kuma tta na~('Bear ~the bear’s first love, he’s stumped~') 2. Kirin ~nagai kubi shita kirin-san~ ('Giraffe ~the long-necked giraffe~') 3. Kaba ~madamu hippo (kaba-fujin) no yume~('Hippo ~Madam Hippo's (Mrs. Hippo's) dream~') 4. Tanuki ~matsuri no yoru~ ('Raccoon dog ~festival night~') 5. Namakemono ~mou ii jan~ ('Sloth ~it's fine already~') 6. Saru ~Manekko osaru~ ('Monkey ~monkey see, monkey do~') 7. Fukurou ~Fukurou ga shiraseru kyaku ga kita to~ ('Owl ~a guest has arrived, the owl reports~') 8. Hitsuji ~Maigo no mee~('Sheep ~a lost child's bleat~') 9. Ookami ~Tooboe ookami~ ('Wolf ~howling wolf~') 10. Raion ~Yowamushi raion be my friend~ ('Lion ~cowardly lion~') 11. Kujira ~mama no daiji-san irasshai~ ('Whale ~here is mama's treasure~') 12. Shimauma ~Shimauma no Pajama~ ('Zebra ~the zebra's pajamas~') 

13. Karaoke / Kuma (’Bear’) 14. Karaoke / Kirin (’Giraffe’) 15. Karaoke / Tanuki (’raccoon dog’) 16. Karaoke / Saru (’monkey’) 17. Karaoke / Kujira (’whale’)

From volume 2 Ikimono no ongakkai 1. Hajimaru yo ~ikimono no ongakkai~ ('It's starting ~concert of living beings~') 2. Niwatori ~ichiba de mo niwatori~ ('Chicken ~just one chicken~') 3. Kangaruu ~kangaruu poketto~ ('Kangaroo ~kangaroo pocket~') 4. Panda ~pasuteru karaa wa yume~ ('Panda ~my dream is in pastel colors~') 5. Koneko ~je m'apelle Koneko fuwafuwa~('Kitten ~my name is Kitten, fluff fluff') 6. Hebi ~hanihohebi tanchou fujin~ ('Snake ~haniho snake, mrs. minor key') 7. Zou ~ookina karada ni makenai haato~('Elephant ~my heart won't lose to my big body~') 8. Gorira ~Gorira-san ga koron da~ ('Gorilla ~the gorilla has fallen over~') 9. Roba ~sonna ni ooku wa shiranai kedo~('Donkey ~I don't know about that much') 10. Nezumi ~oyasumi dechu~ ('Mouse ~good night, kiss~') 11. Kaeru ~haru ni kurumarete kero~ ('Frog ~wrapped in spring, ribbit~') 

12~21 are karaoke versions of all songs