Koda Kumi is a popular Japanese singer who is known for delivering urban and R&B songs. After her debut, she released the single Take Back that became very popular. Few songs from her seventh album like Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba were introduced as the theme songs for the popular video game Final Fantasy X-2. Her popularity kept on increasing with the release of her 5th album Secret. Her sixteenth single Butterfly reached the number three spot on many charts.
Many people were surprised to see her new and sexy image as her previous impression was more of a conservative type. The media has named her a fashion leader in the industry as many young women are following her style. She is popular for having ero-kakkoii style and Oricon named her as one of the top-selling artists of the year. Here are more details regarding her personal and professional life.
Early Life and Bio
Koda Kumi was born on 13th November 1982 in Japan. She was born into a family of musicians and that is why talent is evident in her. You will be surprised to know that she was the first girl in many generations born into the family. Her mother was a Koto teacher while her sister Misono is also a popular singer in the band Day after tomorrow. Even her grandfather has been a Shakuhachi master. Koda has been deeply inspired by her mother and grandfather. She started performing in karaoke bars from a young age. Koda has always described her school days as very bad. Most of the time she was ridiculed f for being fat, short, and ugly. During her high school, she went for Dream Audition where she came in second place.
Career
After completing high school Koda released her first album. It featured Hands that became a popular number. The fourth album is named Secret and it became her first album to debut in the Top Five. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAJ. It started selling 521,000 copies and many fans loved it. Koda released her 15th single name Hot Stuff from the same album. After reaching some new peaks she released her first live DVD, Secret: First Class Limited Live.
It remains one of the top-selling DVDs on the Oricon DVD charts for seven weeks in total. The successful single was followed by Flower and Promise/Star. They both peaked at number 4 in the many charts altogether. Best: First Things sold over a million copies and became another successful album. It went on to get a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Reference Link:https://jpop.fandom.com/wiki/Koda_Kumi
Personal life and Motherhood
In 2007 it was revealed that Koda was dating SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai. However, the agencies of both artists have neither denied nor confirmed this news. Later it was revealed they are indeed dating and they were named as the national couple. They got married and the couple is blessed with their first baby in 2012.
Awards and Net Worth
The total net worth of Koda happens to be around $1-$5 million. Koda won her first award at the 47th Japan Record Awards for the song Butterfly. She also got awarded with the Triple Crown at the Japan Gold Disc Awards. Koda continued to win plenty of awards including Best Female Video and Best Video of the Year for Butterfly at various award functions.
