Koi (song)

"Koi"
The cover art for the single. Under the text for the name of his and the song in front of a flat, yellow background, Hoshino is dressed in black and white semi-formal attire. His arm depicts two hands with red nail-polish grabbing, though they blend in such that it appears to be part of the sleeve of the shirt itself.
Single by Gen Hoshino
from the album Pop Virus
LanguageJapanese
B-side
  • "Drinking Dance"
  • "Continues"
  • "Amaoto" (House ver.)
Released5 October 2016 (2016-10-05)
Recorded2016
Genre
Length4:13
Label
SongwriterGen Hoshino
ProducerGen Hoshino
Gen Hoshino singles chronology
"Sun"
(2015)		 "Koi"
(2016)		 "Family Song"
(2017)
Music video
"Koi" on YouTube

"Koi" (Japanese: 恋; lit. Love) is a Japanese pop song by singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino. It was released on 5 October 2016 through Victor Entertainment and Speedstar Records as Hoshino's ninth single. The song's lyrics are about the changing nature and diversity of love, and the many definitions it has as society and time evolves.

The song followed Hoshino's previous single, Sun. Due to its popularity, Hoshino initially felt pressure to meet perceived high expectations in his next work. Hoshino wanted to write a song that redefined the concept of "love" from the traditional structure of a man and a woman in a marriage. The song also served as the theme song for the TBS television series The Full-Time Wife Escapist, in which he starred alongside Yui Aragaki. The director of the drama sought for a song that was easy to dance to, which Hoshino also had envisioned.

The song was well received in Japan and was a commercial success. It debuted at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot 100, later reaching number one within a week. At the Japan Gold Disc Award, the song won song of the year. The song sold more than 2.3 million copies in the country.

Sparking the viral "Koi Dance," which was choreographed by Mikiko Mizuno, the song was socially influential in Japan. Taking three months to choreograph, the dance along with the song was featured in the end credits of each episode of The Full-Time Wife Escapist. The song and the dance were featured in a Fornite event, and a band cover was featured in a Sound! Euphonium film. The song and dance became a notable piece of Japanese pop culture phenomena in the 21st century.

Background and release

Due to the success of Hoshino's previous single, Sun, there was a lot of pressure building around his next work. Hoshino worried everyday that if his next song did not meet expectations, he would be regarded as a one-hit wonder. However, he eventually disregarded the mindset, instead seeking to focus on producing a work that he personally found joy in. Initially, he was not happy with the result of the song, citing his lack of excitement. While in the bathroom, Hoshino thought to increase the tempo and make the song faster. Satisfied with the change, his tweak led Hoshino to create the song he had envisioned.[1] Hoshino was also keen on making a song that he could be excited by and dance to, while also being distinguishable from his previous album Yellow Dancer.[2] The song's title was chosen as "Koi" as Hoshino believed it was a uniquely Japanese term citing that though the song's title is can be translated as "Love" in English, the more fitting word in English is "Ai" (愛), rather than "Koi" (恋).[3]

Composition and lyrics

"Koi" runs at a tempo of 158 BPM, with a time signature of 4
4.[4][5] The song is in the A key.[6] The song is described as being a "Japanese interpretation of soul music and funk."[7]

The song's lyrics narrate that love is a wide spectrum and not reserved for particular things. In an interview with Yoshiaki Takahashi on TBS Radio, Hoshino says the song is about various types of love, including love for the same sex, opposite sex, and even fictional characters.[8] He believed that the diversity of how people loved had been growing and that old definitions of love had become outdated and were being redefined. He stated his appreciation for people who love stories and fictional worlds, wondering how different someone loving something that didn't actually exist was from conventional love. He sought to portray this growing diversity with the lyric fuufu wo koete yuke (夫婦を超えてゆけ; lit. Transcend a married couple). Takahashi noted that the song took into account the growing movement of LGBTQ+ understanding in Japan and what sort of love song was needed in the era.

The lyric kimi no moto e kaerunda (君の元へ帰るんだ; lit. I'm returning home to you) was based off an experience in which Hoshino visited an old apartment building.[9] Hoshino said that he enjoys the smell of food in the home, despite not knowing what was being cooked; due to his being busy at the time, he said that the smell gave him a sense of peace and liberation.

Reception

Critical reception

"Koi" was well received by critics. Tomoyuki Mori of Real Sound praised the song and its blend of Black music and Japanese Pop. He also praised the lyrics, regarding its take on marriage and romance as a "fresh perspective that could appeal to all audiences"[7] and anticipated his rising to become a national icon. Takayuki Ishiguro writing for Joshi SPA! praised the musicians of the song as highly skilled musicians. He noted that the song's lyrics and melody yielded a soft and poppy feel and perceived that the song learned a lot from Western music to create a hybrid song that was "pastoral yet sharp."[10] Of the guitar phase that begins after the last vocals, he believed that it added a repetition of intricate yet rapid movements. Though the notes themselves lacked a message to convey, he found them fun and felt like humming along. He compared the song's romance-themed lyrics and difficult choreography to Babymetal.[10] Billboard JAPAN compared the song to Utada Hikaru's song "Hanataba wo Kimi ni," stating that despite the two songs' melodies and backgrounds being vastly different, both of them deal with things people will eventually face at some point in their lives. He believed that though the songs were serious and heavy, they were easy to get into as it was those two things while still being a pop song. He connected the two songs to kayokyoku, believing that the genre had become its own thing while still being influenced by Western music.[11]

Commercial performance

"Koi" was a commercial success in Japan. The single debuted at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, before peaking at number one on the Japan Hot 100 the week after,[12] becoming Hoshino's first number one song on the Japan Hot 100 chart. Since then, it has topped the chart for a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks and has spent 136 weeks on the chart as of February 2021,[13] making it the song with most weeks at number one and the ninth for most weeks on the chart. It won Song of the Year by Download at the 31st Japan Gold Disc Award, and topped the Japan Hot 100-year-end list in 2017. The CD single has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), while the song has been certified Million. Overall, it has sold over 2.3 million copies in Japan.

Music video

The accompanying music video was released to Hoshino's official YouTube page on 20 September 2016. The music video was directed by Kazuaki Seki, who was also responsible for directing music videos Hoshino's previous songs such as SUN and Tokiyo.[14] The music video features Hoshino and Elevenplay dancers primarily on a rotating, checkered, circular rotating platform with predominantly yellow furniture. Dance moves, commonly known as the "Koi Dance," were choreographed by Perfume choreographer Mikiko Mizuno.[15][16] To date, the music video has been viewed over 280 million times on YouTube.[17]

Legacy

Koi Dance

The "Koi Dance" was performed by The Full-Time Wife Escapist cast at the end of every episode. The dance became popular in Japan and has since been widely covered on YouTube and social media.[18] Though the dance spans a minute long, choreography took three months to complete from the initial stages. The director of the drama, Hiroshi Togeta, did not want to impose many restrictions on Hoshino's songwriting process, although he envisioned a song that could be danced to. Hoshino also had a similar vision, so the process was smooth.[19]

The dance became a popular phenomenon in Japan. In an article for the Sankei Shimbun, Doshisha Women's University professor Takahiko Kageyama commented on the dancing, saying that dance had become more familiar to the public, and that it worked with Hoshino's song in particular because it was excellent and the by-product of a drama with a great story.[20] Subsequently, according to a survey conducted by WiseWorks Project between 14 November to 13 December 2016, the cumulative number of viewers for the top 100 videos on YouTube containing the words "Koi Dance" and "Dance Cover" was more than 80 million.[21]

In other media

On 9 June 2022, as part of the video game Fortnite's Soundwave Series events, the song was featured in a Gen Hoshino concert for the game along with five other songs of his. The "Koi Dance" was also available as an in-concert emote.[22][23][24] In 2026, the song was given a brass band cover in the opening sequence of a Sound! Euphonium film.[25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gen Hoshino.

CD, digital download[26][27]
No.TitleLength
1."Koi" (恋)4:13
2."Drinking Dance"3:40
3."Continues"4:26
4."Amaoto" (雨音; House version)4:01
Total length:16:20
Limited edition DVD "Koi Video"
No.TitleLength
1."Special Program "Nise Akira, Ishigakijima e Iku"" 
2."Metrock 2016 Live Footage" 
3."Commentary by Hoshino Gen and Friends" 
Total length:63:00

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[37]
physical sales 		Platinum 318,017[38]
Japan (RIAJ)[39]
digital sales 		2× Million 2,000,000*
Streaming
Japan (RIAJ)[40] Silver 30,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Japan 5 October 2016
  • CD
  • digital download
[26][27]
Worldwide Digital download [41]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "星野源 逃げ恥「恋」ターニングポイントはトイレ - 芸能 : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "星野源が語る"イエローミュージック"の新展開「自分が突き動かされる曲をつくりたい」". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 7 October 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "星野源、「恋」制作の重圧明かす 「次ヒットしなかったら一発屋と…」/デイリースポーツ online". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). 9 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "選抜高校野球：華やかに会心の「恋」…行進曲もスタンバイ". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  5. ↑ 株式会社ヤマハミュージックエンタテインメントホールディングス. "ヤマハ「ぷりんと楽譜」". www.print-gakufu.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "星野源の音楽はなぜ"キャッチーでマニアック"なのか？ 「ひらめき」から「恋」まで楽曲分析". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 14 January 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "星野源が新曲「恋」で打ち出した"新たな恋愛観" 10月5日発売の注目新譜5選". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 4 October 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "【逃げ恥】星野源の「恋」が、同性も異性もそれ以外も含んだ、新時代のラブソングである理由|TBSラジオAM954+FM90.5～聞けば、見えてくる～". TBSラジオ AM954 + FM90.5～聞けば、見えてくる～ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  9. ↑ 編集部. "星野源、新垣結衣の魅力は…楽曲「恋」歌詞作りの裏側も明かす". MusicVoice (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 石黒隆之 (3 December 2016). "「逃げ恥」恋ダンスは、北朝鮮の律動体操っぽい【大ヒットの法則】 | 女子SPA！". 女子SPA! (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "最も新しい"歌謡曲"の意味～宇多田ヒカル「花束を君に」と星野源「恋」 | Daily News". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2016/10/24". billboard-japan.com (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Gen Hoshino on Billboard Japan" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  14. ↑ Department, Skream! Editorial. "星野源、10/5リリースのニュー・シングル表題曲「恋」のMV公開". Skream! 邦楽ロック・洋楽ロック ポータルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "ガッキーの"恋ダンス"がかわいすぎる！ネット上で話題沸騰、視聴率異例のアップ". スポーツ報知 (in Japanese). 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  16. ↑ 星野源 Gen Hoshino (20 September 2016). 星野源 – 恋 (Official Video). Retrieved 9 July 2026 – via YouTube.
  17. ↑ 星野源 – 恋 (Official Video), 20 September 2016, retrieved 5 February 2022
  18. ↑ "New 'Love Dance' takes Japan by storm, thanks to a Japanese drama and a handsome J-Pop star". Japan Today. GPlus Media Co. Ltd. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  19. ↑ "「逃げ恥」小ネタにも全力「恋ダンス」は星野源と制作陣が思い合致 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  20. ↑ 産経新聞 (14 December 2016). "【芸能考察】恋ダンス、派遣切り、高齢童貞、パロディー…「逃げ恥」絶好調の要因（4/5ページ）". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "「恋ダンス」と「PPAP」、2016年「忘年会」の余興でみんなが "踊ってみた" のはどっち！？". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES (in Japanese). 21 December 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "星野源バーチャルライブで考える、メタバース本命の1つであるフォートナイトの可能性（徳力基彦） - エキスパート". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "星野源、『フォートナイト』の「サウンドウェーブシリーズ」イベントに登場". THE FIRST TIMES (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "星野源のフォートナイト『SOUNDWAVE』シリーズがアンコール放送 - Spincoaster (スピンコースター)" (in Japanese). 25 August 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "『最終楽章 響け！ユーフォニアム』前編 冒頭映像公開！星野源「恋」吹奏楽カバーに注目！ | USENの音楽情報サイト「encore（アンコール）」". e.usen.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 "恋". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  27. 1 2 "Koi – EP by Gen Hoshino". Japan: iTunes Store. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  28. ↑ "Streaming Songs 2019/09/16 付け".
  29. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2016" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  30. ↑ "オリコン年間 シングルランキング 2016年度 31～40位" (in Japanese). Oricon News. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  31. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Year End 2017" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  32. ↑ "オリコン年間 シングルランキング 2017年度 41～50位" (in Japanese). Oricon News. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  33. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Year End 2018" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  34. ↑ "【オリコン年間デジタルランキング 2018】米津玄師がシングル首位、『グレイテスト・ショーマン』がアルバム首位" (in Japanese). Oricon News. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  35. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Year End 2019" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  36. ↑ ""JAPAN HOT 100"15周年を記念したオールタイムTOP50発表 1位は米津玄師「Lemon」". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 31 March 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  37. ↑ "Japanese certifications – Hoshino Gen – Koi" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 21 December 2019. Select 2016年12月 on the drop-down menu
  38. ↑ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  39. ↑ "Japanese digital single certifications – Hoshino Gen – Koi" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 21 December 2019. Select 2019年1月 on the drop-down menu
  40. ↑ "Japanese single streaming certifications – Hoshino Gen – Koi" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 20 May 2021. Select 2020年12月 on the drop-down menu
  41. ↑ "Koi – EP by Gen Hoshino". United States: iTunes Store. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
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