Kumi Koda discusses collaboration with B. Howard on “Passing By”

On discussing “Passing By” from her DEJA VU album,  the big surprise is the collaboration between Kumi and B.Howard. B.Howard produced NE-YO,Chris Brown and he is also an energetic singer / songwriter.   It was a perfect match as B.Howard is called “The Prince of Pop”  and Kumi Koda is called “Japanese Pop Diva.” Together, the duet’s melodic sound makes the finest R&B number on the Deja Vu album.

Kumi describes B. Howard: “He is so shy, pure, and so gentle. I thougt he must have  grown up in a good home and good family.

On how they met, Kumi states, “He was performing at Billboard Live in Tokyo (and Osaka) so I went backstage to say “Hi.” I don’t know why…but he was very happy to meet me, and then he said, “I’ll write for you – let’s do something.” After a week, he sent me “3″ DEMOS!!!  After listening to them, I told him I think I wanna do a “Duet” so I started writing lyrics to one of them.  He agreed on the direction and we started from there!

Kumi adds: He is a real busy artist but he adjusted his schedule and he appeared in the music video too!! He is playing an active part as a producer so he knows how to get the most out of the performances and he also acts according to my individuality.  Because we understood each other, we were able to make a “PV” that shared the same vision.

Asked about the lyrics that she wrote, Kumi started laughing and said “B. Howard had an affair with another girl.” The message of the music video for “Passing By” is that we believe Love to be eternal but somehow we lost it.”  She adds, “In the video, we went to the places that held fond memories for us. It’s an image that dances alone and indulges to the lost desire we share.”

“I am the heroine of this story who thought that he is forever my soul mate. But for some reason, I believed he has had an affair and all is lost. I insist that he is cheating but his actions show he did not. Maybe I was over exaggerating but I believe they have power to overcome those troubles if they have true love. I wanted him to tell the truth to me even if that means we were to break up … it’s very sad story.”