Kumi Koda is a J-pop singer who had some moderate chart success in the United States with her single "Take Back." (It reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music chart in 2001.) The single, originally released in Japan in 2000, was her first, and since that time she has become a prolific seller and popular performer in the J-pop world. She got her start when she finished second in a talent search run by the label Avex. Her first album, Affection, was released in March of 2002, and although her singles weren't the hits that she and her label were hoping for, she eventually became a regular hitmaker, and would end up releasing nearly ten albums (studio originals and compilations) by 2008's Kingdom (which was a number one hit on the Oricon charts). ~ Chris True