SPIRIT

## Singles from *SPIRIT*

1. Good Boy
Released: January 5, 2001
2. Spirit/Don't Know Why
Released: March 11, 2001
3. Dare Mo Kiite Inai
Released: October 2, 2001
4. Pandora
Released: January 14, 2002

**Spirit** (stylized as **SPIRIT**) is the fourth studio album released by Japanese singer Okimoto Kuwata, under the alias Nakashima Yuu. It was released in Japan on March 18, 2001 through DSCOCRY Music, and had its release expanded to other Asian regions after its enormous success. A South Korean edition of the album under the name "영혼" (Spirit, in Korean) was later released in November 2002.

Influenced by the rise of teen pop in western music, *Spirit* presents itself as a predominantly midtempo record focused in relationships, love and deception. Although japanese critics initially panned the album for its immature lyrics and unoriginal beats, *Spirit* eventually became a classic J-Pop record, shaping the Japanese music industry following its release and to this day still being a high influence to Asian artists.

In its first week of release in Japan, *Spirit* entered the Oricon Albums Chart at number one with over 1 million units sold. *Spirit* saw major success in other Asian countries as well, such as Taiwan and South Korea, where it sold over 2.5 million units throughout its run. Although numbers differ, it is known that *Spirit* sold at least 8 million copies across all Asian territories.

Yuu promoted the album with the release of four singles: "Good Boy", "Spirit/Don't Know Why", "Dare Mo Kiite Inai" and the four-sided single "Pandora", all of which were accompanied by a music video. He performed the songs at various events throughout 2001 and 2002, and some became recurrent in his tours, such as the massive title track, which sold over 3 million units in Japan.

## Background & Composition

After the release of the 2x Platinum album *Wakai Kushu*, Okimoto Kuwata, at the age of 13, moved from Japan to the United States to study and to be trained by a professional coach in singing and dancing. The head offices of DSCOVRY had plans to debut the artist again, in the molds of western teen pop and bubblegum pop artists which had a revival in the late 90s.

Initially, *Spirit* was supposed to be released early in 2000, a year after Kuwata's previous album, however the executives felt he was still too young and unprepared even after training for a whole year, thus delaying his new debut to 2001. The singer mentioned in an interview in 2002 that over 50 songs were recorded for the album, but most of them were not completed because the team felt they weren't good enough.

## Release & Packaging

Spirit was released in Japan on March 18, 2001 through DSCOVRY Music, and had its release expanded to other Asian countries throughout the year. The original edition of the album included nine tracks, while the South Korean edition included an additional version of the song "Don't Know Why" in Korean. Both versions included an additional DVD disc containing the music videos of *Good Boy*, *Spirit* and *Don't Know Why*, commercial recordings, exclusive videos of Yuu and an acoustic live version of *Dare Mo Kiite Inai*. In March 18, 2021, a limited 20th anniversary edition of the album was released physically, and made available on digital platforms.

The official cover art for the Asian and South Korean edition is a closeup of Nakashima Yuu's face, and the album is packaged with various pictures of the singer taken in 2000.

## Singles

Four singles were released to promote the album. The first single of the album was *Good Boy*, which was released in January 4, 2001 on physical format. It became the best single of the artist at the time, selling over 1 million copies and being certified Million by RIAJ. The following release was *Spirit/Don't Know Why*. The double-sided single is, to this date, Nakashima Yuu's best selling single with over 3 million units sold in Japan alone. It was also the best-selling single of Japan in 2001. *Dare Mo Kiite Inai* and the four-sided single *Pandora* (including the songs "Shiroi Yuki", "True Blue", "Ie" and an alternative version of "Don't Know Why") also saw huge success, both selling over 2 million copies in Japan. All singles reached the top position at the Oricon Singles Chart, and *Spirit/Don't Know Why* spent eighteen weeks at this position, breaking the record for longest number one at the chart.

## Commercial Performance

*Spirit* entered the Oricon Albums Chart at number one, with over 1 million copies sold. It stayed at number one for a record-breaking twenty-nine weeks. For selling over 2.6 million copies in 2001, the album ended in the third position at the 2001 Oricon Year-End Album Chart. Overall, *Spirit* sold over 8 million copies in Asia, including 4.7 million units in Japan and 2.5 million copies in South Korea.

## Track listing

**South Korean Edition**

**20th Anniversary Edition (Remastered)**

**DVD (Asian and South Korean Edition)**

## Charts

### Weekly Charts

**Weekly chart performance for *Spirit***

### Monthly Charts

**Monthly chart performance for *Spirit***

### Yearly Charts

**Yearly chart performance for *Spirit***

 **South Korean Albums (RIAK)** | 1

## Sales and Certifications

 **Taiwan (RIT)** | 2x Platinum + Gold
 **Worldwide** | 8,000,000