Kōji Wada

Kōji Wada (和田 光司, Wada Kōji) (born January 24, 1974) is a Japanese rock singer. He debuted in 1999 with his first single, "Butter-Fly", the theme song of the anime Digimon Adventure. He is currently under the King Records (Japan) recording label.

Life and career

Wada was born in Kyoto, Japan. In 2003, Wada released his first original album, All of My Mind, which included many of his previous works. He also collaborated in Ōta Michihiko's self-cover album Mirai e no Message ~Ōta Michihiko Self-Cover~, featuring in two tracks – a cover version of "Hontō no Tsuyosa" (本当の強さ) (Ken & Wormmon's Theme) and in "3 Primary Colors" (the Tamers' theme), along with AiM. More recently, he has released an album called The Best Selection ~Welcome Back!~. It contains several of his earlier works as well as two new songs, titled "Pierce" and "Kimi no Keshiki." On August 1, 2008, he debuted a mini-album titled ever, which contained five brand new songs. His most current complete album, called Kazakami no Oka Kara (風上の丘から), was sold at his live concerts in Japan throughout the end of 2009 in commemoration of his 10th anniversary in music, and it was released worldwide on January 11, 2010. His latest concerts will be held in Japan on August 21. It is a collaboration between himself and AiM, and their two-person unit is called "KALEIDO☆SCOPE".

Wada has contributed songs to six of the seven Digimon anime series (with one of his songs reused for the seventh, to which he contributed no new songs), including opening themes for the first five of them. He also performed two songs used as ending themes of the series, "Innocent ~Mujaki na Mama de~" (イノセント～無邪気なままで～) and "an Endless Tale" (with AiM). He starred in various other songs for the series, such as "Bokura no Digital World" (the "memorial" theme for the Adventure series), "Yūki o Uketsugu Kodomo-tachi e" and also several Christmas songs. He also performed a song for Transformers: Robots in Disguise.

On October 4, 2011, Wada announced via his blog that he is putting his career on hold in order to deal with a sudden metastasized cancer which had previously seen treatment in 2003.^[1]

International appearances

In July 2007, Wada made his first show in Brazil, doing a solo presentation and singing along other invited Japanese singers on the "Anime Friends".^[2] This happened one year after Ayumi Miyazaki visited Brazil in another convention "ExpoAnime Brasil". He also visited the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil on October 14, 2007, during the Anima Weekend event. On December 15–16, 2007, he made a live presentation in the "Anime Festival XL" event in Santiago, Chile. In August 2008, he released a mini-album named "ever", which contains five original songs, with four of them composed and written by himself. In December 2008 he was performing in the "Animeku 08", in February the "AniCon", and in July the "Anime Friends" (Both in 2010) Events from "Yamato", in Brazil and Argentina. On June 5–6, 2010, he did 2 concerts in Monterrey, Mexico in the Santa Lucia Arena at the "Dengeki Live", a jpop event and anime convention. In response to his metastasized cancer in 2011, he cancelled two appearances planned for Chile and Peru.

Discography

All of My Mind

• Starting Over
• Butter-Fly (April 23, 1999) (Digimon Adventure)
• Seven (April 23, 1999)
• Target ~Akai Shōgeki~ (ターゲット～赤い衝撃～) (Target ~Red Crash~) (April 26, 2000) (Digimon Adventure 02)
• The Biggest Dreamer (April 2, 2001) (Digimon Tamers)
• Kaze (風)
• Egao (笑顔)
• Boku wa Boku Datte (僕は僕だって) (c/w "Target ~Akai Shōgeki~")
• Modern Love
• Kimi-iro no Mirai -Yume- (君色の未来-ゆめ-) (c/w Honō no Overdrive)
• Kimi no Keshiki

Kazakami no Oka Kara

• billow
• Hikari Sasu Basho e (光り射す場所へ) (Towards the Place Where Light Shines)
• Ai no Kishi (愛の騎士) (Knight of Love)
• Dai・Jou・Bu☆ (ダイ・ジョウ・ブ☆) (It's Alright)
• cogito, ergo sum ~Aishuu~ (cogito.ergo sum ~哀愁~) ( I Think, Therefore I am ~Sorrow~)
• cogito, ergo sum (I Think, Therefore I am)
• Kimi ga Ita Kara (君がいたから) (Because You Were Here)
• Anata no Soba de (あなたの傍で) (By Your Side)
• Kakusei (覚醒) (Awakening)
• Natsu no Kaze ni Hukarete (夏の風に吹かれて) (Blowing In the Summer Wind)
• SEM BARREIRAS ~Kegarenaki Jidai e~ ( SEM BARREIRAS ~汚れなき時代へ~) (Without Barriers ~Towards an Era Without Dishonor~) (with Ricardo Cruz)
• Always
• Eien no Takaramono II (永遠の宝物 II) (Eternal Treasure II)
• Kazakami no Oka Kara (風上の丘から) (From the Windward Hill)

Other songs

• Butterfly strong version
• Eien no Takaramono (永遠の宝物) (Eternal Treasure) (September 2006)
• Grace
• Pierce
• Shōjo no mama de (少女のままで) (Remaining a Girl)
• Starting Over / Say Again (November 7, 2001)
• bravery (August 1, 2008)
• sketch (August 1, 2008)
• Hanabi Jack (ハナビジャック) (August 1, 2008) (Fireworks Jack)
• Kami HiKōki (紙飛コウキ) (August 1, 2008) (Paper Airplane)
• Kimi to Kisetsu to Hidamari to (キミと季節と陽だまりと) (August 1, 2008) (You, the Seasons, and the Sunshine)
• Honō no Overdrive ~Car Robot Cybertron~ (炎のオーバードライブ～カーロボットサイバトロン～) (Opening Theme) (May 24, 2000)
• FIRE!! / With the Will (April 24, 2002) (Digimon Frontier)
• Innocent ~Mujaki na mama de~ (イノセント～無邪気なままで～) (May 22, 2002)
• an Endless tale ) (November 22, 2002) (featuring AiM)
• Hirari (ヒラリ) (November 5, 2006) (Digimon Savers)
• Miracle Maker (February 2003) (feat. AiM & Takayoshi Tanimoto as "Spirit of Adventure")
• Daybreak (c/w "Innocent ~Mujaki na Mama de~")
• for the future (c/w "Hirari")
• Haruka na Okurimono (遥かな贈りもの) (A Faraway Gift) (c/w "an Endless tale") (featuring AiM)
• Yūki o Uketsugu Kodomo-tachi e (勇気を受け継ぐ子供達へ) (with AiM, Michihiko Ohta, Ayumi Miyazaki, Takayoshi Tanimoto, Sammy, and Hassy)
• Mirai e no Tobira ~Ano Natsu no Hi Kara~ (未来への扉～あの夏の日から～) (with AiM, Michihiko Oota, Takayoshi Tanimoto, Sammy, and Hassy)
• Days (with Hassy, AiM, Kanako Ito, and Sammy)
• WE ARE Xros Heart (August 1, 2010 ) (Digimon Xros Wars)
• The Hero who Dances in the Sky! X5! (December 1, 2010) (Digimon Xros Wars)
• Evolution & DigiXros/WE ARE Xros Heart ver. X7 (June 9, 2011) (Digimon Xros Wars)

References

External links

• (Japanese) Official Wada's Blog
• All of My Mind Tracklist