News ► Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

[Oracle Spockanort]

For international fans that have been desperately waiting to get their hands on Utada Hikaru's upcoming album "Hatsukoi" (lit. "First Love") releasing June 27th, they can finally pre-order it on iTunes.

Utada's single "Hatsukoi" from the popular Japanese drama Hana Nochi Hare released worldwide today, quickly reaching the top spot on iTunes Japan's Top 25 charts. Alongside the release of the single, the short edit of the music video for "Hatsukoi" was released on YouTube.

The album will feature 12 songs including "Oozora de Dakishimete" from the Suntory Tennesui water TV commercial, "Play A Love Song" featured in the Suntory Minami-Alps Sparkling water TV commercial, "Hatsukoi" for Japan's popular drama Hana Nochi Hare, "Forevermore" from the TV drama Gomen, Aishiteru, "Anata" from the film DESTINY Kamakura Monogatari,  and “Chikai” from the long-awaited video game Kingdom Hearts 3.

Looking for some more Utada songs to hold you over in the meantime? Check out "Marunouchi Sadistic" from "Adam to Eve no Ringo", a tribute album to commemorate Ringo Sheena's 20th debut anniversary.

Remember to follow Kingdom Hearts Insider on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr for the latest updates on Kingdom Hearts Union χ [Cross], Kingdom Hearts III and all things Kingdom Hearts!

 

[the_hansinator]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Very nice. I'm not as much of a fan of this single than the other two games, but I'm sure it grows on you as you play the game, and of course there are going to be full orchestral renditions/performances of it.

 

[Elysium]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

I wonder why "Chikai" is going to be made available this early and yet "Don't Think Twice" won't be released until whenever KH3 comes out (6 months or more later)? So bizarre. Good luck to her though.

 

[Chaser]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

I wonder why "Chikai" is going to be made available this early and yet "Don't Think Twice" won't be released until whenever KH3 comes out (6 months or more later)? So bizarre. Good luck to her though.

It's a Epic Records Japan decision and not a Disney / Square Enix decision to release the album, which is why it's getting launched next month but the English song is later (I'm not sure if the English version is strictly Epic Records Japan?).

Would be nice to get Don't Think Twice but that's okay, we'll hear more from it soon enough

 

[Dandelion]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

It wouldn't be unheard of for them to release a Chikai/Don't Think Twice EP with all the versions of the songs and remixes in it closer to the game's release.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Y’all I’ve been listening to “Hatsukoi” almost nonstop and I’m just too emotional. It’s not a song just about “first love” but about finding true love for the first time and how you can experience so much in life but come to realize that the love you feel in that moment is real, heart-stopping love.

This album is so bittersweet and romantic and I hate it

cryingonfloor.gif

 

[gosoxtim]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

as as oath comes out i getting that song and listenring to it nonstop then i get the remixes and doth think twice singles

 

[alexis.anagram]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Y’all I’ve been listening to “Hatsukoi” almost nonstop and I’m just too emotional. It’s not a song just about “first love” but about finding true love for the first time and how you can experience so much in life but come to realize that the love you feel in that moment is real, heart-stopping love.

I love how she expresses this through lyrics which reference her physical state, it gives you that sense of being overwhelmed and incapacitated by such intense emotion and that jives with all of the musical groundwork so perfectly. The composition is breathtaking and almost exasperating; it does me in every time.

It's also going to sound so, darn, good dropping from this into "Chikai" on the full album. The abrupt break of the strings on "Hatsukoi" followed by the tilt of the piano on "Chikai" and then the resumption of the strings is going to make it feel almost like one long track that just shifted meter and mood to tell a complete story. The album is definitely going to have some heavy-lifting to do after stacking "Anata" and then these two tracks one after the other, like I'm excited for "Too Proud" but it has some solid shoes to fill here.

 

[Launchpad]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Utada sounds better in the present day than ever in the past. I'd kill for her to rerecord the JAP and ENG themes to KH1 and KH2 to go along with the eventual who-knows-when release of Don't Think Twice.

 

[luuizhenriquem]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Utada sounds better in the present day than ever in the past. I'd kill for her to rerecord the JAP and ENG themes to KH1 and KH2 to go along with the eventual who-knows-when release of Don't Think Twice.

I would be so here for it...

I think we will only See DTT when KHIII is about to be released, let's hope i'm wrong

 

[Darkspawn]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Apparently, there are ads popping up on YouTube for Oath and Hatsukoi! They use KH footage! https://twitter.com/amaziahyt/status/1005224293846970368?s=21

 

[UltimaXOmega]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Apparently, there are ads popping up on YouTube for Oath and Hatsukoi! They use KH footage! https://twitter.com/amaziahyt/status/1005224293846970368?s=21

I got an ad on YouTube for Chikai with KH footage.

 

[Darkspawn]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

I got an ad on YouTube for Chikai with KH footage.

Sweet! I’m hoping I get lucky and see it myself.

 

[Meow Wow]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

I got an ad on YouTube for Chikai with KH footage.

What for real!?

*keeps opening a monetized video on YouTube trying to get the ad*


EDIT: I can officially say that I got the ad. ^w^

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Apparently, there are ads popping up on YouTube for Oath and Hatsukoi! They use KH footage! https://twitter.com/amaziahyt/status/1005224293846970368?s=21

*starts clicking random videos*

 

[Ranma]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Ugh why cant i get ads when I want them when they show up all the time when I don't?

 

[alexis.anagram]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Apparently, there are ads popping up on YouTube for Oath and Hatsukoi! They use KH footage! https://twitter.com/amaziahyt/status/1005224293846970368?s=21

I just got one on a random video while walking home and I had to snatch my phone out of my pocket and check to see what was happening haha. I love that they're cross-promoting KH3 and "Hatsukoi," with all the trailer footage and then the ad ends on that gorgeous album cover. This is what I came for.

Edit: I did manage to get a screenshot of it at the time (very hastily), figured I'd post it here for the curious and/or extra thirsty.

Spoiler Show

 

[Meow Wow]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Ugh why cant i get ads when I want them when they show up all the time when I don't?

It might depend on your search and watch history. Especially on google.

I was at first unsuccessful so I cleared my watch history and search history and then started clicking on nothing but KH and Utada videos and whala on a music video for Utadas last album, the ad happened. I haven't gotten it again tho.

 

[Darkspawn]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

I just got one on a random video while walking home and I had to snatch my phone out of my pocket and check to see what was happening haha. I love that they're cross-promoting KH3 and "Hatsukoi," with all the trailer footage and then the ad ends on that gorgeous album cover. This is what I came for.

Edit: I did manage to get a screenshot of it at the time (very hastily), figured I'd post it here for the curious and/or extra thirsty.

Spoiler Show

Thanks for sharing! It’s good to know multiple people are seeing it. Since we’ve never gotten a new theme song this far ahead of release, I’m excited to see all the marketing tie ins they use it for.

 

[alexis.anagram]

Re: Utada Hikaru's album featuring "Chikai" from KH3 available for pre-order

Thanks for sharing! It’s good to know multiple people are seeing it. Since we’ve never gotten a new theme song this far ahead of release, I’m excited to see all the marketing tie ins they use it for.

They're using "Chikai" now, which makes me hopeful we'll got some "Don't Think Twice" spots closer to the game's release. Hopefully the magic internet algorithms are kind to this game, I'll take every chance to hear that track I can.