"Ohia no Ki" (オヒアの木, lit. "Ohia tree") is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released as a digital single only on July 5, 2020, following the airing of the final episode of M Aisubeki Hito ga Ite. The song is Hamasaki's first new release in almost two years and her first digital single since 2016's "We Are the Queens".
The song debuted at number 1 on the Oricon Daily Digital Singles chart upon release, and peaked at number 14 on the Weekly Digital Singles Chart after exceeding 10,000 downloads.
The song was initially teased at midnight on July 3, 2020, with a video flashing the single's cover for a short moment, followed by a text that read “July 4th 24:00 DON’T MISS IT”.[1] It was further teased by a short TV commercial that aired after the final episode of M Aisubeki Hito ga Ite, a drama based on Hamasaki's rise to fame. The single was revealed to be called "Ohia no Ki", her first one to use a non-romanized Japanese title.[1]
It was released on digital platforms and streaming services at midnight on July 5, 2020,[2] making it her first single in almost four years since "We Are the Queens" (2016), and her first release overall since Trouble (2018).
Writing and production
The song's lyrics were written by Hamasaki while composition was handled by Kazuhito Kikuchi who previously composed some of Hamasaki's signature songs such as "Who..." and "Heaven".[3]
Lyrically, the song was inspired by and dedicated to her son, to whom she had given birth in November 2019. The song title comes from the ʻŌhiʻa Lehua flower and may refer to a Hawaiian legend.[4]
Release
The song was released as a digital single on July 5, 2020.[5]
A physical release of the song was included as the second bonus CD on TeamAyu/Mu-mo shop limited editions of Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2019–2020: Promised Land A, which was released on August 26, 2020.[6] In contrast to the digital version, the CD also contains the song's instrumental.[7] Hamasaki's latest single "Dreamed a Dream" and its instrumental were included on the disc as well.[7]
Promotion
The premiere performance of the song was held during the encore of Hamasaki's Premium Limited Live A: Natsu No Trouble, a special online concert without an audience that was streamed on AbemaTV on July 25, 2020.[8] It was Hamasaki's first live performance in five months since the cancellation of her tour in February due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
The song was also performed on the first night of 2020 FNS Kayousai on December 2, 2020.[10]
Music video
On July 24, 2020, a "short version" of the music video, lasting only two minutes and thirty-four seconds, was uploaded to Hamasaki's official YouTube channel.[11] It was directed by Kazuyoshi Shimomura, who previously worked on the music videos for Hamasaki's songs "Mirrorcle World" and "Green", both released in 2008, and "Sparkle", released in 2009.[11]
The full version was released on July 30, 2020.[12]
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number one on the Oricon Daily Digital Single Chart with 5,052 copies sold.[13] With only one day's worth of sales due to its being released on the last tracking day of the charting week, it entered the Oricon Weekly Digital Singles Chart at number 18.[14]
In its second week, "Ohia no Ki" reached a new peak on the weekly chart when it rose four positions to number 14. The song sold an additional 5,819 copies, bringing its total sales to 10,871.[15]
^ ab「Ｍ」サプライズＣＭ…浜崎あゆみ２年ぶり新曲配信 ["M" surprise commercial...Ayumi Hamasaki's first new song release in 2 years]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). July 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
^浜崎あゆみ、愛する我が子へのメッセージを込めた新曲をゲリラリリース [Ayumi Hamasaki releases a new song with a message for her beloved child.]. BARKS Japan Music Network (in Japanese). July 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
^浜崎あゆみが新曲「オヒアの木」電撃発売 ドラマ『M』最終回の最中に…我が子に贈るメッセージソング [Ayumi Hamasaki's surprise release of new song "Ohia no Ki" during the final episode of "M" drama...a message for my child]. Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). July 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
^浜崎あゆみ、新曲「オヒアの木」をゲリラリリース！ 自身初となる“日本語タイトル”曲が完成 [Ayumi Hamasaki's new song, "Ohia no Ki", guerilla release! Her first Japanese title song is completed.]. M-On! Press (in Japanese). July 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020 – via Yahoo Japan.
^浜崎あゆみ、初の無観客配信ライブで約5ヶ月ぶりステージ 我が子へ捧げる「オヒアの木」初披露＜ライブレポ／セットリスト＞ [Ayumi Hamasaki's first live broadcast without audience for the first time in about 5 months Debuting "Ohia no Ki" for her child <Live report/Set list>]. Modelpress (in Japanese). July 25, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
^浜崎あゆみ、初のオンラインライヴ開催。「オヒアの木」を初披露. BARKS Japan Music Network (in Japanese). July 25, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
^ ab「オヒアの木」Music Video (short ver.)を公開！ [Ayumi Hamasaki has released a short version of the new single "Ohia no Ki" Music Video!]. WWS Channel (in Japanese). July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020 – via Yahoo Japan.
^「母の表情だ！」浜崎あゆみ、愛する我が子に送るバラード「オヒアの木」MVフル公開 ["A mother's expression!" Ayumi Hamasaki's ballad to her beloved child, "Ohia no Ki". Full release of the music video]. M-On! Press (in Japanese). July 30, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020 – via Yahoo Japan.
