Ongaku Cafe (2010-2019): YUI – fight (2012)

1. 01. fight
2. 02. If you
3. 03. Happy Birthday to you you ~YUI Acoustic Version~
4. 04. fight ~Instrumental~

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Reviewed back in September 2012:

When it comes to stories of music artists striving to achieve their dreams, YUI’s story has always intrigued me.

Born in Fukuoka, YUI grew up as a very shy child but since she was young, there were two things that she enjoyed.

Singing and writing her emotions through poetry in her diary. Growing up with her mother, to help pay the bills, she would continue to work on her music, work part-time at a restaurant and attend school.

And through overwork, she became ill and she found herself in the hospital. She knew that she wanted to pursue music but she couldn’t continue to live the way she was living at the moment.

After watching a street band perform, YUI knew that music was what she wanted to do. And the band she was watching advised her to take part in a private music school and so YUI knew that she had to make a choice. Pursue her dream of music or quit school.

YUI chose to drop out of high school and focus on learning how to play the guitar and hone her skills at songwriting. And to help fight her shyness, she forced herself to perform live at the nearby train station.

While YUI was attending a cram school, noticing her talent, she was recommended by her instructors to take part in a Sony Music Japan audition.

So, in 2004, YUI performed three songs at the audition and she scored a perfect score on all three songs and was given a contract.

And by December of that year, YUI had released her first indie CD single “It’s Happy Line” and the following year, she wrote the song “Feel My Soul”. Originally planning to release the song as an Indie single, the song was heard by a Fuji TV producer who loved it so much, he wanted to use it for a major TV drama “Fukigen na Gene”.

The song would reach #8 on the Oricon Charts, was gold certified and YUI became known in Japan.

By 2005, her second CD single “Tomorrow’s Way” would be used for the movie “Hinokio” but it’s her third major label single “Life”, which would catch the attention of International fans as it was used in the anime series “Bleach”.

Since then, every CD single she has released since 2007 has reached the top 3 of the Oricon Charts. In 2011, YUI participated in “Ncon”, a national music school competition in which schools would have to create their own rendition of a song.

On September 5th, the song was revealed to be “fight”, a song which would be her 21st CD single. A beautiful song that pretty much captures her life and challenges that she had to face, but also know others would have to face. In her lyrics, she sings about how if the sky is about break, she has accepted her dream knowing that she will run into obstacles.

But no matter what, you must do your best. And because you have one life to live, live with no regrets, because you can’t relive that life ever again. The song is passionately sung, catchy, addictive. Showcasing YUI’s acoustic guitar playing but melodies that are infectious.

The coupling track “If You”is an upbeat, happy and catchy rock track. Beautifully sung and enjoyable.

And as always with a YUI CD single, she always has an acoustic version of her playing guitar and singing songs from her last CD single. But this time around, she sings “Happy Birthday to You You” which was from her first album “Can’t Buy My Love” (2007).

And I don’t think I have heard one bad YUI acoustic song.

This one is just as addictive as “fight” and her guitar playing on this single is fantastic!

Captivating, addictive…“fight” is another highly recommended CD single from YUI.

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