| True | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 28, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2001–2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 1:04:24 | |||
| Label | Sony Music Associated Records | |||
| Mika Nakashima chronology | ||||
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True (stylized in all caps) is the debut album by Japanese recording artist Mika Nakashima. The album's lyrics were written by a team of songwriters including Nakashima herself, Yasushi Akimoto, Minako Yoshida, Kenn Kato, Takashi Matsumoto, among others. In contrast to the typical Japanese J-pop and Western pop artist at the time, True was one in which Nakashima established a sound that would become her trademark for future albums: a mature, adult contemporary-influenced mixture of smooth jazz and soft pop.
Upon its release, True received favorable reviews from music critics. Many of those highlighted the singles as some of her best work, and complimented the album's production and Nakashima's vocals throughout. Commercially, the album was a success in Japan, reaching the top of the Oricon Albums Chart and eventually sold over one million units nationwide, earning it a million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). It won Nakashima the Album of the Year Award at the 2003 Japan Gold Disc Awards.
To promote the album, Nakashima released five singles. The first and final singles, "Stars" and "Will," both peaked at number three on the Oricon Singles Chart, with "Stars" becoming her highest-selling single based on Oricon Style's database. The singles "Crescent Moon," "One Survive" and "Helpless Rain" were limited to 100,000 copies each. Furthermore, two video collections titled Film Lotus and Film Lotus II were released, which included all of the album's music videos.