SNOW flower BLOOMS AGAIN

Mika Nakashima’s hit ballad “Yuki no Hana” (Snow Flower) is enjoying a second bloom in popularity amid the release of a film inspired by the song and the launch of the singer’s best-of album “Bible,” commemorating the 15th anniversary of the ballad’s release.

“Yuki no Hana” is a touching, memorable love song with universal appeal that Nakashima has performed countless times. Yet she said: “It is the scariest [song] to sing. It takes complete focus.”

“Although I just want to sing it normally, I feel like the bar is being raised [through everyone’s expectations],” Nakashima said, laughing.

The song was first released in 2003 but she originally received it in 2001, shortly after her debut. Upon hearing it for the first time, “I genuinely thought it was a beautiful song,” she said, but “I didn’t have the confidence to sing it.” Instead, she kept it to one side for two years until her ability had improved.

“The writer of the song, Ryoki Matsumoto, said, ‘I won’t ever write a better song,’” Nakashima recalled. “I wondered whether I was the right person to sing it, but he insisted, ‘It’s for you.’”

Asked why the song’s popularity has endured, she said she did not have a clear answer, but added: “I think many people probably got to know me through this song. When I received the demo, the song had me spellbound, too.”

In the new film “Yuki no Hana,” Miyuki (played by Ayami Nakajo), who has been given only one year to live, asks Yusuke (Hiroomi Tosaka) to be her boyfriend for a month in return for ¥1 million. The film beautifully depicts the brief romance.

“It’s great that such a story evolved from the song,” Nakashima said.

Through the film and the best-of album, many more people will probably have opportunities to listen to “Yuki no Hana.”

“I wonder what will become of the song. I’m half scared, half excited to watch it grow.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun Mika Nakashima let her staff choose the songs for her new best-of album “Bible.” “After I sing a song, I entrust them with everything. For listeners too, it’s in your hands,” she told The Yomiuri Shimbun.