# Bad Mode

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bad_Mode
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bad_Mode.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Mode
> Source revision: 1353935704
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

***Bad Mode*** (BADモード, *Baddo Mōdo*) is the eighth [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language)-language studio album (eleventh overall) by Japanese-American singer-songwriter [Hikaru Utada](/source/Hikaru_Utada). It is Utada's first bilingual album release, with songs recorded in both Japanese and English. The album was released on the [Sony Music Japan](/source/Sony_Music_Japan) sublabel [Epic Records Japan](/source/Epic_Records_Japan) digitally on January 19, 2022, and was released physically on February 23. It marked their first album release in four years since *[Hatsukoi](/source/Hatsukoi_(Hikaru_Utada_album))* (2018).

Six previously released songs were confirmed for the album, including title track "Bad Mode", the Shiseido commercial theme song "Find Love", the *[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time](/source/Evangelion:_3.0%2B1.0_Thrice_Upon_a_Time)* theme song "[One Last Kiss](/source/One_Last_Kiss_(EP))" and the *[Kingdom Hearts III](/source/Kingdom_Hearts_III)* theme song "[Face My Fears](/source/Face_My_Fears)".[7] The album includes collaborations with a variety of producers, including [Skrillex](/source/Skrillex) and [Poo Bear](/source/Poo_Bear), [A. G. Cook](/source/A._G._Cook), and [Sam Shepherd](/source/Floating_Points).[8] Describing the record's themes, [MTV](/source/MTV) wrote that *Bad Mode* is largely about "growing up, self-love, self-partnering, and acceptance". It utilizes various musical styles including [pop](/source/Pop_music), [jazz](/source/Jazz), [electronica](/source/Electronica) and [R&B](/source/Rhythm_and_blues).

*Bad Mode* received critical acclaim from music critics, with *[The Japan Times](/source/The_Japan_Times)* calling it a career highlight.[6] It was named one of the best albums of the year by various music publications including *[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))* and *[Slant Magazine](/source/Slant_Magazine)*, while "[Somewhere Near Marseilles](/source/Somewhere_Near_Marseilles)" was ranked within the top 10 on both publication's lists of Best Songs of 2022. Commercially, the album received a gold certification from the [Recording Industry Association of Japan](/source/Recording_Industry_Association_of_Japan) (RIAJ) within a month of its release with over 100,000 copies sold.

## Background and packaging

Two physical versions of *Bad Mode* were released: a standard audio CD, and a limited edition CD/DVD/Blu-ray bundle that includes the regular audio CD, five music videos ("Time", "One Last Kiss", "Pink Blood", "[Kimi ni Muchū](/source/Kimi_ni_Much%C5%AB)" and "Bad Mode"), and the full recorded concert *Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios*.[9] The concert was recorded at London's Air Studios, with bassist Jodi Milliner as the bandmaster. Sound engineer [Steve Fitzmaurice](/source/Steve_Fitzmaurice) worked in sound recording and mixing, and [David Barnard](/source/David_Barnard) in the video direction.[8] Hikaru Utada's son, who was six years old at the time of the album's release, participated in the album, having violin credits in "Bad Mode" and vocal credits in "Not in the Mood" under the name *The Artist's Son*. He also appears on the album cover.[3]

## Composition

In contrast to their past albums, *Bad Mode* revolves around Utada's relationship with themself.[10] They state that most of the songs were written during the COVID-19 pandemic and containing reflections on being a mother, surviving through difficult times, and working to improve their own state of being and relationships with other people.[11] In writing the songs, Utada drew inspiration from the show *[RuPaul's Drag Race](/source/RuPaul's_Drag_Race)*, explaining that its message "if you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love somebody else?" was meaningful to them.[3] They also explained that they learned a great deal from using live instrumentation on their previous albums *[Fantôme](/source/Fant%C3%B4me_(album))* (2016) and *[Hatsukoi](/source/Hatsukoi_(Hikaru_Utada_album))* (2018), and expressed a desire to create "something sonically very weird again", as with their past album *[Exodus](/source/Exodus_(Utada_album))* (2004).[3]

## Promotion

Despite having no tour to promote the album, Utada performed for the first time in the famous [Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival](/source/Coachella_(festival)) on April 17, 2022, being a part of the [88rising](/source/88rising) label block, singing some old hits and "[Face My Fears](/source/Face_My_Fears)" from *Bad Mode*, and a new song called "T", released after the concert ended for streaming, in 88rising's EP *Head in the Clouds Forever*.[12] In response to fan requests, the concert *Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios* was released on June 9, 2022, for streaming on [Netflix](/source/Netflix) as Utada's first digital live album.[13]

In September 2022, Utada performed "Somewhere Near Marseilles" live at the [Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise](/source/Yokohama_Hakkeijima_Sea_Paradise) zoo. An accompanying video of the performance was released exclusively on [Spotify](/source/Spotify) as part of their five-year anniversary celebration of the service launching in Japan.[14]

## Accolades

Bad Mode on critic lists Critic/Publisher List Ranking Ref. Beats Per Minute Top 50 Albums of 2022 37 [15] Gorilla vs. Bear Top 50 Albums of 2022 19 [16] NME The 25 best Asian albums of 2022 8 [17] NPR (Lars Gotrich) Top 10 Albums of 2022 Placed [18] NPR (Sheldon Pearce) Top Albums of 2022 Placed [19] Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022 31 [20] The Skinny Top Albums of 2022 17 [21] Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2022 9 [22] Tokyo Weekender Top 10 Best Japanese Albums of 2022 9 [23]

Songs from Bad Mode on critic lists Critic/Publisher List Song Ranking Ref. Gorilla vs. Bear Top 50 Songs of 2022 "Somewhere Near Marseilles" 5 [24] Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 2022 10 [25] Resident Advisor The Best Tracks of 2022 Placed [26] Slant Magazine The 50 Best Songs of 2022 6 [27] The Fader The 100 Best Songs of 2022 42 [28] NPR The 100 Best Songs of 2022 "Bad Mode" 32 [29] Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far "Somewhere Near Marseilles" 18 [30]

## Personnel

**Musicians**

- [Hikaru Utada](/source/Hikaru_Utada) – production (1–13), writing (all tracks), vocals (all tracks), keyboards, programming (1–5, 7, 8, 10, 12); piano (1), additional drum programming (9, 13), additional keyboards and programming (11), shaker (10), Korean WaveDrum (10), vocals recording (1–3, 6–8, 10, 12)
- [Nariaki Obukuro](/source/Nariaki_Obukuro) – production, keyboards (5, 7, 8, 11, 12); programming (5, 7, 8, 11, 12), vocals recording (11)
- [Sam Shepherd](/source/Floating_Points) – production, keyboards, programming (1, 6, 10); Rhodes piano (1), piano (6)
- [A. G. Cook](/source/A._G._Cook) – production (2, 3, 14), keyboards (3), programming (2, 3), remix (14)
- [Skrillex](/source/Skrillex) – production, programming (9, 13); writing (9, 13, 14), mixing (9, 13)
- [Poo Bear](/source/Poo_Bear) – production (9, 13), writing (9, 13, 14)
- Jodi Milliner – writing (1), bass (1, 4, 6, 11, 13), synth bass (2, 3, 9), Moog bass & Juno pad (5)
- Ben Parker – guitar (1, 6, 7), acoustic guitar (11)
- Reuben James – Wurlitzer piano (4), acoustic piano (9, 13), piano (11)
- Will Fry – percussion (1, 7, 10)
- [Leo Taylor](/source/The_Invisible_(band)) – drums (1)
- [Ash Soan](/source/Ash_Soan) – percussion (6)
- Freddie Gavita – trumpet (1)
- [Soweto Kinch](/source/Soweto_Kinch) – saxophone
- [Chris Dave](/source/Chris_Dave) – percussion (9, 13)
- [Yuta Bandoh](/source/Yuta_Bandoh) – string arrangement, conducting (11)
- Ensemble FOVE – strings (11)
- Darren Heelis – additional drum programming (5)
- [Tom Norris](/source/Tom_Norris_(record_producer)) – additional drum programming (9, 13), mixing (9, 13)
- Nobuaki Tanaka – additional programming (11)
- The Artist's Son – violin (1), vocals (6)

**Technical**

- [Steve Fitzmaurice](/source/Steve_Fitzmaurice) – recording (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11), mixing (1–8, 10–12), additional instrumental recording (9)
- Masahito Komori – vocals recording (4, 5, 9), strings recording (11), vocal tracks editing (4)
- Yuya Saito – vocal tracks editing (1–8, 10–12)
- Darren Heelis – additional recording (5), vocal recording assistance, additional engineering (7)
- Marek Deml – recording, additional vocals recording (4)
- Matt Jones – additional engineering assistance (7)
- [Randy Merrill](/source/Randy_Merrill) – mastering

## Charts

### Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Bad Mode Chart (2022) Peak position Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[31] 1

### Monthly charts

Monthly chart performance for Bad Mode Chart (2022) Peak position Japanese Albums (Oricon)[32] 1

### Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Bad Mode Chart (2022) Position Japanese Albums (Oricon)[33] 26 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[34] 16

## Release history

Release dates and formats for Bad Mode Region Date Format Label Ref. Various January 19, 2022 Digital download · streaming Epic · Sony Music Japan [35] February 23, 2022 CD April 27, 2022 LP

## References

1. TOMC (February 23, 2022). ["ja:宇多田ヒカル『BADモード』 "越境"するベッドルーム・ソウルを読み解く"](https://www.cyzo.com/2022/02/post_303670_entry.html) [Hikaru Utada "Bad Mode": [I will] read the bedroom soul that "crosses the border."] (in Japanese). *Nikkan Cyzo*. Retrieved March 29, 2022.

1. Kim, Joshua Minsoo (February 15, 2022). ["Hikaru Utada: BADモード Album Review"](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hikaru-utada-bad/). *[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))*. Retrieved February 15, 2022.

1. Stern, Bradley (January 19, 2022). ["Hikaru Utada Returns, With 'Bad Mode' & A Better Sense of Self"](https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/hikaru-utada-interview-bad-mode-feature-1235020381/). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved January 19, 2022.

1. Piatkowski, Peter (January 27, 2022). ["Hikaru Utada's 'Bad Mode' Is an Energetic Homage to Millennium Disco-Pop"](https://www.popmatters.com/hikaru-utada-bad-mode-review). *[PopMatters](/source/PopMatters)*. Retrieved March 2, 2022.

1. Russell, Erica (January 19, 2022). ["Hikaru Utada Looks Into The Mirror"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220119214326/http://www.mtv.com/news/3183667/hikaru-utada-interview-bad-mode/). *[MTV](/source/MTV)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.mtv.com/news/3183667/hikaru-utada-interview-bad-mode/) on January 19, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.

1. St. Michel, Patrick (January 29, 2022). ["'Bad Mode' delivers some of the best songs of Hikaru Utada's career"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220213221829/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/01/29/music/bad-mode-hikaru-utada/). *[The Japan Times](/source/The_Japan_Times)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/01/29/music/bad-mode-hikaru-utada/) on February 13, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.

1. ["8th Studio Album BAD MODE Available Digitally on January 19 and CD Releasing February 23"](https://www.utadahikaru.jp/en/news/detail.html?id=535925). *Hikaru Utada Official Website*. Sony Music Labels Inc. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.

1. ["Hikaru Utada Will Release 8th Studio Album Bad Mode Wednesday, January 19 From Milan Records"](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2022-01-11/hikaru-utada-will-release-8th-studio-album-bad-mode-wednesday-january-19-from-milan-records/.181425). *[Anime News Network](/source/Anime_News_Network)*. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

1. ["Utada Hikaru Releases Information on Their New Album"](https://aramajapan.com/news/newrelease/utada-hikaru-releases-information-on-their-new-album/116258/). December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.

1. ["Utada Hikaru Twitter Account"](https://twitter.com/utadahikaru/status/1389868977296379907). *[Twitter](/source/Twitter)*. May 5, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.

1. Russel, Erica (January 19, 2022). ["Hikaru Utada Looks Into The Mirror"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220119214326/http://www.mtv.com/news/3183667/hikaru-utada-interview-bad-mode/). *[MTV](/source/MTV)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.mtv.com/news/3183667/hikaru-utada-interview-bad-mode/) on January 19, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.

1. ["Hikaru Utada Makes Festival Debut at Coachella With 88rising: Interview & Recap"](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/hikaru-utada-coachella-interview-1235063847//). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. April 26, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.

1. [""Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios" Coming to Netflix on June 9""](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2022-06-10/hikaru-utada-live-sessions-from-air-studios-coming-to-netflix-on-june-9/.186523). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.

1. [""「Somewhere Near Marseilles ―マルセイユ辺りー -LIVE at Sea Paradise」 Spotify 「Go Stream」パフォーマンスビデオ として自身初の縦型映像作品本日公開""](https://www.utadahikaru.jp/news/detail.html?id=545162) (in Japanese). *Hikaru Utada Official Website*. September 16, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.

1. Hakimian, Rob; McMullen, Chase; Sentz, Tim; Pickard, Joshua; Wohlmacher, John; Finlayson, Ray; Amen, John; Kohner, Kyle; Early, J. T. (2022-12-15). ["BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2022"](https://beatsperminute.com/bpms-top-50-albums-of-2022/). *Beats Per Minute*. Retrieved 2022-12-15.

1. Chris (2022-12-01). ["gorilla vs. bear's albums of 2022"](https://www.gorillavsbear.net/gorilla-vs-bears-albums-of-2022/). *Gorilla vs. Bear*. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. ["The 25 best Asian albums of 2022"](https://www.nme.com/en_asia/features/music-features/nme-best-asia-albums-of-the-year-2022-3370548). *NME*. 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2023-12-31.

1. Gotrich, Lars (21 December 2022). ["NPR Music 2022 Staff Picks: Lars Gotrich"](https://www.npr.org/2022/12/21/1143398817/npr-music-2022-staff-picks-lars-gotrich). *NPR*. Retrieved 22 December 2022.

1. Pearce, Sheldon (2022-12-09). ["Sheldon Pearce's Top 20 Albums of 2022"](https://www.npr.org/2022/12/09/1134904419/sheldon-pearce-top-20-albums-of-2022). *NPR*. Retrieved 2022-12-11.

1. ["The 50 Best Albums of 2022"](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-albums-2022/). *Pitchfork*. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. ["The Skinny's Top Ten Albums of 2022"](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/opinion/albums-of-the-year/the-skinny-albums-of-2022). *The Skinny*. 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. ["The 50 Best Albums of 2022"](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/the-50-best-albums-of-2022/). *Slant Magazine*. 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. Kahan, Kim (2022-12-28). ["Top 10 Best Albums From Japan Released in 2022"](https://www.tokyoweekender.com/entertainment/music/top-10-best-albums-from-japan-released-in-2022/). *Tokyo Weekender*. Retrieved 2023-12-31.

1. Chris (2022-12-04). ["gorilla vs. bear's songs of 2022"](https://www.gorillavsbear.net/gorilla-vs-bears-songs-of-2022/). *Gorilla vs. Bear*. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. ["The 100 Best Songs of 2022"](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-songs-2022/). *Pitchfork*. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. ["The Best Tracks of 2022 · Feature ⟋ RA"](https://ra.co/features/4098). *Resident Advisor*. Retrieved 2022-12-28.

1. ["The 50 Best Songs of 2022"](https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/the-50-best-songs-of-2022/). *Slant Magazine*. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-10.

1. ["The 100 best songs of 2022"](https://www.thefader.com/2022/12/15/the-100-best-songs-of-2022). *The Fader*. 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2022-12-31.

1. ["The 100 Best Songs Of 2022"](https://www.npr.org/2022/12/15/1135803900/100-best-songs-2022-page-4). *NPR*. 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2022-12-15.

1. ["The 100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far"](https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-100-best-songs-of-the-2020s-so-far/). *Pitchfork*. 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-09-30.

1. ["Billboard Japan Hot Albums | Chart"](https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2022&month=03&day=07) (in Japanese). *[Billboard Japan](/source/Billboard_Japan)*. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.

1. ["Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-02"](https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/m/2022-02/). [Oricon](/source/Oricon). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220309043717/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/m/2022-02/) March 9, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 9, 2022.

1. ["Oricon Top 100 Albums: 2022"](https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2022/p/3/). [Oricon](/source/Oricon). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221222005734/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2022/p/3/) December 22, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 22, 2022.

1. ["Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End 2022"](https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums_year&year=2022). *[Billboard Japan](/source/Billboard_Japan)*. Retrieved December 9, 2022.

1. ["BADモード"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220112050857/https://www.utadahikaru.jp/music/album/title_21.html) (in Japanese). *Hikaru Utada Official Website*. Sony Music Labels Inc. Archived from [the original](https://www.utadahikaru.jp/music/album/title_21.html) on January 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2021.

## External links

- [*Bad Mode*](https://www.utadahikaru.jp/music/album/title_21.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220112050857/https://www.utadahikaru.jp/music/album/title_21.html) January 12, 2022 at the Wayback Machine on Hikaru Utada's official website

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bad Mode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Mode) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Mode?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.