| Michi | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Hikaru Utada |
| Album: | Fantôme |
| Recorded: | 2016 |
| Genre: | J-pop, Dance |
| Length: | 3:36 |
| Label: | Virgin |
| Producer: | Hikaru Utada |
| Prev Title: | Manatsu no Tōriame |
| Prev Year: | 2016 |
| Next Title: | Ōzora de Dakishimete |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. It was released on the main Japanese radio stations on September 13, 2016, and digitally on September 16, 2016.[1]
"Michi" is an up-tempo J-pop song with an arrangement made entirely out of electronic synthesizers and drums. Apart from a few anglicisms and three lines in its chorus, it is completely in Japanese. It features an optimistic melody, while its lyrics talk about the singer walking a "lonely road", even though she couldn't feel completely alone, as the memory of the person she lost is still with her and guiding her through dark times.[2] In an interview, she explained that it is a "danceable" song, meant to "reiterate that she is doing okay" after the loss of her mother Keiko Fuji to suicide in 2013.[3] Bradley Stern from pop music website MuuMuse found "Michi" surprising, compared to the more "muted tone" of the previously released singles from Fantôme; instead playing like "a continuation of 2010's "Goodbye Happiness", even down to similar-sounding melodies".[4]
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Radio airplay | |
| PC download |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Hot 100[5] | 5 | |
| Billboard Japan Radio Songs[6] | 1 |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Hot 100[7] | 66 |
| Billboard Japan Radio Songs[8] | 4 |