Bon Voyage is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Kumi Koda. It was released on February 26, 2014, by Rhythm Zone. Bon Voyage is Koda's first album since her 2012 Japonesque, and her longest album in production since her 2008 studio album Kingdom. The album's production was handled by several music producers, such as Joseph Lawrence, Toby Gad, T-Sk, Mats Lie Skare, Figge Bosstrom, Tommy Henriksen, Badur Haberg, and Clarabell. It also features guest appearances from Sean Paul and OVDS. Five different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a CD and DVD bundle, a CD and Blu-ray bundle, a fan package featuring a live DVD, and a digital release in Japan.
Upon the album's release, it was met with favourable reviews from music critics. Critics highlight individual songs for their production and composition, and commended the singles. Bon Voyage became Koda's seventh studio album to reach the top spot on Japan's Oricon Albums Chart, but her first album to not ship over 100,000 units in that region. Because of this, it became her first studio album to fail to achieve a certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Three singles and one EP were released from the album. Koda promoted the album through her 2014 Bon Voyage concert tour.
Development and composition
Bon Voyage is Koda's first album since her 2012 Japonesque. It is also her longest album in production since her 2008 studio album Kingdom, both of which spanned a total of two years. For the album, Koda's record label Rhythm Zone and its parent company Avex Trax hired several producers, such as Joseph Lawrence, Toby Gad, T-Sk, Mats Lie Skare, Figge Bosstrom, Tommy Henriksen, Badur Haberg, and Clarabell. Producers such as Henriksen and Bosstrom have collaborated with Koda in the past with her albums Kingdom and Universe (2010). Bon Voyage is Koda's second album to be handled primarily with Western producers and composers; Koda's first album handled by Western producers was Japonesque. Western producers and composers carried on working with Koda on her next studio album Walk of My Life (2015).
Bon Voyage is a J-pop album with numerous elements of country rock, pop, R&B, electronic dance music, and reggae. It is Koda's first album to emphasize full English language songs; in total, Bon Voyage features nine English, five bilingual (Japanese/English), and two Japanese tracks. Each song from the album is co-written by Koda, including the English, Japanese and interlude tracks. The album includes two interlude tracks; "Introduction: Bon Voyage" and "Interlude: Bon Voyage", both boasting electronic music and sirens noises. EDM elements are used in tracks "Show Me Your Holla", "Crank tha Bass" (featuring OVDS), "LOL", "Go to the Top", "Dreaming On", and "U Know". "Loaded", which features Jamaican rapper and musician Sean Paul, incorporates elements of reggae and dancehall music, as does the following tracks "Winner Girls" and "On Your Side". Tetsuo Hiraga from Hot Shot Discs reviewed the singles "Go to the Top" and "Koishikute", and identified musical elements of electronic dance, dubstep, and 8-bit music in the former, and a pop ballad melody in the latter. Koda's summer EP Summer Trip featured "Lalalalala" and "Touch Down", and Hiraga noted elements of country rock in the former, and R&B in the latter track.
Release and packaging
Bon Voyage was released on February 26, 2014, by Rhythm Zone and Avex Taiwan in five different formats. The stand-alone CD featured the sixteen tracks in a cardboard slipcase, with first press editions including a glossy sticker of Koda. The CD and DVD bundle featured the sixteen tracks and a bonus DVD, including the music videos for: "Show Me Your Holla", "LOL", "Dreaming Now!", "Touch Down", "Lalalalala", and "Koishikute". The DVD also included the making videos for "Show Me Your Holla" and "LOL". The CD and Blu-ray bundle includes the same tracks and videos from the CD and DVD bundle, but features a hologram sticker, one postercard, and a slipcase. A special edition was released on Koda's website, entitled the "Fan Club Edition". This format features the original CD, and a DVD featuring live performances from Koda's Fanclub Live Tour in 2013. The format was housed in an A5-sized digipak. The final format is the digital release, which was released only in Japan. This is Koda's only studio album not to be released worldwide.