Promise/Star is the first double a-side single by Japanese artist Koda Kumi. It was the final single released before her first compilation album, Best ~first things~. It managed to chart at #4 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for 14 weeks.
The single consisted of the upbeat pop song "Star" and the emotional ballad "Promise," along with their corresponding instrumentals. The CD only edition was of limited release and contained unique cover art, compared to the CD+DVD edition.
Despite being a double a-side, "Star" only received a short version, the music video only being a minute and a half long. It was speculated that the full version would be released on Best ~first things~, but a complete version was never released.
Packaging
Promise/Star was released in two editions: CD and CD+DVD. Along with the music videos on the DVD, a behind-the-scenes making video was also included.
While the single received two editions, the CD only was of limited release.[4]
Limited editions of the single contained specialized cover art for both the CD and CD+DVD editions. However, on the standard editions, both "Promise" and "Star" received their own cover art, whereas the booklets were reversible.
Music video
"Promise" carried a sad theme of a woman crying at a weddingaltar, missing her fiancé, who had died prior to their wedding. In the video, Kumi is donning a wedding dress and veil during the past scenes and a full black ensemble during the mourning present day scenes.
"Star" was more optimistic, with Kumi in front of a starry background. There were no scene changes in "Star," instead only changes in camera angles.
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