Hikaru Utada

956,209 plays
567 SHARES
1,365 FAVS
151 fans

albums

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- Exodus
- Released 2004

- This Is The One
- Released 2009

- First Love
- Released 2000

- Ultra Blue
- Released 2006

biography

She dominates the charts in Japan whenever she releases a single or album, but to call her a J-pop singer ignores Utada's American roots and her desire to break all the rules of the genre. Born January 19, 1983, in New York City to a traditional Japanese-style singer mother and a musician/producer father, Hikaru Utada grew up in the recording studio. Her father's production job bounced her between New York City and Tokyo, with the only constant being naps and homework in the studio. She was bilingual at an early age and soon came to understand both American and Japanese cultures.

She had composed and recorded her first Japanese-language song by the age of 11 and her first album in English by 13. What stood out to the few who heard the album was what an accomplished composer Utada was. A Toshiba-EMI executive approached the singer to see if she could write her pop songs in Japanese. She could, of course, and her Japanese-language debut album, First Love, hit number one on the Japanese charts during its first week of release, breaking the record for first-week sales of a debut album, and has sold nine million copies since its release in 1999.

One Japanese-language platinum-selling album after another followed and the Japanese press took note of Utada's unique style, influenced by the alternative rock from America. Academics kept her away from doing many interviews, and her mystique grew as a result. In 2004 she announced she was moving to the Island-Universal Music Japan label and recording an English-language album. Her single "Exodus 04" became a heartbreaker for her solid fan base when her lyrics were taken as a goodbye to Japan.

The album Exodus was released in Japan on September 8, 2004, and Utada now held the record for largest-ever one-day shipment of an English-language album by doubling Mariah Carey's previous record of 500,000. The album mixed wistful pop and sparkling dance music and featured producer Timbaland and Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore. American J-pop fans were aware of her for years, but Utada got her first mainstream U.S. exposure when the "Devil Inside" single appeared in September 2004 with Rjd2, the Scumfrog, and Richard Vission handling the remixes. Exodus received its American release on Island in October of the same year. In 2007 EMI announced that Utada had set a record for a Japanese recording artist with combined sales of 7.7 million across all formats (CDs, digital downloads, ringtones, etc.). The Japanese language album Heart Station in 2009 with the English album This Is the One following. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide

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comments

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- - The Love of My Life
  - - By Nanase Newmoon
    - 10/21/2009 01:02:45
  - I got her new Cd and i love it! I've been listening and following her music for some years now, like most people i discovered her from the kingdom hearts game and have been in love sense, She's an amazing singer and i hope she gets more recognition in america. However i hate it when people say they are her biggest fan but only know one or two songs by her and nothing else. In any case aishiteru Utada!
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- - :)
  - - By TokioHotelLaura
    - 5/1/2009 16:48:40
  - As tomenaki said, yes all i know of her is from the kingdom hearts game series (which i am a huge fan of). so yea i heard her song simple and clean from kingdom hearts 1 and sanctuary from kingdom hearts 2. great songs you shoudl look into it
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- - Utada Hikaru always amazes me
  - - By Nisshoku1981
    - 4/3/2009 00:39:40
  - I can honestly say this album (This is the one) surprised me. I have all of Utada Hikaru's Albums and love them all. So many good songs to choose from. On And On beat is so hot! Good god :). I really hope she will be a big success in the US. This is definitely a great come back from Exodus.
  - 3 out of 3 people
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- - the best Japanese artist
  - - By Daniel B Grisso
    - 3/27/2009 03:55:16
  - i have your cd ultra blue that i was able to but in the us. i have put it on my zune and been playing it a lot. her music i great to play while working out side on the golf course.
  - 2 out of 3 people
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- - An artist worth listening to.
  - - By Tomenaki
    - 2/27/2009 20:45:13
  - Utada Hikaru has been a powerful force in the Japanese Music Industry and for good reason. Her rich and powerful voice make for a wonderfully enjoyable and full sound of music. One great aspect about Utada Hikaru is that her musical style is always changing. From album to album it is different and new. Her first English album release, Exodus, while not being a mainstream hit, is an interesting look into one of her more experimental styles and her new English album, This is the One, is definitely worth a listen with it's more R&B/Hip-hop flavor.
    
    I have been a fan of her since i first heard her song Sakura Drops from her Deep River album, and since then have enjoyed her music even more.
    
    I would say, even if you do not understand japanese, this is an artist to look into. Her music speaks for itself and needs no language in order to understand the message behind it.
    
    She is truly a great artist and is well worth the time to look into even if all you know her from is the Kingdom Hearts Series of games.
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