is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia.
Due to her success and relevance throughout her career, she is considered one of the top solo female artists of the
Heisei
The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
era, both for her influence on various fashion trends and the music industry.
Born and raised in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at 14 in 1993 to pursue a career in singing and acting. In 1998, under the tutelage of
Avex
is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...
CEO
Max Matsuura
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...
, Hamasaki released her debut single "
Poker Face"
[Oricon does not count '' Nothing from Nothing'', released by ]Nippon Columbia
, often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
, among Hamasaki's albums. and debut major-label album ''
A Song for XX''. The album debuted at the top of the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
charts and remained there for five weeks, selling over a million copies.
This rapid rise to fame is typically attributed, among other factors, to her unique style of lyric writing; this would continue to be a defining aspect of her work, listeners praising her "poetic, yet straightforward" way of conveying relatable subjects. Her next ten albums shipped over a million copies in Japan, with her third, ''
Duty
A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; fro, deu, did, past participle of ''devoir''; la, debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may ...
,'' selling nearly three million. ''
A Best
''A Best'' (stylized as ''BEST'') is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release the greates ...
'', her first compilation album, further established her position as a crowning artist with more than four million copies sold in Japan.
After A Best, Hamasaki went on to experiment with her music style and lyricism, incorporating English into her work from
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
onwards. Later albums would range from electronic dream-pop to rock genres, with Hamasaki herself saying she does not feel tied to follow music trends, instead focusing on what she enjoys and wants to create "whether it is trendy or not". This perspective would continue to resonate with the public throughout her career, with her albums consistently placing in the top five of the Oricon charts to present day.
Hamasaki has sold over 60.94 million units as of 2019, making her the
best-selling Japanese solo artist in history.
Hamasaki has several domestic record achievements for her singles, such as the most number-one hits by a female artist (38); the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist (25),
and the most million-sellers.
[This last record is shared with Pink Lady, ]Namie Amuro
Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...
, and Hikaru Utada
, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan.
Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...
. From 1999 to 2010, Hamasaki had at least two singles each year topping the charts.
Hamasaki is also the first female recording artist to have ten studio albums since her debut to top the Oricon, and the first artist to have a number-one album for 13 consecutive years since her debut.
In addition to this, Hamasaki's remix albums ''
Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix'' and ''Ayu-mi-x II Version Non-Stop Mega Mix'', are recognized as two of the best selling remix albums of all time worldwide.
Life and career
1978–1997: Childhood and early endeavors
Born in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
, Hamasaki was raised as an only child by her mother and grandmother. Her father had left the family when she was three and never again came into contact with her.
Hamasaki's mother worked to support the family, so Hamasaki was primarily taken care of by her grandmother.
She described herself as a "
tomboy
A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...
" when she was a teenager, and as a "strange kid" who "liked to be alone".
At age seven, Hamasaki began modeling for local institutions, such as banks, to supplement the family's income. She continued this career path by leaving her family at fourteen and moving to Tokyo as a model under SOS, a talent agency.
Her modeling career did not last long; SOS eventually deemed her too short for a model and transferred her to Sun Music, a musicians' agency. Under the name of "Ayumi", Hamasaki released a rap EP, ''
Nothing from Nothing'', on the
Nippon Columbia
, often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
label in 1995. She was dismissed from the label when the album failed to chart on the Oricon.
After this failure, Hamasaki took up acting and starred in
B-movies
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
such as ''Ladys Ladys!! Sōcho Saigo no Hi'' and
television dramas such as ''Miseinen'', which were poorly received by the public.
From August 1995 to March 1996, Hamasaki also co-hosted the
SoundLink
The is a satellite modem peripheral produced by Nintendo for the Super Famicom in 1995. Containing 1 megabyte of ROM space and an additional 512 kB of RAM, Satellaview allowed players to download games, magazines, and other media through sate ...
"
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
" ''Hōkago no Ōsama'' (''After-school King'') for the
Nintendo Satellaview once a week with
Shigeru Izumiya
Shigeru Izumiya (泉谷 しげる ''Izumiya Shigeru'', born May 11, 1948 in Aomori, raised in Meguro, Tokyo) is a Japanese poet, folk singer, actor, tarento. He established the record company For Life Records with Takuro Yoshida, Yosui Inoue, and ...
. Growing dissatisfied with her job, Hamasaki quit acting and moved in with her mother, who had recently moved to Tokyo.
Hamasaki initially earned good grades in
junior high school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
. Eventually, she lost faith in the curriculum, thinking that the subjects were of no use to her. Her grades worsened as she refused to put her mind to her studies. While living in Tokyo, she attempted to further her studies at
Horikoshi Gakuen, a
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
for the arts, but dropped out in the first year. Hamasaki did not attend school or have a job, so she spent much of her time shopping at
Shibuya
Shibuya ( 渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station.
As of April 1 ...
boutiques and dancing at
Velfarre
was a disco located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, Japan. Velfarre was the self-professed "largest disco in Asia" with a capacity of 1,500 people, with three floors above ground and three floors below; owned by Tetsuya Komuro and Avex Trax. V ...
, an
Avex
is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...
-owned disco club.
At Velfarre, she was introduced to her future producer Max Matsuura through a friend. After hearing Hamasaki sing karaoke, Matsuura offered her a recording deal, but Hamasaki suspected ulterior motives and turned the offer down.
He persisted and succeeded in recruiting her for the Avex label in the following year.
Hamasaki started vocal training but skipped most of her classes after finding her instructors too rigid and the classes dull.
When she mentioned this to Matsuura, he sent her to New York to train her vocals under another method. While abroad, Hamasaki frequently corresponded with Matsuura and impressed him with her style of writing. On her return to Japan, he suggested that she try writing her own lyrics.
1998–1999: Musical beginnings, ''A Song for xx'' and ''Loveppears''
Hamasaki made her debut under Avex at 19 on April 8, 1998, with the single "
Poker Face". It—and the following four singles—were not major hits; however, each release was better than the last, thus gradually increasing her exposure and presence on the market. Hamasaki's debut album, ''
A Song for ××
''A Song for ××'' (the "××" is silent) is the debut album by Japanese pop artist Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickn ...
'' (released on January 1, 1999), was "unassuming":
the tracks, composed by Yasuhiko Hoshino, Akio Togashi (of
Da Pump
is a Japanese boy band made up of lead vocalist, Issa Hentona and MCs Ken Okumoto, Yukinari Tamaki and Shinobu Miyara. The band formed as students at Okinawa Actors School in 1996. They made their debut on the Avex Trax subsidiary avex tune un ...
), and Mitsuru Igarashi (of
Every Little Thing), were "cautious"
pop-rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and ...
songs.
However, Hamasaki's lyrics, introspective observations about her feelings and experiences that focused on loneliness and individualism, resonated with the Japanese public.
The songs gained Hamasaki a growing following, and the release of the album was a success: it topped the Oricon charts for five weeks and sold over a million copies.
For her achievements, she earned a
Japan Gold Disc Award
The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...
for "Best New Artist of the Year".
With ''
Ayu-mi-x'' (March 1999), the first of a series of remix albums, Hamasaki began moving beyond the pop-rock of ''A Song for ××'' and began to incorporate different styles including
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, and orchestra.
Hamasaki began to experiment with different musical styles in her singles as well, releasing dance tunes and ballads as well as remixes on the singles which spanned
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
. The singles were milestones: Hamasaki earned her first number-one single ("
Love: Destiny") and first million-selling single ("
A").
Her second studio album, ''
Loveppears
''Loveppears'' (stylized as ''LOVEppears'') is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999 through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distrib ...
'' (November 1999), not only topped the Oricon charts, it sold nearly 3 million copies.
The album also showcased a change in Hamasaki's lyrics. Though the lyrics of ''Loveppears'' still dealt with loneliness, many of them were written from a
third-person perspective.
In support of ''Loveppears'', she held her first tour, ''Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 A''.
A Film for XX is the first video clip collection by Ayumi Hamasaki, it was released on September 15, 1999.
2000–2002: ''Duty'', compilation releases, ''I Am...'' and ''Rainbow''
From April to June 2000, Hamasaki released the "Trilogy", a series of singles consisting of "
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
", "
Far Away", and "
Seasons
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
". The lyrics of these songs focused on hopelessness, a reflection of Hamasaki's disappointment that she had not expressed herself thoroughly in any of her previous lyrics and a sense of shame of her public image.
Likewise, many of the songs she wrote for her subsequent studio album, ''
Duty
A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; fro, deu, did, past participle of ''devoir''; la, debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may ...
'' (September 2000), involved feelings of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of her responsibilities. She described her feelings after the writing as "unnatural" and "nervous".
The musical style was darker as well; in contrast with ''Loveppears'', ''Duty'' was a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
-influenced album with only one dance song, "
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
".
''Duty'' resonated with fans: the "Trilogy" were "hit singles" ("Seasons" was a million-seller), and the album became Hamasaki's best-selling studio album. At the end of 2000, Hamasaki held her first
New Year countdown concert at the
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design.
It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and d ...
.
In 2001, Avex forced Hamasaki to release her first compilation album, ''
A Best
''A Best'' (stylized as ''BEST'') is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release the greates ...
'', on March 28, putting the album in "competition" with
Hikaru Utada
, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan.
Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...
's second studio album, ''
Distance
Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects or points are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two counties over"). ...
''. The "competition" between the two singers (which both claimed was merely a creation of their record companies and the media) was supposedly the reason for the success of the albums; both sold over 5 million copies. In support of ''Duty'' and ''A Best'', Hamasaki held a
tour of Japan's domes, making her one of few "top-drawer" Japanese artists to hold a concert at the
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
.
''
I Am...'' (January 2002) marked several milestones for Hamasaki. Hamasaki increased her control over her music by composing all of the songs on the album under the pseudonym "Crea", of which the 2000 single "
M" was the first. "
Connected
Connected may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Connected'' (2008 film), a Hong Kong remake of the American movie ''Cellular''
* '' Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology'', a 2011 documentary film
* ''Connected'' (2015 TV ...
" (November 2002) and "
A Song Is Born
''A Song Is Born'' (also known as ''That's Life''), starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo, is a 1948 Technicolor musical film remake of Howard Hawks' 1941 movie ''Ball of Fire'' with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. This version was also d ...
" (December 2001) were the exceptions.
''I Am...'' also showed evolution in Hamasaki's lyrical style: it was a retreat from the themes of "loneliness and confusion" of some of her earlier songs.
Moved by the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, Hamasaki revised her vision of ''I Am...'', focusing on issues such as faith and world peace. "A Song Is Born", in particular, was directly influenced by the events.
The single, a duet with
Keiko Yamada
is the lead vocalist of the pop group Globe. Since 2001, she has had a solo career, starting with the single "A Song Is Born" in collaboration with Ayumi Hamasaki. In late 2003, she released her first solo EP called ''KCO''. Keiko, under the na ...
, was released as part of Avex's non-profit
Song Nation project, which raised money for charity.
[Original text: "このシングルは2001年9月11に米国で発生した同時多発テロを追悼するために企画され、リリースと同時に日本で話題を集めたチャリティーシングル『song+nation』の3枚だ。"]
"まず、浜崎あゆみとKEIKOがデュエットした『a song is born』が2001年12月12日にリリースされた。" She also dropped the planned cover and opted instead to be portrayed as a "peace muse", explaining,
The outlook inspired by the September 11 attacks extended beyond ''I Am...''. In 2002, Hamasaki held her first concert outside Japan, at the
MTV Asia
MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA.
History
MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-languag ...
music awards ceremony in Singapore,
a move interpreted as the beginning of a campaign prompted by a sluggish Japanese market.
[ Sin Chew Interactive (星洲互動). "Ayumi's Legend and Leadership of the Young". '']Sin Chew Daily
''Sin Chew Daily'' (), formerly known as ''Sin Chew Jit Poh'', is a leading Chinese-language newspaper in Malaysia. According to report from the Audit Bureau of Circulation for the period ending 31 December 2011, ''Sin Chew Daily'' has an averag ...
''. Malaysia: May 21, 2002. 2nd section. At the ceremony, she received the award for "Most Influential Japanese Singer in Asia".
In support of ''I Am...'', Hamasaki held two tours, ''
Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A'' is a Japanese-language live album released on January 29, 2003, the same day ''Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A'' (Stylized as ayumi hamasaki STADIUM TOUR 2002 A) was also released.
Track listing
# I am… ...
'' and ''
Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A'' DVD was released on January 29, 2003, the same day as ''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A'' is a Japanese-language live album released on January 29, 2003, the same day ' ...
''. In November 2002, as "Ayu", she released her first European single, "
Connected
Connected may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Connected'' (2008 film), a Hong Kong remake of the American movie ''Cellular''
* '' Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology'', a 2011 documentary film
* ''Connected'' (2015 TV ...
", a
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
song from ''I Am...'' composed by DJ
Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten (; born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch disc jockey, record producer and remixer from Rotterdam. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks during the 1990s–2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moon ...
. It was released in Germany on the Drizzly label. Hamasaki continued to release singles (all of them remixes of previously released songs) in Germany on Drizzly until 2005.
In April 2002, Hamasaki released the single "
Free & Easy". In collaboration with the magazine ''Free&Easy'', Hamasaki also released ''Hamasaki Republic'', a photobook that was actually a special issue of ''Free&Easy'', in conjunction with the single. "
H", Hamasaki's next single, became the best-selling single of 2002.
[All sales and charting positions in this article apply only to Japan or Japan's Oricon charts unless otherwise stated.] Hamasaki released her last single of 2002, "
Voyage
Voyage(s) or The Voyage may refer to:
Literature
*''Voyage : A Novel of 1896'', Sterling Hayden
* ''Voyage'' (novel), a 1996 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter
*''The Voyage'', Murray Bail
* "The Voyage" (short story), a 1921 story by ...
", on September 26. In lieu of a regular-length music video, the short film ''Tsuki ni Shizumu'', starring Hamasaki, was created for "Voyage" and was released at a select theater in
Shibuya
Shibuya ( 渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station.
As of April 1 ...
. Hamasaki's next studio album, ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' (December 2002) was her first to use English lyrics. After performing at the 2002 MTV Asia music awards, Hamasaki felt that by writing only Japanese lyrics, she was not able to bring her "message" to other countries. Realizing that English was a "common global language", she included English lyrics in three songs.
[Original text from ''Cawaii'': "英語を解禁にしようと思ったのは、アルバムの「Rainbow」からなんだけど、あのころMTVなどで賞をいただいてアジアでパフォーマンスするっていうようをことか何回か続いたの。そのときに、日本語だとやっぱけ傳れってをいかもっていう気がしちゃって、単純な少女はやっぱけ世界共通語だよな~っで思ったんだよね。"] The album was stylistically diverse; Hamasaki included
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
- and
trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...
-influenced tracks as well as "summery", "up-tempo" and "grand gothic" songs and experimented with new techniques such as
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
choruses and the yells of an audience. The lyrics were also varied: themes in the album included freedom, the struggles of women, and "a summer that ends in sadness".
2003–2006: ''My Story'', ''(Miss)Understood'' and ''Secret''
In 2003, Hamasaki released three singles, "
&", "
Forgiveness", and "
No Way to Say
"No Way to Say" is the thirty-first single released by Ayumi Hamasaki and her eighteenth number-one single. It came out November 6, 2003. The video won the award for "Best Pop Video" at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, and the single won the ...
". To celebrate the release of her thirtieth single ("Forgiveness"), Hamasaki held the ''
A Museum'' concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Her mini-album ''
Memorial Address
''Memorial Address'' (stylized in sentence case) is the first extended play (EP) by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on December 17, 2003 by Avex Trax. ''Memorial Address'' is Hamasaki's longest extended play with a tota ...
'' (December 2003) was her first album to be released in CD+DVD format in addition to the regular CD-only format, a decision that came from her increased interest in the direction of her music videos. Like her previous albums, ''Memorial Address'' topped the Oricon chart and sold over a million copies. Sales of Hamasaki's singles began to wane. Although all three of the album's singles topped the Oricon charts, "&" was Hamasaki's last single to sell over 500,000 copies.
![Ayumi Hamasaki 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Ayumi_Hamasaki_2007.jpg)
By the end of her
''Arena Tour 2003–2004'', Hamasaki had grown dissatisfied with her position in Avex: she felt that the company was treating her as a product instead of a person.
Along with her dissatisfaction over her last two studio albums (which she thought had been rushed), this led her to begin work on ''
My Story'' (December 2004) early. In contrast with her previous albums, ''My Story'' had no set theme, nor did Hamasaki attempt to write "something good" or even "something that would give people hope"; rather, she simply wrote freely and honestly.
[Original text from ''Oricon Style'': "今回、正直にとか自由にっていうことはずっと頭の中にありましたね。だから、いいことを書 こうとか感動してもらおうとか、希望を持ってもらおうっていうようをことは一切意誠していなくて。単純に、ただ正直に書いていこうというだけでした。"] As a result, the album contained mostly autobiographical lyrics about her emotions and reminiscences of her career. She approached the composition of the music with the same freedom as the lyrics, with the album's notable rock overtones expressing her liking for rock music.
She was so pleased with the result that she declared ''My Story'' the first album she felt satisfied with.
''My Story'' and its singles, "
Moments", "
Inspire
The following is a thematic list of European Union directives:
For a date based list, see the :European Union directives by number
Numbering
From 1 January 1992 to 31 December 2014, numbers assigned by the General Secretariat of the Council ...
", and "
Carols", all topped the weekly Oricon charts; moreover, with sales of over 1,100,000 units, ''My Story'' became Hamasaki's last million-selling studio album according to Oricon.
From January to April 2005, Hamasaki held the nationwide
''My Story'' arena tour, her first album-based tour.
[ Also in January, she began working with ]Lamoureux Orchestra
The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoureu ...
to create ''My Story Classical
''My Story Classical'' is a compilation with classical versions of songs from Ayumi Hamasaki's album '' My Story''. ''My Story Classical'' was released on March 24, 2005. Most of the tracks were recorded with the Lamoureux Orchestra of France, wh ...
'', a classical version of ''My Story''; the album served as an "alter-ego" of the mostly aggressive ''My Story''. The orchestra also created a classical version of "A Song Is Born", which was included on ''My Story Classical'' and which Hamasaki performed at the opening of the Expo 2005
Expo 2005 was a World Expo held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. Japan has also hosted Expo '70 Osaka (World Expo), Expo '75 Okinawa (Specialised Expo) ...
.
'' (Miss)understood'' (January 2006), Hamasaki's seventh studio album, showed new musical directions. Wanting to sing a tune like those of the group Sweetbox
Sweetbox is a German based pop music project formed in 1995 by executive producer Heiko Schmidt and music producer Roberto "Geo" Rosan. Throughout the years Sweetbox has had several lead singers including Kimberly Kearney, Dacia Bridges, Tina H ...
, Hamasaki obtained the permission of Sweetbox composer Roberto "Geo" Rosan to use demo songs he had intended to use in Sweetbox's upcoming album. She edited the songs to fit her personal vision, rewriting the lyrics and rearranging some of the songs.[ ] The result was more musically diverse than the previous album; ''(Miss)understood'' included ballads, funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
, dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
, R&B, and rock songs. All of ''(Miss)understood'' singles reached the top of the Oricon; "Bold & Delicious" became Hamasaki's twenty-fifth number-one single, tying her with Seiko Matsuda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, win ...
for the record of most number-one singles by a solo female artist. Though ''(Miss)understood'' also reached the top of the charts, Oricon stated that it sold fewer than a million copies—Hamasaki's first studio album to do so.[''(Miss)understood'' is listed as a million-seller by the RIAJ, but the RIAJ's certification is based on the number of albums shipped to retailers; Oricon gathers its tallies from the retailers themselves.] In support of the album, Hamasaki held the ''(Miss)understood'' arena tour, which spanned three months with thirty concerts, from Saitama on March 11, 2006, to Yoyogi
is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
Geography
The area encompassed by Yoyogi is typically defined two ways:
* Only the five Yoyogi .
* The former , corresponding roughly to the area south of National Route 20 (K ...
on June 11, 2006.
Hamasaki's first single of 2006, " Startin'", became Hamasaki's twenty-sixth number-one single, setting a new record for most number-one singles held by a solo female artist. The subsequent studio album, ''Secret
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
'', was released in November 2006. "Secrets" was, appropriately, the theme of the album; the album also explored strong female figures, love, and sadness; songs depicted the artist's struggles and were written to encourage women.[Literally "cheer songs for girls". Original text from ''Vivi'': "'Secret'。 その中には、女のコのチアソングとも言える"] Although ''Secret'' was originally intended to be a mini-album, Hamasaki "began brimming with things to say" while producing the album and wrote five more songs.[Original text from ''Vivi'': "今回のアルバムは、はじめはミニアルバムのはずだったのを急フルアルバムに變更
したもの。傳えたいにことか、ある日を境にふねーっと溢れてきて、これは歌にして傳えなきゃ思って、詞は1日に3曲、きた1日に2曲つてハイペスで書き上げたの。"] The album consisted mostly of rock songs and ballads; to complement these, Hamasaki experimented with new vocal techniques. The album also topped the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the only artist to have eight consecutive number-one studio albums.
2007–2008: Compilation releases and ''Guilty''
On February 28, 2007, Hamasaki released ''A Best 2
''A Best 2'' (stylized as '' BEST 2'') is a series of greatest hits albums by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, which were released simultaneously on by Avex Trax. The two-volume release is a direct successor to ''A Best'' (2001) and features mate ...
'', a pair of compilation albums containing songs from ''I Am...'' to ''(Miss)understood''. The two versions, ''White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
'' and ''Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
'', debuted at the first and second positions on the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the first female artist in 36 years to hold the top two positions on any Oricon album chart. At the end of 2007, the pair became Japan's fifth and seventh best-selling albums of the year respectively. In support of ''A Best 2'' and ''Secret'', Hamasaki held the four-month-long '' Tour of Secret'' from March to the end of June. Her foreign fanbase highly anticipated the concerts, and tickets for the Taipei and Hong Kong performances sold out in less than three hours.
In July 2007, Hamasaki released her first single in over a year, "Glitter/Fated
"Glitter"/"Fated" is the forty-first single by Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released on July 18, 2007. "Glitter"/"Fated" was Hamasaki's first single of 2007 and first single in over a year, since the release of " Blue Bird" in June 2006.
...
". A short film, '' Distance Love'', was used as the music video for "Glitter" and "Fated". The film, shot in Hong Kong, co-starred Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue
Shawn Yue Man-lok (born 13 November 1981) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. A former model, he has starred in many films, such as '' Jiang Hu'', '' Infernal Affairs II'', the ''Love in the Buff'' film series, '' Mad World'' and '' The Brink'', and ...
as Hamasaki's romantic interest. "Glitter/Fated" and the following single "Talkin' 2 Myself
"Talkin' 2 Myself" is J-Pop singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki's 42nd single, which was released on September 19, 2007. The single contains two rock tracks, one acoustic orchestra remix of her previously released " Fated", and the instrumentals of ...
" reached the top of their respective charts, continuing Hamasaki's streak of number-one singles. In December, Hamasaki released her first digital-only single, " Together When...", which topped the RIAJ's monthly download chart. Unlike its predecessors, the writing of Hamasaki's ninth studio album, ''Guilty
Guilty or The Guilty may refer to:
* Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard
Law
*Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction
*Guilt (law) ...
'' (January 2008), was not an emotional experience for her, nor did it have a set theme. However, she said later that the album's tracks appeared to tell a story. Most of the songs were dark; the album had a notable rock tinge. It contained some upbeat dance tracks and ballads, though the latter also had rock overtones. ''Guilty'' peaked at the number-two position on the weekly Oricon charts, making it Hamasaki's first studio album not to reach the top and ended Hamasaki's streak of eight consecutive number-one albums. ''Guilty'' was later released as a digital album in 26 countries outside Japan, 19 of them Western nations. That, along with Hamasaki's decision to employ western DJs such as The Young Punx
The Young Punx are an English electronic dance music group whose eclectic and energetic style encompasses French house, breakbeat and drum and bass, mashed up with elements as diverse as 1980s pop music, pop, rock music, rock, disco and jazz.
...
, Coldcut
Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
, Para One
Jean-Baptiste de Laubier (born 2 April 1979), known professionally as Para One, is a French electronic music producer and film director.
Music career
Laubier first came to prominence as one of the main producers of French rap group TTC, and ...
and Armand Van Helden for her 2008 remix albums '' Ayu-mi-x 6: Gold'' and '' Ayu-mi-x 6: Silver'', has been interpreted as her first major step into the global market.
In April 2008, to commemorate her tenth anniversary in Avex, Hamasaki released the single " Mirrorcle World"; it topped the Oricon, making Hamasaki the only female solo artist to have a number-one single every year for ten consecutive years. Hamasaki also held her second tour of Asia, '' Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary'', to celebrate her tenth anniversary. From April until June, she toured Japan, holding seventeen concerts. On September 10, 2008, Hamasaki released '' A Complete: All Singles'', a compilation album that includes the A-sides of all her singles along with previously unreleased footage from her A-nation concerts, which became the 8th best selling album of 2008.
2009–2011: ''Next Level'', ''Rock n Roll Circus'', ''Love Songs'', ''Five''
Hamasaki's next two singles, "Days/Green
"Days"/"Green" is the forty-fourth single (forty-fifth overall) by the Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released on December 17, 2008. In addition to the A-sides "Days" and "Green", the single contains re-recorded versions of Hamasaki's songs " Lov ...
" (December 2008) and "Rule/Sparkle
"Rule"/"Sparkle" is a double A-side single by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki from her tenth studio album, NEXT LEVEL' (2009). The song was released on a CD and DVD format on February 25, 2009 as the second single from the album. With ...
" (February 2009), continued Hamasaki's streak of number-one singles. "Rule" is used as the international theme song for the film ''Dragonball Evolution
''Dragonball Evolution'' is a 2009 American science fantasy superhero-martial arts film directed by James Wong, produced by Stephen Chow, and written by Ben Ramsey. It is based on the Japanese ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyam ...
''. The subsequent studio album, '' Next Level'', was released on March 25, 2009, in several formats: CD, CD+DVD, 2CD+DVD and a two-gigabyte
The gigabyte () is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The prefix ''giga'' means 109 in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one gigabyte is one billion bytes. The unit symbol for the gigabyte is GB.
This defini ...
USB flash drive
A USB flash drive (also called a thumb drive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. It is typically removable, rewritable and much smaller than an optical disc. Most weigh less than . Since firs ...
. Sonically, ''Next Level'' was mainly an electronic dance album. ''Next Level'' reached the top of the Oricon charts, making Hamasaki the only artist to have a number-one album every year for eleven years in a row since her debut. However, the album was only certified double platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
, making it Hamasaki's lowest-selling studio album to that date.
On August 12, 2009, Hamasaki released her 46th single, "Sunrise/Sunset (Love Is All)
"Sunrise/Sunset (Love Is All)" (stylised as Sunrise/Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~) is Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki's forty-sixth (forty-seventh overall) single, released on August 12, 2009. The song "Sunrise: Love is All" is used as the theme song to ...
". "Sunrise (Love Is All)", one of the A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
s, is being used as the opening theme song for the Japanese television drama
, also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thriller ...
''Dandy Daddy?''. The single reached the top of the weekly charts, making it her 21st consecutive (33rd total) number-one single. "Sunrise/Sunset" is also her 44th single to enter the Top 10, making Hamasaki the artist with the most Top 10 singles ever. Hamasaki's third single of the year, " You Were.../Ballad", was released on December 29, 2009.
Hamasaki's eleventh studio album ''Rock 'n' Roll Circus
''Rock 'n' Roll Circus'' is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on April 14, 2010, by Avex Trax. It was also released just a little over a year after her 2009 album, '' Next Level''. ''Rock 'n ...
'' was released on April 14, 2010. Though the album contained a few "powerful and melodramatic gothic rock" tracks, it was mainly "pure and classic J-pop", with pop-rock songs and ballads. The album topped the charts, making Hamasaki the first female solo artist in twenty years to have ten number-one original studio albums. Hamasaki also began expanding her online presence, setting up accounts on MySpace, Ustream
IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest offices. ...
, and Twitter. In July, entertainment company Livespire announced that Hamasaki's 2009 ''Next Level'' tour would be shown in 3D at Toho cinemas nationwide beginning on August 28.
On July 14, Hamasaki released her forty-eighth single, "Moon/Blossom
"Moon/Blossom" is Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki's forty-eighth (forty-ninth overall) single, released on July 14, 2010. The first song on the single "Moon" is used to promote Honda's Honda Zest, Zest Spark Kei car while the second song "Blossom" i ...
". The single was released as the first of a three-part project to celebrate her yet-unreleased fiftieth single. The two other singles in the project (her forty-ninth and fiftieth singles respectively), " Crossroad" and " L", were released within a week of each other, "Crossroad" on September 22 and "L" on September 29. "Crossroad" was composed by Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
and its coupling was her cover version of Komuro's band TM Network
TM Network is a Japanese rock/new wave/pop musical band, made up by Tetsuya Komuro (keyboardist), Takashi Utsunomiya (vocalist) and Naoto Kine (guitarist). They became popular in Japan as the "futuristic pop songs with synthesizer" after the r ...
's 1988 song "Seven Days War", which was her first cover of a male song. The three singles all topped the Oricon, becoming Hamasaki's twenty-third, twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth consecutive number-one singles and setting a new record for the most consecutive number-one singles by any female artist (solo or group) as well as by any solo artist.
On December 22, Hamasaki released her twelfth original studio album, ''Love Songs
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...
''. On the same day, Naoya Urata of AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
released his debut solo single " Dream On". The song, which featured Hamasaki, was written and produced by her, marking the first record she produced for another singer. ''Love Songs'' and "Dream On" both reached the top spots on their respective Oricon charts. ''Love Songs'' became Hamasaki's fourth consecutive and seventeenth total number-one album. The album also marked Hamasaki's thirteenth consecutive year with a number-one album, breaking her previous record.
In February 2011, it was announced that her arena tour of the year, ''Hotel Love Songs'', would start in April. Shortly after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit, it was announced that the tour was rescheduled to start in late May, and the tour was renamed to ''Power of Music''. Deeply affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami devastation, Hamasaki decided to collaborate with fashion magazine, ''Vivi'', with the sale of charity shirts and the profits going to help the victims in the devastation.
On April 20, 2011, Hamasaki simultaneously released four new remix albums, ''Ayu-mi-x 7'':''House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'', '' Acoustic Orchestra'', '' Trance 4'', '' Ayu-ro Mix 4'', and a '' Limited Complete Box Set'', which were also released internationally on iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
. On that same day, Hamasaki also released '' 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour'' and '' A 50 Singles: Live Selection'' which topped the weekly chart at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. The simultaneous releases made Hamasaki the first artist ever to have 4 albums in Oricon's top 10 and also the first artist to hold 2 top positions in the Oricon DVD chart. Their original release date of March 30 was postponed due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and was pushed back to April 20 instead. On April 21, 2011, it was announced that she would perform in a-nation 10th Anniversary for Life Charge & Go! On May 4, it was announced that she broke another record – the female artist with the highest DVD sales with 2,313,000.
On August 31, Hamasaki released her second mini album ''Five
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
'', her first since ''Memorial Address
''Memorial Address'' (stylized in sentence case) is the first extended play (EP) by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on December 17, 2003 by Avex Trax. ''Memorial Address'' is Hamasaki's longest extended play with a tota ...
'' in 2003. This was her first album to have no singles released. ''Five
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
'' topped the Oricon Charts
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nove ...
for 2 consecutive weeks, her first to do so since '' (Miss)understood''. The lead song, "Progress", was used as a theme song for the videogame, ''Tales of Xillia
is an action role-playing game released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It is the thirteenth main installment of the Tales (video game series), ''Tales'' series and is developed by Namco Tales Studio with Namco Bandai Games as the publisher. ...
''. The album also featured collaborations with singers Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
and Naoya Urata from AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
.
This album managed to be certified Gold by RIAJ
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include p ...
, making Hamasaki's first album not to be certified Platinum. ''Complete Clip Box 1998–2011'', consisting all her music videos from her first single, "Poker Face" until her latest mini-album, ''Five'', was released on January 1, 2012. "How Beautiful You Are" was later released as the theme song for a drama ''Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi
''Second to Last Love'', or , is a Japanese television drama series, starring Kyōko Koizumi and Kiichi Nakai. The series aired Thursdays at 22:00 - 22:54, on Fuji Television from January 12, to March 22, 2012.
A second season entitled was br ...
'', and also Hamasaki's second digital single (55th single overall) on February 8. Hamasaki described the song as a mid-tempo ballad, containing "feelings of gratitude towards another person".
2012–2013: 15th anniversary, ''Party Queen'', ''Love Again'', ''A Summer Best''
In 2012, The International 3D Society announced the winners of its 2012 3D Creative Arts Awards with Hamasaki receiving an award for "Electronic Broadcast Media (Television) – Live Event" for her ''A3D Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A: Next Level'' tour.
On March 21, Hamasaki released her thirteenth studio album, ''Party Queen
''Party Queen'' is the thirteenth full-length studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. The album was released digitally on March 14, 2012 and physically on March 21, 2012 through Avex Trax. Primarily a pop album, ''Party Queen'' ...
'', which was recorded entirely in London. Its title track is inspired by the British slang of being a 'party queen' - someone who is partying hard and looks to be doing well, but is emotionally self-destructing. The album peaked at number two on the Oricon charts, becoming her second studio album to do so after 2008's ''Guilty''. The album spanned themes of grief, isolation, addiction, and regret, with the singer using upbeat dance beats on key tracks to represent the contrast of fame, glitz, and glamor with personal inner turmoil; she would later comment that the album cover includes callbacks to her previous work, ''Duty'', as if "(she) never succeeded in leaving the cage" originally depicted on the latter's own album art. During the press tour for ''Party Queen'', Hamasaki would say that songwriting had been so easy for her during this era, that at one point she had considered making the release her first double album
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
.
On August 6, 2012, Hamasaki released her sixth compilation album ''A Summer Best
''A Summer Best'' (sstylized as 'SUMMER BEST'') is the 6th compilation album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had ...
''. It included two new songs which were digitally released for the promotion of the album: the TRF cover, ''Happening Here
A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow during the 1950s to describe a range of art-related events.
History
Origins
Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happen ...
'', and ''You & Me''.
In September 2012, it was announced that, to commemorate Hamasaki's 15th anniversary in the music industry on April 8, 2013, she would be releasing new material for five consecutive months starting on the 8th day of November, 2012, until the 8th of March, 2013. The first releases were two mini albums, ''Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
'' and ''Again
Again may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS
* '' Again!!'' manga
* ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett
* ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film
Music
* Again (band), a ...
'', which were put on sale on the 8th of November and December, respectively. The third release for the 8th of January was her compilation album '' A Classical'', which included classical arrangements of previously released songs. The fourth release was Hamasaki's 14th studio album, '' Love Again'', which compiled the songs included in the two previous mini albums and debuted atop the weekly Oricon Albums Chart
The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...
. The fifth and final release was the DVD/Blu-ray of her '' Arena Tour 2012 A: Hotel Love Songs'', released in March.
In April 2013 Hamasaki began her '' 15th Anniversary Tour: A Best Live'', which lasted for four months until the end of July. Its setlist was chosen by fans through online voting, and was later released as her first live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
CD on September 18. The DVD and Blu-ray versions were released on October 30, 2013.
On December 25, 2013, Hamasaki released " Feel the Love/Merry-go-round", her first physical single in three years. "Feel the Love" was composed by Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
and produced by Dj Hello Kitty, while "Merry-go-round" was produced by M-Flo
is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa.
Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...
's Taku Takahashi
is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer who debuted in 1997 as a record producer of the hip hop group M-Flo. The group rose to prominence in the early 2000s, with hit singles such as "How You Like Me Now?" and "Come Agai ...
and features rapper Verbal. Both songs are heavily influenced by Western dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
music.
2014–2015: ''Colours'', ''A One'', ''Sixxxxxx''
In January 2014, it was announced that a new song entitled "Pray" was chosen to be the theme song for the anime film '' Osamu Tezuka's Budda 2—Owarinaki Tabi'', which premiered on February 8, 2014, in Japan. The song was released digitally on January 27, 2014. Another new song, entitled " Hello New Me", was presented as theme song for a new season of Fuji TV drama '' Zoku—Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi.'' which started broadcasting in April, 2014. The song was released digitally on May 14, 2014. From May 30 to July 6, 2014, Hamasaki held her '' Premium Showcase: Feel the Love'' tour, on which she offered 11 concerts at 3 locations: Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo. On this tour, Hamasaki abandoned for the first time the traditional format of her previous concerts and presented an uninterrupted, shorter show, on which she also debuted as an aerial acrobat.
Hamasaki's fifteenth studio album, entitled ''Colours
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
'', was released on July 2, 2014. The album featured internationally renowned producers, such as RedOne, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
, Armin van Buuren
Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...
and Fedde le Grand
Fedde Le Grand (; born 7 September 1977) is a Dutch house DJ, record producer and remixer from Utrecht.
Biography
In 2006, his single "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" reached the top five on the Dutch Top 40, number one in the UK Singles Chart a ...
, making the first time in Hamasaki's career in which primarily Western producers were appointed to produce one of her studio albums. ''Colours'' peaked at number five on its first week on the Oricon charts, becoming Hamasaki's first studio album to debut out of the Top 3. However, it also marked a new record for her, as with this achievement she became the second artist in Japan's history—after Yumi Matsutoya
, nicknamed , is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and pianist. Generally the writer of both the lyrics and the music in her songs, she is renowned for her idiosyncratic voice and live performances, and is one of the most prominent figures ...
—to have 47 albums within the Top 10 of the charts.
In September 2014, Hamasaki released two recut singles from ''Colours'': "Terminal
Terminal may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together
* Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line
* Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output dev ...
" and "XOXO" on the PlugAir platform. The single was released under Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
's Machine Shop Records
Machine Shop Records is a record label founded by American rock band Linkin Park members, Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, in 2001. The label is notable for releasing music in rock, hip hop, underground hip hop, alternative rock and nu metal music ...
for the American release.
On October 18, 2014, Hamasaki performed as the closing act in the A-Nation premium concert held at the Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands (abbreviation: MBS) is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. The resort is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and at its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino prop ...
' MasterCard Theatres in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. This was the second time performing in Singapore after her MTV Asia Awards
The MTV Asia Awards was the Asian equivalent of the European MTV EMA. Held from 2002 to 2008, the show gave recognition and awards to Asian and international artists in achievement, cinema, fashion, humanitarian, and music. Just like the EMAs, mos ...
performance 12 years ago.
On November 2, 2014, Hamasaki announced through her official Facebook page that she had started recording new material composed by Tetsuya Komuro, Kunio Tago and Tetsuya Yukumi for a "winter ballad trilogy" single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
. On November 6, 2014, the title of the single was revealed to be "Zutto.../Last Minute/Walk", and its release date was set for December 24, 2014. It would later peak at number five on the Oricon charts. With this achievement, Hamasaki became the first solo artist in Japan's history to have 50 singles within the Top 10 of the Oricon charts. As for artists in general, Hamasaki became the third artist with more Top ten singles since Oricon's foundation in 1968—being surpassed by groups Morning Musume
, formerly simply and colloquially referred to as , are a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most top ten singles with an ...
and SMAP
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-pi ...
, with 57 and 53 Top ten singles respectively
On November 10, 2014, it was announced that Hamasaki would be collaborating in a tribute cover album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
for Hikaru Utada
, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan.
Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...
, entitled ''Utada Hikaru no Uta'', to be released on December 9, 2014. For the album she contributed with a cover of Utada's 1998 single " Movin' on Without You", which was arranged by the RedOne production team. This was reportedly the track Hamasaki insisted she cover, with her later stating that it was the first song she had in mind since being told of the project.
In December 2014 Hamasaki announced that she would be not attending the New Year show Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
for the first time in 15 years. She explained her decision stating that she wanted to lower her responsibilities and things she felt pressured to do, in order to focus on the projects she had for her career, mainly regarding her plans to expand her influence throughout Asia.
On February 15, 2015, Hamasaki made a surprise guest appearance during Singaporean singer JJ Lin
Wayne Lin Junjie (; born 27 March 1981), better known by his stage name JJ Lin, is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Lin launched his musical career by releasing his debut album ''Music Voyager'' (2003). GIO, Taiwa1 ...
's concert in Taipei, Taiwan. They performed a duet version of Hamasaki's 2000 single "Seasons
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
", and announced that JJ Lin would be producing a song for Hamasaki's next studio album, '' A One''.
'' A One'' was released on April 8, 2015, including singles "Zutto...", "Last Minute", "Walk", Utada's cover "Movin' on Without You", and JJ Lin-produced song "The Gift", for which a promotional music video was also made.
Between April and July 2015, Hamasaki embarked on her '' Arena Tour 2015 A: Cirque de Minuit'' tour throughout Japan, which was planned as an expanded version of her previous Countdown Live concerts held in late 2014. The tour consisted of a 34-song setlist show with a duration of 3 hours and 45 minutes, her longest concert held to date. At the final show of the aforementioned tour, Hamasaki announced that she would start another tour in September, this time exclusively for members of her official fan club, TeamAyu. The ''TA Limited Live Tour'', Hamasaki's first fan club exclusive tour in twelve years after 2003, began on September 29, 2015, and included a total of 16 concerts at 7 venues.
In April 2015, a new song entitled " Step by Step" began to be broadcast as the theme song of NHK TV drama ''Bijo to Danshi'', and was subsequently released as a digital single on July 1. It became the lead single for the later released ''Sixxxxxx
''sixxxxxx'' is the sixth extended play by Japanese recording artist and songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. The EP was released on August 5, 2015 by Avex Trax and was produced by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. With all the tracks written by Hamasa ...
'' on August 5, 2015. The mini album featured six new songs, including drama theme song "Step by Step", and "Sayonara", a new song featuring Taiwanese boyband SpeXial. "Sayonara" became #1 on digital downloads charts in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, according to KK BOX, Asia's largest digital distribution site.
In addition, Hamasaki participated as one of the headliners of the A-Nation Stadium Fes 2015 held on August 30 at the Ajinomoto Stadium
, also known as Tokyo Stadium in AFC Champions League, is a multi-purpose stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by United States Forces Japan, in March 2001. It was the fi ...
, where she also performed a cover of Globe
A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe ...
's hit ballad song "Departures". Later in this same year, Hamasaki recorded a cover of Globe's "Many Classic Moments", which was included in the group's tribute album released on December 16, 2015.
On December 23, 2015, Hamasaki released a winter-themed concept album entitled '' Winter Diary: A7 Classical'', which included songs from her previous two albums ''A One'' and ''Sixxxxxx'' remixed with Classical arrangements, and one new song "Winter Diary", which was produced by Tetsuya Komuro. Hamasaki promoted the album by starting an Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account, that originally was stated to only be open until the end of January 2016. She shared pictures of the music video shooting of "Winter Diary" recorded in Taiwan, and also the preparations for her 2015–2016 countdown live concerts.
In December 2015, Hamasaki also contributed with the lyrics of "Diary", using her past composer name of Crea, to the debut single of Micchie. Micchie's single was released on December 23, 2015, through Nippon Crown
is a Japanese record label established as Crown Records on 6 September 1963. It is a spin-off of Nippon Columbia and is owned by karaoke maker Daiichikosho. The record label singles which topped the Oricon Singles Chart are Kaze's "22-Sai no ...
.
2016–2017: ''Made in Japan''
Hamasaki confirmed that she had been working on her seventeenth studio album for 2016 through a post published on Instagram. A 15th anniversary edition of Hamasaki's 2001 greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
''A Best
''A Best'' (stylized as ''BEST'') is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release the greates ...
'' was released on March 28, 2016. In May 2016, Hamasaki started her nationwide tour ''Arena Tour 2016 A: Made in Japan'', which was expanded version of her 2015–2016 Countdown Live ''Made in Tokyo''. On May 11, Hamasaki made a surprise release of her 17th studio album, entitled '' Made in Japan'', through music streaming website AWA, where it reached 1 million legal streams five days after release. The album was released on physical formats on June 29, 2016. With the album peaking at number two on the weekly Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
chart, Hamasaki became the solo-artist with the most top-ten albums (50).
On September 30, 2016, Hamasaki released the digital single " We Are the Queens", which was used as a theme song of smartphone game ''Clash of Queens'' developed by Elex Wireless. Hamasaki herself starred in the TV commercial for the game, which was first broadcast on September 17.
On September 6, 2017, Hamasaki released a new song entitled "Words
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
" as a free download for attenders to her ''Just the Beginning: Sacrifice'' tour, available until November 30 through the mu-mo website.
During 2017 Hamasaki embarked on her ''Just the Beginning -20- Tour 2017'', whose first leg started on May 13, 2017, at Yokohama Arena through July 17 at the Osaka-jō Hall, Osaka. The second leg of the tour, entitled ''Just the beginning Part 2: Sacrifice'', commenced on September 6 at the Pacifico Yokohama National Convention Hall, Yokohama, and is scheduled to end on November 28 at the Shunanshi Bunka Hall, Yamaguchi. A third leg of the tour began on December 2, 2017, at the Wakayama Prefectural Cultural Hall, through February 20, 2018, at the Okinawa Convention Center.
2018–2022: 20th anniversary, ''Trouble'', ''M Aisubeki Hito ga Ite''
Hamasaki embarked on the Power of Music 20th Anniversary arena tour from April 7 to July 22, 2018. She announced her then upcoming seventh extended play, ''Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
''—released on August 15, 2018—on the final day of the tour. Hamasaki also participated in a special concert alongside Crystal Kay
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...
, Daichi Miura
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer.
He also directs his own concerts. He belongs to Rising Production and has a record contract with Avex. He is from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. He has an official fan club called "Daichi ...
, LiSA Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
, and King & Prince
King & Prince is a five-member Japanese idol group under Johnny & Associates that debuted in 2018. The group was originally a Johnny's Jr. unit, ''Mr. King vs Mr. Prince'' that was composed of 2 separate units: Mr. King and Prince. The units lat ...
, on July 25.
In August 2019, popular non-fiction author Narumi Komatsu released a novel about Hamasaki entitled ''M Aisubeki Hito ga Ite
is a non-fiction novel written by Japanese author Narumi Komatsu, published on 1 August 2019, by Gentosha.
The novel is based on the biography of Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki from the period prior to her major debut as a singer, until the ea ...
'', in which it was revealed that the singer has had romantic feelings towards her producer Max Matsuura
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...
. The book was written based on interviews with Hamasaki herself and gives a rare insight in the artist's private life and her road to stardom. The book instantly became a best-seller, and reached #1 in the charts. A television drama-series based on the novel aired from April to July 2020. A 20th anniversary edition of Hamasaki's 1999 album ''Loveppears
''Loveppears'' (stylized as ''LOVEppears'') is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999 through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distrib ...
'' was released on November 10, 2019.
On January 1, 2020, Hamasaki announced she had given birth to her first child. She embarked on a national tour, ''Trouble Tour 2020: Saigo no Trouble'', beginning February 20. The tour was suspended after only two dates due to COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
restrictions imposed by the Japanese government to curb the spread of the virus. On May 19, Hamasaki announced the cancellation of the remaining 36 dates through her official website.
On July 4, a surprise TV-commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
featuring a new song by the singer, titled " Ohia no Ki", was broadcast after the airing of the final episode of ''M Aisubeki Hito ga Ite''. Hamasaki's first new song in two years, it was also her first to have a title in Japanese instead of English. The song was composed by Kazuhito Kikuchi
is a Japanese composer. From 2001 to 2005 he was a member of the J-pop duo Breath.
He has been one of the main song composers for Ayumi Hamasaki and has also written songs for Kumi Koda, Every Little Thing, Ami Suzuki and others. He won the Bes ...
—known for having composed some of Hamasaki's signature songs, such as "Who..." and "Heaven"—with lyrics inspired by her newborn son. "Ohia no Ki" was released on digital platforms in Japan the next day.
The singer held her ''Premium Limited Live A: Natsu No Trouble'' special concert without an in-person audience on July 25; it was streamed live on AbemaTV
Abema (, stylized as ABEMA) is a Japanese live TV streaming website owned by the entertainment company, AbemaTV, Inc. that provides over-the-top media services to customers in Japan. The website primarily acts as an online television network, ...
. A new digital single, " Dreamed a Dream", followed at the end of that month, marking the first time that Hamasaki released two digital singles within the same month. The song was composed by Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
, who previously composed "A Song Is Born
''A Song Is Born'' (also known as ''That's Life''), starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo, is a 1948 Technicolor musical film remake of Howard Hawks' 1941 movie ''Ball of Fire'' with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. This version was also d ...
", "Love Song", and " You & Me". It marked their first collaborative effort since working together on 2015's '' Winter Diary: A7 Classical''.
Hamasaki released the compilation album ''A Ballads 2'' on April 8, 2021, which included remastered versions of 29 previously released songs, as well as the single "Ohia no Ki" and a new cover of Yumi Matsutoya
, nicknamed , is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and pianist. Generally the writer of both the lyrics and the music in her songs, she is renowned for her idiosyncratic voice and live performances, and is one of the most prominent figures ...
's "Haru yo, Koi". Upon its release, Hamasaki commented on her ongoing creative burnout, and how the process of crafting her version of Matsutoya's classic had inspired her:
Alongside ''A Ballads 2'', she released the digital single "23rd Monster" on April 8. In the track, Hamasaki covers the themes of public pressure, self-doubt, and retaking control of one's own life; the title in reference to it being released on the date of her own 23rd anniversary since her major label debut.
In 2022, digital single "Nonfiction" was released on April 22, its lyrics condemning modern waves of false news and conspiracies. This was followed by "Summer Again" at the beginning of July, which had callbacks to previous summer single ''Inspire'' in its music video, shot on Ishigaki Island.
Her third digital single of 2022, "MASK", was released on November 18th. Its later released music video was made in collaboration with TeamLabs.
2023: 25th anniversary, new album
With Hamasaki set to celebrate her 25th anniversary, she has confirmed that she will open the year with her annual New Year concert, with the 2022–2023 iteration named Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2022–2023 A: Remember You. A new album has also been announced for release on January 25th, as yet untitled.
Artistry
Lyrics
Hamasaki's lyrics have resonated among her fans throughout her career, who praise them as being honest and heartfelt and "expressing determination"; in two surveys conducted by Oricon, respondents voted Hamasaki's lyrics as their favorite aspect of her artistry. Steve McClure of ''The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
'' noted that Hamasaki has "developed a reputation as a thoughtful, introspective lyricist"; Barry Walters of ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' comments that Hamasaki's lyrics "pack unlikely insights". Having "trouble voicing her thoughts", Hamasaki uses her lyrics as an outlet; she draws inspiration from her own (and occasionally her friends') experiences and emotions and tries to put them "honestly into words". She has stated that honesty is essential to her lyrics, saying, "If I write when I'm low, it will be a dark song, but I don't care. I want to be honest with myself at all times." This meant that she did not use English lyrics until her album ''Rainbow'', as she felt that she could best express herself in Japanese. As with her musical style, the themes of her lyrics have varied. Her debut album ''A Song for ××'' dealt mostly with themes of "loneliness and confusion", as did her second album ''Loveppears''. ''Duty'' likewise expressed feelings of disappointment and confusion. Hamasaki began to take on a more global outlook with her following albums ''I Am...'' and ''Rainbow'', branching out to wider themes such as faith and peace. Music critic Tetsu Misaki noted a large change in her lyrics style between her debut album ''A Song for ××'' (1999), which mostly dealt with personal problems, and her following albums ''Loveppears'' and ''Duty''. Misaki believed Hamasaki had begun thinking about her influence on society more, and began writing songs with important messages she wanted to express to her listeners. This was signalled by her not using first person pronouns as much, and instead using the words and more often. As Hamasaki matured, her lyrics began to express more confidence; themes in her later albums included love and the struggles of women. With ''Guilty'', Hamasaki began to compose her lyrics not only as an exposition of her personal feelings but as encouragements for her listeners, an outlook she applied in ''Next Level'' as well. In songs such as "Talkin' 2 Myself" and "Mirrorcle World", Hamasaki deals with the "awareness and fighting spirit of surviving in a high-risk age" to encourage listeners. In addition to personal experiences and feelings, Hamasaki bases lyrics on sources such as historical events. The life of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
was the inspiration for " Free & Easy", a story told to her by her friend about a saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
named Mary served as the basis for "M", and the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
inspired "A Song Is Born".[''J-Point''. December 22, 2000. Volume 75.]
Musical style
In addition to writing her own lyrics, Hamasaki has also involved herself in other aspects of production such as artistic direction
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...
. Though Max Matsuura is officially credited as the producer of her records, he said of Hamasaki, "Ayu is a very meticulous worker behind the scenes. A lot of the work she does by herself is more in the producer's arena. I think really we should say 'Produced by umi masaki'."In 2022, Matsuura would state that he began to step away from the lead producer role from around 2000, leaving Hamasaki to coordinate production herself. Until her single "M", however, Hamasaki left the task of composing to her staff; as she has explained, "I'm not a professional; I lack even basic knowledge about writing music." However, she started to compose her own melodies after her staff had failed to compose a tune for "M" that appealed to her. Wanting to produce works faithful to her visions, Hamasaki took control of most aspects of her artistry. ''I Am...'' is representative of this stage in Hamasaki's career; she directed the production of its songs, videos, and artwork. She began to compose less after ''I Am...'': whereas nearly all of ''I Am...'' was her work, only nine of ''Rainbow'' fifteen tracks were composed by her. She was even less involved in the composition of subsequent albums, composing two tracks on ''Memorial Address'', three on ''My Story'', and one on ''(Miss)understood''; since ''Secret'', none of the songs on her studio albums have listed her as a composer. With later albums, Hamasaki also began to delegate to her staff tasks she had once handled herself. Hamasaki cites Madonna, soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
musicians Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
and En Vogue
En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...
, and rock bands Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
as her influences and states that she admires Michelle Branch
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: ''The Spirit Room'' and '' Hotel Paper.'' She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Co ...
, Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
, Joan Osborne
Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...
, Seiko Matsuda
, known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she is still actively releasing new singles and albums, doing annual summer concert tours, win ...
, Rie Miyazawa
is a Japanese actress and former teen idol. She is regarded as one of Japan's top actresses, and her accolades include six Japan Academy Film Prizes and three Kinema Junpo Awards
Miyazawa began her career as a child model, seeing wide exposur ...
, and Keiko Yamada
is the lead vocalist of the pop group Globe. Since 2001, she has had a solo career, starting with the single "A Song Is Born" in collaboration with Ayumi Hamasaki. In late 2003, she released her first solo EP called ''KCO''. Keiko, under the na ...
; these diverse influences have led to the variety of her own music. Hamasaki began commissioning remixes of her songs early in her career, and this practice also influenced the diversity of her music. Found on many of her records, these remixes span different genres of electronic dance music including Eurobeat
Eurobeat refers to two styles of dance music that originated in Europe: one is a British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influencedAng, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. . "Eurorec ...
, house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
, and trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
, as well as acoustic genres such as classical and traditional Chinese music
''Guoyue'' ( 國 樂; literally "national music"; also ''minyue'' (民乐), ''huayue'' (華樂) or ''zhongyue'' (中樂)), nowadays refers to the music composed for Chinese musical instruments, which is an extension of the Chinese traditional ...
. She has employed Western as well as Japanese musicians; among those she has worked with are Above & Beyond, the Lamoureux Orchestra
The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoureu ...
of France,[
For a comprehensive list of Hamasaki's Avex-sanctioned remixes released in Japan, see Hamasaki's discography a]
mu-mo.net
.
and traditional Chinese music ensemble Princess China Music Orchestra. Hamasaki has released more than a hundred original songs; through them, she has covered a wide range of musical styles, such as dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
, R&B, progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
, pop, and classical. She uses different instruments and techniques including piano, orchestra, gospel choirs, guitars, traditional Japanese strings, music box
A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'') ...
es, and effects such as yells, claps, and scratching
Scratching, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ and turntablist technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds. A crossfader on a DJ mixer may be used to fade between two record ...
.
Videos and stage
Hamasaki is often involved in the artistic direction of her music videos. They are often artistic productions through which Hamasaki tries to convey the meaning or feeling of their respective songs. The themes of the videos are varied; she has made "sad and fragile" or "emotional" videos ("Momentum
In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
", "Endless Sorrow
"Endless Sorrow" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released as her 22nd single on May 16, 2001.
Background
This was Hamasaki's fourth single to be composed by herself using the pseudonym ''Crea''. Its original single version, ...
"), "refreshing" summer videos ("Blue Bird", "Fairyland
Fairyland (''Faerie'', Scottish ''Elfame'', c.f. Old Norse '' Álfheimr'') in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchantment, the land ...
"), surreal or "scary" videos (" 1 Love", "Marionette
A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or reveale ...
"), and humorous videos ("Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
", " Angel's Song", " Beautiful Fighters"). Additionally, many of the videos contain short storylines, some of which use symbolism to convey their respective messages. The video of "Voyage" depicts Hamasaki as a woman in a mental hospital whose previous incarnation was a woman in feudal Japan who was sacrificed to the moon; the video of "Endless Sorrow" features a young boy living in a society where speaking is forbidden by law. In the video for "Free & Easy", Hamasaki portrayed a "twenty-first-century Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
" to convey her message "freedom cannot be easily obtained; there is a price to pay for it" and to express her opposition to her marrying at the time; the video for " Ourselves" featured masked people destroying "effigies of amasaki'spast" such as photographs and album covers to symbolize destruction and rebirth. Additionally, the videos of "Fairyland", " My Name's Women", "Jewel", "Green", and " Virgin Road" are among the top twenty or so most expensive music videos, making Hamasaki the only non-American artist to hold such a distinction. Hamasaki is also involved in the production and artistic direction of her live performances; they, like her videos, are often lavish productions and use a variety of props, extravagant costumes, and choreographed dances. She has used large video screens, fireworks, simulated rain drops, trick stage floors, and suspended devices.
Public image and legacy
Hamasaki's lyrics and image have gained a following predominantly among the Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
of Asia, mainly because of the "conflicting or inharmonious beauty" of her fashion and lyrics; Hamasaki's fashions combine Eastern and Western elements, and her songs, unlike those of many of her contemporaries, mostly all have English titles but contained no English lyrics (until ''Rainbow''). Music critic Tetsu Misaki believed that the juxtaposition of her fashionable appearance and her personal lyrics was one of her most important selling points. The popularity of her music extends beyond Japan; she has a "sizable ollowingacross Asia" and is one of the few Japanese singers whose albums have sold over 10,000 copies in Singapore. In 2002, however, Hamasaki's domestic sales began declining due to a sluggish Japanese market and increasing piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
in Japan. As a result, she began moving toward the Asian market in 2002, performing at the 2002 MTV Asia awards in Singapore, at South Korea's "Asia Song Festival
Asia Song Festival, A-Song-Fe or ASF, is an annual Asian pop music festival held in South Korea, since 2004. It is hosted by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) and features artists from Asian countries. Participating ar ...
", and at a concert in Beijing to celebrate Sino-Japanese relations Sino-Japanese is often used to mean:
* Sino-Japanese vocabulary: That portion of the Japanese vocabulary that is of Chinese origin or makes use of morphemes of Chinese origin (similar to the use of Latin/Greek in English).
* Kanbun: A Japanese meth ...
. With her popularity declining (due in part to the rising popularity of other singers), she made a foray into the Asian market, starting with her first tour of Asia in 2007.
Hamasaki is also noted for the visual aspects of her artistry: she is considered a fashion trendsetter, with her influence extending beyond Japan. While maintining tight control over her image, Teresa Nieman of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said that Hamasaki has "married accessible, mainstream hits with over-the-top costumes and high-concept videos", Besides her frequent appearances in fashion magazines, such as '' Vivi'', ''Popteen
''Popteen'' is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the ''Kadokawa Haruki Corporation'' in Japan. The first issue was published on 1 October 1980 by ''Kadokawa Shoten''. Later issues were published by ''Asuka Shinsha'' who bought the ...
'', and ''Cawaii!
''Cawaii!'' is a fashion magazine published in Taiwan, People's Republic of China, Thailand, and previously in Japan.
History and profile
Launched as a monthly gal fashion magazine targeted at women in their teens in Japan in March 1996, ''Cawa ...
'', Hamasaki has often been lauded for her trendy choices in apparels and accessories; Oricon has repeatedly named her the "Most Fashionable Female Artist". Many aspects of Japan's fashions—including clothing, hair, nails, and accessories—have in some way been influenced by her. As with her music, trends Hamasaki started have spread to Asian countries as Taiwan, China, and Singapore. Among the trends Hamasaki has started is ''hime-kei'' (a look inspired by the fashions of 18th century
The 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century, slave trad ...
French aristocracy); she has also heavily influenced the ''kogal
is a Japanese fashion culture that involves schoolgirls wearing an outfit based on Japanese school uniforms (or their actual uniforms) but with very short skirts. The short skirts are worn irrespective of the season. The girls may also wear l ...
'' subculture. Hamasaki's constantly changing image is apparent not only in her fashion photo shoots and commercial endorsements but also in her record covers, an element she considers essential in conveying her message. She has portrayed herself as a vine-clad "peace muse" or "Greek goddess" (on her album ''I Am...''), as a "twenty-first-century Joan of Arc" (for her single "Free & Easy"), and as a "funky Lolita
''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humber ...
".
Though Hamasaki has portrayed herself in earlier releases as a "girl next door
The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in romantic stories. She is so named because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a mutual friendship that later often ...
", she has adopted a more sexualized image since the release of ''Loveppears''. The covers for records including ''Loveppears'', ''I Am...'', ''Rainbow'', and ''Party Queen'' feature Hamasaki in states of partial nudity, for which she has generated controversy. While her music is considered one of the major forces in shaping Japan's current music trends, some critics have also credited clever marketing strategies.
Other activities
Product endorsements
Hamasaki has accepted offers by numerous brands to endorse their products. Throughout her career under Avex, she has promoted products that ranged from electronics ( Tu-Ka cell phones and Panasonic
formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...
) to various snack foods. Among the products she has advertised on television are the Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
Crea scooter, KOSÉ cosmetics, Mister Donut
Mister Donut is an international chain of doughnut stores. It was founded in the United States in 1956 by Harry Winokur. Primary offerings include doughnuts, coffee, muffins and pastries. After being acquired by Allied Domecq in 1990, most of ...
donuts, and Boss coffee. Although Hamasaki initially supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, saying that it was "necessary that he is
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
viewed as a product", she eventually opposed Avex's decision to market her as a "product rather than a person".
Soundtrack appearances
As well as serving as background music for television advertisements, some of Hamasaki's songs have been used as themes for video games, television shows and motion pictures,[For a complete list of the commercial tie-ins of Hamasaki's songs, see her discography.] such as '' Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams'', ''InuYasha
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
'', '' Shinobi: Heart Under Blade'' and ''Tales of Xillia
is an action role-playing game released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It is the thirteenth main installment of the Tales (video game series), ''Tales'' series and is developed by Namco Tales Studio with Namco Bandai Games as the publisher. ...
''.
MTRLG
In 2001, Hamasaki launched her own fashion brand, MTRLG (Material Girl); the clothes were sold at MTRLG boutiques and at Mise S*clusive stores.
Ayupan
In 2002, Hamasaki created Ayupan, a cartoon version of herself that appeared in a line of merchandise (mainly figurines) and in a 2003 cartoon. For her 2007 tour ''Tour of Secret'', Hamasaki collaborated with Sanrio
is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...
to create a line of merchandise, "Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty/", that features Ayupan and Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
together. The merchandise included cell phone straps and Lumix
Lumix is Panasonic's brand of digital cameras, ranging from pocket point-and-shoot models to digital SLRs.
Compact digital cameras DMC-LC5 and DMC-F7 were the first products of the Lumix series, released in 2001.
Most Lumix cameras use di ...
cameras decorated with a picture of Hello Kitty behind Hamasaki's "A" logo;[This is the symbol: . It is used either as a substitute for the letter ''a'' or to represent Hamasaki's name. The titles of six albums, ''Rainbow'', ''A Best'', ''A Ballads'', ''A Best 2 -White-'', ''A Best 2 -Black-'', and ''A Complete'' use this symbol; the titles of these albums appearing as ''RINBOW'', '' Best'', '' Ballads'', '' Best 2 -White-'', '' Best 2 -Black-'', and '' Complete''. (Dashes are commonly used in Japanese script to enclose subtitles.)] the former product was a result of a collaboration with Sanrio and Japanese fashion brand Ash & Diamonds, the latter a collaboration with Sanrio and Panasonic.
''Ayuready?''
From October 2002 to March 2004, Hamasaki was also the host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
* Michel Host ...
of her own talk and variety TV show, '' Ayuready?'', on Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba
today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...
. The talk show, aired on Saturday nights from 11:30 to midnight, often featured her performing songs with guests, among whom were Goto Maki, Puffy, and Akina Nakamori
is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and best-selling artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the talent show ''Star Tanjō!''. Her debut single "Slow M ...
. To promote the program (and her album ''Rainbow''), Hamasaki opened a restaurant, Rainbow House, on Shōnan Beach on July 1, 2003, which was open through August 31, 2003. After less than two years, the last episode of ''Ayuready?'' aired in March 2004.
Philanthropy
In March 2011, Hamasaki donated 30 million yen to relief efforts for the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. She also collaborated with fashion magazine ViVi to sell charity T-shirts.
In 2021 Hamasaki donated 10 million yen to the Japanese National Center for Global Health and Medicine, receiving the Medal of Honor.
During the 2022 typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
aftermath in Shizuoka prefecture, Hamasaki openly criticized the media for "burying" the news and not reporting on the disaster properly. Over a period of three days, she organized a donation point and visited Shizuoka to talk to survivors and coordinate resources.
Personal life
Hamasaki had a seven-year relationship with actor Tomoya Nagase
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and model. He was a member of Tokio, a Johnny & Associates musical group. He was the primary vocalist, in addition to playing the guitar alongside Tokio's leader, Shigeru Joshima.
Career
As an arti ...
, from 2000 to 2007. The pair had known each other since co-starring a TV drama in 1997, and began a romantic relationship in 2000.
On January 1, 2011, Hamasaki announced her engagement to Austrian actor and model Manuel Schwarz, whom Hamasaki met in August 2010 on the set of her music video for " Virgin Road". On January 2, her office announced that she and Schwarz had married in the United States the day before. However, on January 16, 2012, Hamasaki announced on her website that she would divorce Schwarz. The reason for the divorce was that, initially, Hamasaki wanted to move in with Schwarz in the United States but due to the earthquake and tsunami that hit her home country in March, 2011, she strongly desired not to leave Japan.
On December 13, 2013, it was announced on her official TeamAyu site that Hamasaki had become engaged to an American medical student 10 years her junior, whom she had been with since the spring of that year, adding: "As my partner is an ordinary student, I would be very happy if you could watch over us quietly."
On March 3, 2014, the singer announced on her fan club site "TeamAyu" that she was officially married. According to her agency, the couple already finished their marriage procedure in the United States near the end of February. On the 3rd, Hamasaki's mother, as a deputy, submitted the marriage registration to Japan.
On September 11, 2016, Hamasaki announced that she and her husband had separated. On September 30, 2016, she announced that her divorce had been finalized.
With the release of the non-fiction novel ''M Aisubeki Hito ga Ite
is a non-fiction novel written by Japanese author Narumi Komatsu, published on 1 August 2019, by Gentosha.
The novel is based on the biography of Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki from the period prior to her major debut as a singer, until the ea ...
'' in August 2019, it was made public that Hamasaki had a romantic relationship with her producer, Max Matsuura
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...
, from 1998 to 2000.
On January 1, 2020, Hamasaki announced on her official TeamAyu site that she "gave birth to a beautiful angel last year" with keeping the pregnancy a secret. Reports suggest that it was in November and a boy. On October 2, 2020, Hamasaki announced her second pregnancy through her official TeamAyu site, and gave birth to her second child in spring 2021.
Hearing loss
In January 2008, Hamasaki announced on her blog that an inoperable condition, possibly tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...
or Ménière's disease
Ménière's disease (MD) is a disease of the inner ear that is characterized by potentially severe and incapacitating episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Typically, only one ear is affected initial ...
, had caused complete deafness
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
in her left ear. She had been diagnosed with the condition in 2006 and that the problem dated to 2000, when she developed an ear infection but continued to perform against the advice of doctors. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone".[ (Archived version)] On May 20, 2017, she wrote that she is also losing hearing in her right ear, and had experienced dizziness and nausea. She vowed to continue performing, writing: "The stage is where I belong. It's the only place I really, truly exist. I don't know anything else."
Discography
* ''A Song for ××
''A Song for ××'' (the "××" is silent) is the debut album by Japanese pop artist Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickn ...
'' (1999)
* ''Loveppears
''Loveppears'' (stylized as ''LOVEppears'') is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999 through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distrib ...
'' (1999)
* ''Duty
A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; fro, deu, did, past participle of ''devoir''; la, debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may ...
'' (2000)
* '' I Am...'' (2002)
* ''Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' (2002)
* '' My Story'' (2004)
* '' (Miss)understood'' (2006)
* ''Secret
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
'' (2006)
* ''Guilty
Guilty or The Guilty may refer to:
* Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard
Law
*Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction
*Guilt (law) ...
'' (2008)
* '' Next Level'' (2009)
* ''Rock 'n' Roll Circus
''Rock 'n' Roll Circus'' is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on April 14, 2010, by Avex Trax. It was also released just a little over a year after her 2009 album, '' Next Level''. ''Rock 'n ...
'' (2010)
* ''Love Songs
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...
'' (2010)
* ''Party Queen
''Party Queen'' is the thirteenth full-length studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. The album was released digitally on March 14, 2012 and physically on March 21, 2012 through Avex Trax. Primarily a pop album, ''Party Queen'' ...
'' (2012)
* '' Love Again'' (2013)
* ''Colours
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
'' (2014)
* '' A One'' (2015)
* '' Made in Japan'' (2016)
* ''Untitled album'' (2023)
Filmography
Concerts
New Year's Eve concerts
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2000–2001 A'' (2000–2001)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2001–2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her ...
'' (2001–2002)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2002–2003 A
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her su ...
'' (2002–2003)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2004–2005 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2004–2005 A'' is a DVD issued by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It is well-known for its performance of Trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
*Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caus ...
'' (2004–2005)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2005–2006 A
Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2005–2006 A is a DVD issued by a Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on 23 March 2006. It is well-known for its performance of Boys & Girls (Ayumi Hamasaki song), Boys & Girls in which Hamasaki forgets ...
'' (2005–2006)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Best of Countdown Live 2006–2007 A'' (2006–2007)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007–2008 Anniversary
Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007–2008 Anniversary is a concert DVD issued by the Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on June 23, 2008.
History
The DVD contains complete footage from Ayumi Hamasaki's Countdown Live concert welcomi ...
'' (2007–2008)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Countdown Live 2008–2009 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Countdown Live 2008–2009 A'' is Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empr ...
'' (2008–2009)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2009–2010 A: Future Classics'' (2009–2010)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2010–2011 A: Do It Again'' (2010–2011)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2011–2012 A: Hotel Love Songs'' (2011–2012)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2012–2013 A: Wake Up'' (2012–2013)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2013-2014 A'' (2013–2014)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2014–2015 A: Cirque de Minuit'' (2014–2015)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2015–2016 A: Made In Tokyo'' (2015–2016)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2016–2017 A: Just The Beginning 20'' (2016–2017)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2018–2019 A: Trouble'' (2018–2019)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2019–2020: Promised Land A'' (2019–2020)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2021–2022 A: 23rd Monster'' (2021–2022)
Concert tours
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1
''Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1'' is the first session DVD of the live tour of the Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki ...
'' (2000)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.2
''Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.2'' is the second session DVD of the live tour of the Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki ...
'' (2000)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Dome Tour 2001 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her ...
'' (2001)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A'' is a Japanese-language live album released on January 29, 2003, the same day ''Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A'' (Stylized as ayumi hamasaki STADIUM TOUR 2002 A) was also released.
Track listing
# I am… ...
'' (2002)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A'' DVD was released on January 29, 2003, the same day as ''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A'' is a Japanese-language live album released on January 29, 2003, the same day ' ...
'' (2002)
* '' Limited Team Ayu Live Tour'' (2003)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki A Museum: 30th Single Collection Live'' (2003)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2003–2004 A
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her su ...
'' (2003–2004)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2005 A: My Story'' (2005)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006 A: (Miss)understood'' (2006)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2007 A: Tour of Secret'' (2007)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary'' (2008)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A: Next Level'' (2009)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour Final: 7 Days Special'' (2010)
* ''Ayumi Hamasaki Power of Music 2011 A
Ayumi Hamasaki Power of Music 2011 A is Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due t ...
'' (2011)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2012 A: Hotel Love Songs'' (2012)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki 15th Anniversary Tour: A Best Live'' (2013)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Showcase: Feel the Love'' (2014)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2015 A: Cirque de Minuit – The Final'' (2015)
* '' Team Ayu Limited Live Tour 2015'' (2015)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2016 A: Made In Japan'' (2016)
* ''Team Ayu Limited Live Tour 2016
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to info ...
'' (2016)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Just the Beginning 20 Tour 2017'' (2017–2018)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2018: Power of Music 20th Anniversary'' (2018)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Trouble Tour 2018–2019 A'' (2018-2019)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki 21st Anniversary: Power of A^3'' (2019)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Trouble Tour 2019 A: Misunderstood'' (2019)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Limited Live A: Natsu no Trouble'' (2020)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Trouble Tour 2020 A: Saigo no Trouble – Final'' (2020)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Music for Life: Return'' (2021)
* '' Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2021–2022 A: 23rd Monster'' (2021–2022)
Awards
See also
* List of awards received by Ayumi Hamasaki
*List of best-selling music artists
The following list of best-selling music artists includes those music acts from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. This information cannot be listed officially, as there is no organization t ...
*List of best-selling music artists in Japan
The top music artists in Japan include Japanese artists with claims of 15 million or more record sales or with over 2 million subscribers. Japan is the largest physical music market in the world and the second largest overall behind the United ...
*List of J-pop artists
__NOTOC__
This is a list of J-pop artists and groups. Originally an evolution of jazz, and coined New Music, the style went on to become known as City Pop, music with an urban theme. Later called Japan-made Pop, the term was shortened to J-pop a ...
Footnotes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamasaki, Ayumi
1978 births
20th-century Japanese actresses
20th-century Japanese businesswomen
20th-century Japanese composers
20th-century Japanese women singers
20th-century Japanese singers
20th-century women composers
21st-century Japanese actresses
21st-century Japanese businesswomen
21st-century Japanese composers
21st-century Japanese women singers
21st-century Japanese singers
21st-century women composers
Avex Trax artists
Deaf actresses
Deaf musicians
Deaf people from Japan
Japanese dance musicians
Japanese electronic musicians
Japanese female dancers
Japanese female models
Japanese film actresses
Japanese hip hop musicians
Japanese idols
Japanese record producers
Japanese television actresses
Japanese trance musicians
Japanese voice actresses
Japanese women composers
Japanese women in electronic music
Japanese women pop singers
Japanese women record producers
Japanese women rock singers
Japanese women singer-songwriters
Living people
Musicians from Fukuoka Prefecture
Nippon Columbia artists
People from Fukuoka
Spokespersons
World Music Awards winners