''Memorial Address'' (stylized in

sentence case Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is the first

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by Japanese recording artist

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 success and relevanc ...

. It was released on December 17, 2003 by Avex Trax. ''Memorial Address'' is Hamasaki's longest extended play with a total of eight tracks. The album's composition and arrangement was handled by several musicians, such as Tetsuya Yukumi, Bounceback, CMJK,

Dai Nagao Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the fact that ...

, among others. Hamasaki contributed to the album as the primary and background vocalist, composer, and songwriter to every song. Three different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a CD and DVD bundle, and a digital release. It was Hamasaki's first album to be released as a CD+DVD package, a marketing strategy her label would often employ throughout her career. Upon the album's release, it was met with favourable reviews from music critics. Critics highlight individual songs for their production and composition, and commended the singles' commercial appeal. ''Memorial Address'' became Hamasaki's first extended play to reach the top spot on Japan's

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 ...

. It was certified million 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 Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

(RIAJ) for shipments of one million units in that region, making it the first extended play by a female artist to achieve this. Two singles and one EP were released from the album. Hamasaki promoted the EP on her 2003 and 2004 arena tour in Japan.

Background and composition

''Memorial Address'' is Hamasaki's first

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP). It is currently her longest EP with eight tracks, tallying up to nearly 40 minutes. For the album, Hamasaki's record label Avex Trax hired several Japanese musicians, such as Tetsuya Yukumi, Bounceback, CMJK,

, among others. Those producers are just some of whom worked with Hamasaki on her fourth studio album, the predecessor ''

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). ''Memorial Address'' is also Hamasaki's first extended play to be composed, arranged, and produced by Japanese producers and composers. She contributed to the album as the primary and background vocalist, composer, and songwriter to every song. She composed two songs with Nagao; "Hanabi: Episode II" and "

Forgiveness Forgiveness, in a psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may initially feel victimized or wronged, goes through a change in feelings and attitude regarding a given offender, and overcomes the impact of th ...

Track listing

Release history

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan) * Total Sales: 1,115,000 (Japan) * Total Sales: 1,410,000 (Avex) * Highest selling mini-album by a female artist. * Only mini-album by a female artist to sell over one million units.

Singles

Total Single Sales: 1,365,000 Total Album and Single Sales: 2,480,000

Notes

References

{{Authority control Ayumi Hamasaki EPs 2003 EPs Avex Group EPs Japanese-language EPs