"Terminal" is a song by Japanese musician

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 ...

. Produced by Dutch trance DJ

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 ...

, the song was released as a single from her fifteenth studio album '' Colours'' on October 1, 2014.

Background

Re-cut singles that were songs present on an already released album were common in Hamasaki's career, however "Terminal" is the first instance since " Daybreak" from her fourth studio album '' I Am...'', released in 2002. Hamasaki had first collaborated with Armin van Buuren in 2001, when he remixed her song "

Appears "Appears" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax on November 10, 1999 as the sixth single from her second studio album ''Loveppears'' (1999), which was released on the same day. Alongside thi ...

" for '' Cyber Trance Presents Ayu Trance'', with "Appears (Armin van Buuren's Sunset Dub)" later appearing on '' Cyber Trance Presents Ayu Trance 2'' (2002).

Writing and production

The song was written and produced by

, as well as his long-time collaborator Benno de Goeij. The dub remix featured on the single was used by van Buuren in his personal DJ sets. Hamasaki recorded the vocals for the song at Record Plant Recording Studios in Los Angeles.

Release and promotion

For Hamasaki's Premium Showcase: Feel the Love tour in May and June 2014, tour exclusive singles were released at each of the three venues she performed at. For her performances at the

Nippon Gaishi Hall , formerly Nagoya Rainbow Hall, is an indoor sports arena located in Nagoya, Japan. From April 1, 2007, its name was changed to Nippon Gaishi Hall, to reflect the sponsorship of the NGK Insulators. The capacity of the arena is 10,000 people. The ...

in Nagoya on May 30, May 31 and June 1, 2014, a single featuring "XOXO" and "Terminal" was released. The song was first performed at the showcase, in a trance DJ set also featuring "

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 ...

" (2002). The song was initially given a wide release on June 18, when the ''Colours'' album was released digitally. The dub mix of the song was released globally on September 15, though van Buuren's label Armind. It also featured on ''A State Of Trance at Ushuaïa, Ibiza 2014'', a mix CD created by van Buuren compiling the music played at his residency show at the Ushuaïa Beach Hotel in Ibiza. The single's Japanese release was timed to be released at the same time as Ultra Japan, an EDM festival in Odaiba, Tokyo held on September 27 and 28, 2014. On the same day as the single's release, Hamasaki released her song "XOXO" as a Plug Air: a new format featuring a physical device that plugs into cellphones to stream content.

Track listings

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from "Terminal"'s liner notes booklet. Musicians and personnel *Armin van Buuren – music, production *Benno de Goeij – music, production *Ayumi Hamasaki – lyrics, vocals *Dave Kutch – mastering

Chart rankings

Sales

Release history

References

{{Ayumi Hamasaki singles 2014 songs 2014 singles Japanese-language songs Ayumi Hamasaki songs Songs written by Ayumi Hamasaki Songs written by Armin van Buuren Avex Trax singles Song recordings produced by Max Matsuura Songs written by Benno de Goeij