junk magnet : music : jpop : hikaru utada

If you are Japanese, you probably know Hikaru Utada. Her first Japanese album, [First Love], has gone platinum many times over. She sells out stadiums, has singes that dominate the charts for months, and is practically the archetypal version of a Japanese "idol", with a difference.

Raised in New York City, she speaks English actually more fluently than Japanese, although she more than holds her own with native speakers of either language. She was raised in a musical family, and was singing and songwriting from a very early age. In fact, her first release was actually in the US, an album called [Precious], under the name of Cubic U, which was noticed only after her recent Japanese superstardom.

It's hard for me to accurately express what a big deal Hikaru Utada has been in Japan for the past 2 years. Her smooth R & B singing style, combined with well-produced dancy (and very modern) backing tracks, would have been enough for success, but since she also threw out such excellent English, intermixed with the fine Japanese lyrics that she wrote, most everyone was immediately enamored. It didn't hurt that she specializes in love songs with a modern, strong girl/woman slant, and is very cute with a certain "Western" flair.

Foreign yet immediately accessible and understandable, Hikki was a phenomenon just waiting to happen. And happen she did - [First Love] spawned single after single, and her follow up songs like [Addicted To You], [Wait & See] and [For You] were immediate and well-deserved hits. Her third album, [Distance] collected all of these songs, along with great new tracks like [Kettobase], and was without question one of the best records of 2001.

2002 saw more hit singles, and an acccomplished album, [Deep River], that fully cemented Hikki in the pantheon of pop stars never to be forgotten. Furthermore, 2004 introduced her new incarnation - now simply Utada - to the US musical scene with [Exodus], all-new material sung entirely in English. I can whole-heartedly recommend these or any of her other releases - check her out today.

hikaru utada

Hikaru Utada: Lyrics, Vocals

hikaru utada - news

New Album Out 6.14.2006

Ultra Blue

6th Album:
[Ultra Blue]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-26067
6.14.2006

Includes new favorites like [COLORS], [Be My Last] and [Passion].

Track Listing of [Ultra Blue]:

01. This Is Love
02. Keep Tryin'
03. BLUE
04. Nichiyou No Asa (Sunday Morning)
05. Making Love
06. Dareka No Negai Ga Kanau Koro
07. COLORS
08. One Night Magic feat. Yamada Masashi
09. Kaiji (Sea Route)
10. WINGS
11. Be My Last
12. Eclipse (Interlude)
13. Passion

New Single Out 2.22.2006

Keep Tryn'

16th Single:
[Passion]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5005
2.22.2006

New Single Out 12.14.2005

Passion

15th Single:
[Passion]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5003
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5004 (with DVD)
12.14.2005

Theme to the [Kingdom Hearts II] video game. One version comes with a DVD clip.

New Single Out 9.28.2005

Be My Last

14th Single:
[Be My Last]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5001
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5002 (with DVD)
9.28.2005

I'm waiting on my copy in the mail; I'm sure it will be great. Please notice that one version comes with a DVD clip.

New Album Now Out

Deep River

[Exodus]
Universal UICL-1046
9.8.2004

Another fine work. Look for excellent tracks like [Devil Inside], [Tippy Toe] and [Hotel Lobby]. Released in the US on 10.5.2004.

Track Listing of [Exodus]:
1. Opening
2. Devil Inside
3. Exodus 04
4. THE WORKOUT
5. Easy Breezy
6. Tippy Toe
7. Hotel Lobby
8. Animato
9. Crossover Interlude
10. Kremlin Dusk
11. You Make Me Want To Be A Man
12. Wonder 'Bout
13. Let Me Give You My Love
14. About Me

4th Album Now Out

Deep River

[Deep River]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-24819
6.19.2002

Simply great. More atmospheric than past releases, and chock full of great songs, like the singles [Sakura Drops], [Travelling], [Final Distance] and [Hikari].

Track Listing of [Deep River]:
01. SAKURA Drops
02. traveling
03. Shiawaseni Narou
04. Deep River
05. Letters
06. Play Ball
07. Tokyo NIGHTS
08. A.S.A.P.
09. Uso Mitaina I Love You
10. FINAL DISTANCE
11. Bridge (Interlude)
12. Hikari

Travel to Hikki's Page for sound clips.

hikaru utada - releases

JM = Junk Magnet has this

Automatic

1st Album:
Cubic U
[Precious]

Automatic

1st Single:
[Automatic]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4127 (12cm)
Toshiba-EMI TODT-5242 (8cm)
12.9.1998

Automatic

2nd Single:
[Movin' on Without You]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4138 (12cm)
Toshiba-EMI TODT-5267 (8cm)
2.17.1999

First Love

2nd Album:
[First Love] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-24067
3.10.1999

First Love

3rd Single:
[First Love]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4150 (12cm)
Toshiba-EMI TODT-5300 (8cm)
4.28.1999

Addicted to You

4th Single:
[Addicted To You] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4180
11.10.1999

Automatic

5th Single:
[Wait & See] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-22070
4.19.2000

For You / Time Limit

6th Single:
[For You / Time Limit] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4230
6.30.2000

Can You Keep a Secret?

7th Single:
[Can You Keep a Secret?] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-4301
2.16.2001

Distance

3rd Album:
[Distance] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-24601
3.28.2001

Final Distance

8th Single:
[Final Distance]
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-4311
7.25.2001

Traveling

9th Single:
[Travelling] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-4351
11.28.2001

Hikari

10th Single:
[Hikari]
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-4361
3.20.2002

Sakura Drops

11th Single:
[Sakura Drops / Letters]
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-4381
5.9.2002

Deep River

4th Album:
[Deep River] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOTC-24819
6.19.2002

Colors

12th Single:
[Colors] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4455
1.29.2003

Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro

13th Single:
[Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-4700
4.21.2004

Deep River

Best Of Album:
[Single Collection Vol. 1]
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-25300
4.31.2004

Deep River

5th Album:
[Exodus] JM
Universal UICL-1046
9.8.2004

Be My Last

14th Single:
[Be My Last] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5001
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5002 (with DVD)
9.28.2005

Passion

15th Single:
[Passion] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5003
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5004 (with DVD)
12.14.2005

Keep Tryn'

16th Single:
[Keep Tryn'] JM
Toshiba-EMI TOCT-5005
2.22.2006

videos

VHS
[Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 1]
TOVF-1340
12.16.1999

DVD
[Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 1]
TOBF-5020
12.16.1999

DVD Single
[Wait & See - Risk]
TOBF-5031
6.30.2000

VHS
[Bohemian Summer]
TOVF-1360
12.9.2000

DVD
[Bohemian Summer]
TOVF-5060
12.9.2000

VHS
[Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2]
TOVF-1370
9.27.2001

DVD
[Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2]
TOBF-5110
9.27.2001

VHS
[Utada Hikaru Unplugged]
TOBF-5110
11.28.2001

DVD
[Utada Hikaru Unplugged]
TOVF-1380
11.28.2001

Go to Hikki's official discography for songs clips and more info.