Life and music career Ayumi Hamasaki

1 life , music career

1.1 childhood , endeavors
1.2 1998–99: musical beginnings, song xx , loveppears
1.3 2000–02: duty, compilation releases, am... , rainbow
1.4 2003–06: decline in sales, story, (miss)understood , secret
1.5 2007–08: compilation releases , guilty
1.6 2009–11: next level, rock n roll circus , five
1.7 2012–13: 15th anniversary, love again , compilation releases
1.8 2014–2015: colours, one, sixxxxxx
1.9 2016: made in japan

life , music career
childhood , endeavors

born in fukuoka prefecture, hamasaki raised child mother , grandmother. father had left family when 3 , never again came contact her. hamasaki s mother worked support family, hamasaki taken care of grandmother. described herself tomboy when teenager, , “strange kid” “liked alone”.

at age seven, hamasaki began modeling local institutions, such banks, in order supplement family s income. continued career path leaving family @ fourteen , moving tokyo model under sos, talent agency. modeling career did not last long; sos deemed short model , transferred sun music, musicians agency. under name of ayumi , hamasaki released rap ep, nothing nothing, on nippon columbia label in 1995. dismissed label when album failed chart on oricon. after failure, hamasaki took acting , starred in b-movies such ladys ladys!! sōcho saigo no hi , television dramas such miseinen, poorly received public. august 1995 march 1996, hamasaki co-hosted soundlink magazine hōkago no Ōsama (after-school king) nintendo satellaview once week shigeru izumiya. growing dissatisfied job, hamasaki quit acting , moved in mother, had moved tokyo.

hamasaki student, earning grades in junior high school. eventually, lost faith in curriculum, thinking subjects taught of no use her. grades worsened refused put mind studies. while living in tokyo, attempted further studies @ horikoshi gakuen, high school arts, dropped out in first year. hamasaki did not attend school or have job, spent of time shopping @ shibuya boutiques , dancing @ velfarre, avex-owned disco club.

at velfarre, introduced future producer, max matsuura, through friend. after hearing hamasaki sing karaoke, matsuura offered recording deal, hamasaki suspected ulterior motives , turned offer down. persisted , succeeded in recruiting avex label in following year. hamasaki started vocal training, skipped of classes after finding instructors rigid , classes dull. when confessed matsuura, sent new york train vocals under method. during foreign sojourn, hamasaki corresponded matsuura , impressed him style of writing. on return japan, suggested try writing own lyrics.

1998–99: musical beginnings, song xx , loveppears

hamasaki made debut under avex @ 19 on april 8, 1998 single poker face . it—and following 4 singles—were not major hits, each release better last, gradually increasing exposure , presence on market. hamasaki s debut album, song ×× (1999), likewise unassuming : tracks, composed yasuhiko hoshino, akio togashi (of da pump), , mitsuru igarashi (of every little thing), cautious pop-rock songs. however, hamasaki s lyrics, introspective observations feelings , experiences focused on loneliness , individualism, resonated japanese public. songs gained hamasaki growing following, , release of album success: topped oricon charts 5 weeks , sold on million copies. achievements, earned japan gold disc award best new artist of year .

with ayu-mi-x (march 1999), first of series of remix albums, hamasaki began moving beyond pop-rock of song ×× , began incorporate different styles including trance, dance, , orchestra. hamasaki began experiment different musical styles in singles well, releasing dance tunes , ballads remixes on singles spanned reggae , house. singles milestones: hamasaki earned first number-one single ( love: destiny ) , first million-selling single ( ). second studio album, loveppears (november 1999), not topped oricon charts, sold 3 million copies. album showcased change in hamasaki s lyrics. though lyrics of loveppears still dealt loneliness, many of them written third-person perspective. in support of loveppears, held first tour, ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 a.

a film xx first video clip collection ayumi hamasaki, released on september 15, 1999.

2000–02: duty, compilation releases, am... , rainbow

from april june 2000, hamasaki released trilogy , series of singles consisting of vogue , far away , , seasons . lyrics of these songs focused on hopelessness, reflection of hamasaki s disappointment had not expressed herself thoroughly in of previous lyrics , sense of shame of public image. likewise, many of songs wrote subsequent studio album, duty (september 2000), involved feelings of loneliness, chaos, confusion, , burden of responsibilities. described feelings after writing unnatural , nervous . musical style darker well; in contrast loveppears, duty rock-influenced album 1 dance song, audience . duty resonated fans: trilogy hit singles ( seasons million-seller), , album became hamasaki s best-selling studio album. @ end of 2000, hamasaki held first new year countdown concert @ yoyogi national gymnasium.

in 2001, avex forced hamasaki release first compilation album, best, on march 28, putting album in competition hikaru utada s second studio album, distance. competition between 2 singers (which both claimed merely creation of record companies , media) supposedly reason success of albums; both sold on 5 million copies. in support of duty , best, hamasaki held tour of japan s domes, making 1 of few top-drawer japanese artists hold concert @ tokyo dome.

i am... (january 2002) marked several milestones hamasaki. hamasaki increased control on music composing of songs on album under pseudonym crea , of 2000 single m first. connected (november 2002) , song born (december 2001) exceptions. am... showed evolution in hamasaki s lyrical style: retreat themes of loneliness , confusion of of earlier songs. moved september 11 attacks, hamasaki revised vision of am..., focusing on issues such faith , world peace. song born , in particular, directly influenced events. single, duet keiko yamada, released part of avex s non-profit song nation project, raised money charity. dropped planned cover , opted instead portrayed peace muse , explaining,

i had different idea cover @ first. d reserved space, decided hair , makeup , everything. after incident, typical of me, changed mind. knew wasn t time gaudiness, elaborate sets , costumes. sounds odd coming me, realize , how has great impact.

the outlook inspired september 11 attacks extended beyond am.... in 2002, hamasaki held first concert outside japan, @ mtv asia music awards ceremony in singapore, move interpreted beginning of campaign prompted sluggish japanese market. @ ceremony, received award influential japanese singer in asia . in support of am..., hamasaki held 2 tours, ayumi hamasaki arena tour 2002 , ayumi hamasaki stadium tour 2002 a. in november 2002, ayu , released first european single, connected , trance song am... composed dj ferry corsten. released in germany on drizzly label. hamasaki continued release singles (all of them remixes of released songs) in germany on drizzly until 2005.

in april 2002, hamasaki released single free & easy . in collaboration magazine free&easy, hamasaki released hamasaki republic, photobook special issue of free&easy, in conjunction single. h , hamasaki s next single, became best-selling single of 2002. hamasaki released last single of 2002, voyage , on september 26. in lieu of regular-length music video, short film tsuki ni shizumu, starring hamasaki, created voyage , released @ select theater in shibuya. hamasaki s next studio album, rainbow (december 2002) first use english lyrics. after performing @ 2002 mtv asia music awards, hamasaki felt writing japanese lyrics, not able bring message other countries. realizing english common global language , included english lyrics in 3 songs. album stylistically diverse; hamasaki included rock- , trip hop-influenced tracks summery , up-tempo , grand gothic songs , experimented new techniques such gospel choruses , yells of audience. lyrics varied: themes in album included freedom, struggles of women, , summer ends in sadness .

2003–06: decline in sales, story, (miss)understood , secret

hamasaki performing in (miss)understood tour

in 2003, hamasaki released 3 singles, & , forgiveness , , no way . celebrate release of thirtieth single ( forgiveness ), hamasaki held museum concert @ yoyogi national gymnasium. mini-album memorial address (december 2003) first album released in cd+dvd format in addition regular cd-only format, decision came increased interest in direction of music videos. previous albums, memorial address topped oricon chart , sold on million copies. sales of hamasaki s singles began wane. although 3 of album s singles topped oricon charts, & hamasaki s last single sell on 500,000 copies.

by end of arena tour 2003–2004, hamasaki had grown dissatisfied position in avex: felt company treating product instead of person. along dissatisfaction on last 2 studio albums (which thought had been rushed), led begin work on story (december 2004) early. in contrast previous albums, story had no set theme, nor did hamasaki attempt write or give people hope ; rather, wrote freely , honestly. result, album contained autobiographical lyrics emotions , reminiscences of career. approached composition of music same freedom lyrics, album s notable rock overtones expressing liking rock music. pleased result declared story first album felt satisfied with. story , singles, moments , inspire , , carols , topped weekly oricon charts; moreover, sales of on 1,100,000 units, story became hamasaki s last million-selling studio album according oricon. january april 2005, hamasaki held nationwide story arena tour, first album-based tour. in january, began working lamoureux orchestra create story classical, classical version of story; album served alter-ego of aggressive story. orchestra created classical version of song born , included on story classical , hamasaki performed @ opening of expo 2005.

hamasaki performing song part of me in tour of secret

(miss)understood (january 2006), hamasaki s seventh studio album, showed new musical directions. wanting sing tune of group sweetbox, hamasaki obtained permission of sweetbox composer roberto geo rosan use demo songs had intended use in sweetbox s upcoming album. edited songs fit personal vision, rewriting lyrics , rearranging of songs. result more musically diverse previous album; (miss)understood included ballads, funk, dance-pop, r&b, , rock songs. of (miss)understood s singles reached top of oricon; bold & delicious became hamasaki s twenty-fifth number-one single, tying seiko matsuda record of number-one singles solo female artist. though (miss)understood reached top of charts, oricon stated sold fewer million copies—hamasaki s first studio album so. in support of album, hamasaki held (miss)understood arena tour, spanned 3 months thirty concerts, saitama on march 11, 2006, yoyogi on june 11, 2006.

hamasaki s first single of 2006, startin , became hamasaki s twenty-sixth number-one single, setting new record number-one singles held solo female artist. subsequent studio album, secret, released in november 2006. secrets was, appropriately, theme of album; album explored strong female figures, love, , sadness; songs depicted artist s struggles , written encourage women. although secret intended mini-album, hamasaki began brimming things while producing album , wrote 5 more songs. album consisted of rock songs , ballads; complement these, hamasaki experimented new vocal techniques. album topped oricon weekly charts, making hamasaki artist have 8 consecutive number-one studio albums. sales, however, continued decline: according both oricon , riaj, secret failed sell million copies.

2007–08: compilation releases , guilty

on february 28, 2007, hamasaki released best 2, pair of compilation albums containing songs am... (miss)understood. 2 versions, white , black, debuted @ first , second positions on oricon weekly charts, making hamasaki first female artist in thirty-six years hold top 2 positions on oricon album chart. @ end of 2007, pair became japan s fifth , seventh best-selling albums of year respectively. in support of best 2 , secret, hamasaki held four-month-long tour of secret march end of june. first international tour, , aside japan, performed in taipei, shanghai, , hong kong. foreign fanbase highly anticipated concerts, , tickets taipei , hong kong performances sold out in less 3 hours.

hamasaki in paris filming of music video mirrorcle world

in july 2007, hamasaki released first single in on year, glitter/fated . short film, distance love, used music video glitter , fated . film, shot in hong kong, co-starred hong kong actor shawn yue hamasaki s romantic interest. glitter/fated , following single talkin 2 myself reached top of respective charts, continuing hamasaki s streak of number-one singles. in december, hamasaki released first digital-only single, when... , topped riaj s monthly download chart. unlike predecessors, writing of hamasaki s ninth studio album, guilty (january 2008), not emotional experience her, nor did have set theme. however, said later album s tracks appeared tell story. of songs dark; album had notable rock tinge. contained upbeat dance tracks , ballads, though latter had rock overtones. guilty peaked @ number-two position on weekly oricon charts, making hamasaki s first studio album not reach top , ended hamasaki s streak of 8 consecutive number-one albums. guilty later released digital album in twenty-six countries outside japan, nineteen of them western nations. that, along hamasaki s decision employ western djs such young punx, coldcut, para 1 , armand van helden 2008 remix albums ayu-mi-x 6: gold , ayu-mi-x 6: silver, has been interpreted first step global market.

hamasaki (bottom center) in london group of european fans

in april 2008, commemorate tenth anniversary in avex, hamasaki released single mirrorcle world ; topped oricon, making hamasaki female solo artist have number-one single every year ten consecutive years. hamasaki held second tour of asia, asia tour 2008: 10th anniversary, celebrate tenth anniversary. april until june, toured japan, holding seventeen concerts. taiwan, hong kong, , shanghai again foreign stops after domestic performances. on september 10, 2008, hamasaki released complete: singles, compilation album includes a-sides of singles along unreleased footage a-nation concerts 8th best selling album of 2008.

2009–11: next level, rock n roll circus , five

hamasaki s next 2 singles, days/green (december 2008) , rule/sparkle (february 2009), continued hamasaki s streak of number-one singles. rule used international theme song film dragonball evolution. subsequent studio album, next level, released on march 25, 2009 in several formats: cd, cd+dvd, 2cd+dvd , two-gigabyte usb flash drive. sonically, next level electronic dance album. next level reached top of oricon charts, making hamasaki artist have number-one album every year eleven years in row since debut. however, album certified double platinum, making hamasaki s lowest-selling studio album date. on august 12, 2009, hamasaki released forty-sixth single, sunrise/sunset (love all) . sunrise (love all) , 1 of a-sides, being used opening theme song japanese television drama dandy daddy?. single reached top of weekly charts, making twenty-first consecutive (thirty-third total) number-one single. sunrise/sunset forty-fourth single enter top 10, making hamasaki artist top 10 singles ever. hamasaki s third single of year, were.../ballad , released on december 29, 2009. hamasaki s eleventh studio album rock n roll circus released on april 14, 2010. though album contained few powerful , melodramatic gothic rock tracks, pure , classic j-pop , pop-rock songs , ballads. album topped charts, making hamasaki first female solo artist in twenty years have ten number-one original studio albums. hamasaki began expanding online presence, setting accounts on myspace, ustream, , twitter. in july, entertainment company livespire announced hamasaki s 2009 next level tour shown in 3d @ toho cinemas nationwide beginning on august 28.

on july 14, hamasaki released forty-eighth single, moon/blossom . single released first of three-part project celebrate yet-unreleased fiftieth single. 2 other singles in project (her forty-ninth , fiftieth singles respectively), crossroad , l , released within week of each other, crossroad on september 22 , l on september 29. crossroad composed tetsuya komuro , coupling cover version of komuro s band tm network s 1988 song 7 days war , first cover of male song. 3 singles topped oricon, becoming hamasaki s twenty-third, twenty-fourth , twenty-fifth consecutive number-one singles , setting new record consecutive number-one singles female artist (solo or group) solo artist. on december 22, hamasaki released twelfth original studio album, love songs. on same day, naoya urata of aaa released debut solo single dream on . song, featured hamasaki, written , produced well, marking first record produced singer. love songs , dream on both reached top spots on respective oricon charts. love songs became hamasaki s fourth consecutive , seventeenth total number-one album. album marked hamasaki s thirteenth consecutive year number-one album, breaking old record.

in february 2011, announced arena tour of year, hotel love songs, start in april. shortly after 2011 tohoku earthquake , tsunami hit, announced tour rescheduled start in late may , tour renamed power of music. affected tohoku earthquake , tsunami devastation, hamasaki decided collaborate fashion magazine, vivi, sale of charity shirts , profits going victims in devastation. on april 20, 2011, hamasaki simultaneously released 4 new remix albums, ayu-mi-x 7:house, acoustic orchestra, trance 4, ayu-ro mix 4, , limited complete box set, released internationally on itunes. on same day, hamasaki released 2010 rock n roll circus tour , 50 singles: live selection topped weekly chart @ no. 1 , no. 2 respectively. simultaneous releases made hamasaki first artist ever have 4 albums in oricon s top 10 , first artist hold 2 top positions in oricon dvd chart. original release date of march 30 postponed due 2011 tohoku earthquake , tsunami , pushed april 20 instead. on april 21, 2011, announced perform in a-nation 10th anniversary life charge & go! on may 4, announced broke record – female artist highest dvd sales 2,313,000.

on august 31, hamasaki released second mini album five, first since memorial address in 2003. first album have no singles released. 5 topped oricon charts 2 consecutive weeks, first since (miss)understood. lead song, progress , used theme song videogame, tales of xillia. album features collaborations, singers juno , naoya urata aaa. album managed certified gold riaj, making hamasaki s first album not certified platinum. complete clip box 1998–2011, consisting music videos first single, poker face till latest mini-album, five, released on january 1, 2012. how beautiful theme song drama saigo kara nibanme no koi, , hamasaki s second digital single (55th single overall), released on february 8. hamasaki describe song mid-tempo ballad , feeling of gratitude towards someone.

2012–13: 15th anniversary, love again , compilation releases

in 2012, international 3d society announced winners of 2012 3d creative arts awards hamasaki receiving award electronic broadcast media (television) – live event a3d ayumi hamasaki arena tour 2009 (next level) tour. on march 21, hamasaki released thirteenth studio album, party queen. album peaked @ number 2 on oricon charts, becoming second studio album after 2007 s guilty. on august 6, 2012, hamasaki released sixth compilation album summer best. included 2 new songs digitally released promotion of album: trf cover, happening here, , & me.

in september 2012, announced that, commemorate hamasaki s 15th anniversary in music industry on april 8, 2013, releasing new material 5 consecutive months starting on 8th day of november, 2012, until 8th of march, 2013. first releases 2 mini albums, love , again, put on sale on 8th of november , december, respectively. third release 8th of january compilation album classical, included classical arrangements of released songs. fourth release hamasaki s 14th studio album, love again, compiled songs included in 2 previous mini albums. , fifth dvd/blu-ray of arena tour 2012: hotel love songs, released in march.　in april 2013 hamasaki began 15th anniversary tour: best live, lasted 4 months until end of july. setlist chosen fans through online voting, , later released first live album cd on september 18. dvd , blu-ray versions released on october 30, 2013. on december 25, 2013, hamasaki released feel love/merry-go-round , first physical single in 3 years. feel love composed tetsuya komuro , produced dj hello kitty, while merry-go-round produced m-flo s taku takahashi , features rapper verbal. both songs heavily influenced western dance-pop music.

2014–2015: colours, one, sixxxxxx

in january 2014, announced new song entitled pray chosen theme song anime film osamu tezuka s budda 2—owarinaki tabi, premiered on february 8, 2014 in japan. song released digitally on january 27, 2014. new song, entitled hello new me , presented theme song new season of fuji tv drama zoku—saigo kara nibanme no koi. started broadcasting in april, 2014. song released digitally on may 14, 2014. may 30 july 6, 2014, hamasaki held premium showcase: feel love tour, on offered 11 concerts @ 3 locations: nagoya, osaka , tokyo. on tour hamasaki abandoned first time traditional format of previous concerts , presented uninterrupted, shorter show, on debuted aerial acrobat. hamasaki s fifteenth studio album, entitled colours, released on july 2, 2014. album featured internationally renowned producers, such redone, rodney jerkins, armin van buuren , fedde le grand, making first time in hamasaki s career in western producers appointed produce 1 of studio albums. colours peaked @ number 5 on first week on oricon charts, becoming hamasaki s first studio album debut out of top 3. however, marked new record her, achievement became second artist in japan s history—after yumi matsutoya—to have 47 of albums within top 10 of charts. in september 2014, hamasaki released 2 recut singles colours: terminal , xoxo on plugair platform. single released under linkin park s machine shop records american release.

on october 18, 2014, hamasaki performed closing act in a-nation premium concert held @ marina bay sands’ mastercard theatres in singapore. second time performing in singapore after mtv asia awards performance 12 years ago. on november 2, 2014, hamasaki announced through official facebook page had started recording new material composed tetsuya komuro, kunio tago , tetsuya yukumi winter ballad trilogy single. on november 6, 2014, title of single revealed zutto.../last minute/walk , , release date set december 24, 2014. on november 10, 2014, announced hamasaki collaborating in tribute cover album hikaru utada, entitled utada hikaru no uta, released on december 9, 2014. album contributed cover of utada s 1998 single movin on without , arranged redone production team. winter ballad trilogy single, zutto.../last minute/walk , released on december 24, 2014, , peaked @ number 5 on oricon charts. achievement, hamasaki became first solo artist in japan s history have 50 singles within top 10 of oricon charts. artists in general, hamasaki became third artist more top ten singles since oricon s foundation in 1968—being surpassed groups morning musume , smap, 57 , 53 top ten singles respectively in december 2014 hamasaki announced not attending new year show kōhaku uta gassen first time in 15 years. explained decision stating wanted lower responsibilities , things felt pressured do, in order focus on projects had career, regarding plans expand influence throughout asia.

on february 15, 2015, hamasaki made surprise guest appearance during singaporean singer jj lin s concert in taipei, taiwan. performed duet version of hamasaki s 2000 single seasons , , announced jj lin producing song hamasaki s next studio album, one. album released on april 8, 2015, including singles zutto... , last minute , walk , utada s cover movin on without , , jj lin-produced song gift , promotional music video made. between april , july 2015, hamasaki embarked on arena tour 2015 cirque de minuit tour throughout japan, planned expanded version of previous countdown live concerts held in late 2014. tour consisted of 34-song setlist show duration of 3 hours , 45 minutes, longest concert held date. @ final show of aforementioned tour, hamasaki announced start tour in september, time exclusively members of official fan club, teamayu. ta limited live tour, hamasaki s first fan club exclusive tour in twelve years after 2003, began on september 29, 2015 , included total of 16 concerts @ 7 venues.

in april 2015, new song entitled step step began broadcast theme song of nhk tv drama bijo danshi, , subsequently released digital single on july 1. on august 5, 2015, hamasaki released sixth extended play, entitled sixxxxxx. mini album featured 6 new songs, including drama theme song step step , , sayonara , new song featuring taiwanese boyband spexial. sayonara became #1 on digital downloads charts in taiwan, hong kong, singapore , malaysia, according kk box, asia’s largest digital distribution site. in addition, hamasaki participated 1 of headliners of a-nation stadium fes 2015 held on august 30 @ ajinomoto stadium, performed cover of globe s hit ballad song departures , joined tetsuya komuro , naoya urata onstage. recorded cover of globe s many classic moments , included in group s tribute album released on december 16, 2015. on december 23, 2015, hamasaki released winter-themed concept album entitled winter diary: a7 classical, included songs previous 2 albums -a 1 , -sixxxxxx- remixed classical arrangements, , new song winter diary , produced tetsuya komuro. hamasaki promoted album starting instagram account active month until end of january 2016. shared pictures of music video shooting of winter diary recorded in taiwan, , preparations 2015-2016 countdown live concerts.

2016: made in japan

on last instagram post, hamasaki confirmed has been working on seventeenth studio album 2016. 15th anniversary edition of hamasaki s 2001 greatest hits album best released on march 28, 2016. in may 2016, hamasaki started nationwide tour arena tour 2016 a: made in japan, expanded version of 2015-2016 countdown live made in tokyo. on may 11, hamasaki made surprise release of 17th studio album, entitled made in japan, through music streaming website awa, reached 1 million legal streams after 5 days of release. album set released on physical formats on june 29, 2016. album peaking @ number 2 on weekly oricon chart, hamasaki became solo-artist top-ten albums (50).

on september 30, 2016, hamasaki released digital single queens , used theme song of smartphone game clash of queens developed elex wireless. hamasaki herself starred in tv commercial game, started broadcast on september 17.

on september 6, 2017, hamasaki released new song entitled words free download attenders beginning: sacrifice tour, available until november 30 through website mu-mo.

during 2017 hamasaki embarked on beginning -20- tour 2017, first leg started on may 13, 2017 @ yokohama arena through july 17 @ osaka-jō hall, osaka. second leg of tour, entitled beginning part 2: sacrifice, commenced on september 6 @ pacifico yokohama national convention hall, yokohama, , scheduled end on november 28 @ shunanshi bunka hall, yamaguchi. third leg of tour has been scheduled, starting on december 2, 2017 @ wakayama prefectural cultural hall, through february 20, 2018, @ okinawa convention center.

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