Hikaru Utada was born to Japanese parents who both had roots in the Japanese music industry; her father, Teruzane Utada, was a producer, while her mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer (she performed under the stage name Keiko Fuji (藤圭子). Utada Hikaru has been recording since 1993. She made her first professional recording at the age of twelve, and recorded her first album, Precious, in 1996 under the pseudonym Cubic U. This album led to her career overseas. In an interview for MTV's, You Hear It First, Hikaru said: "Someone in Japan heard it, at a Japanese record company, and he said, 'Oh, can't you write in Japanese? You speak Japanese.' And I didn't want to say no, so I had to try it."
Hikaru moved to Tokyo in late 1997 and attended Seisen International School, and later the American School in Japan while continuing to record on a new contract with Toshiba-EMI. Unlike other pop stars at the time, she was more focused on becoming a singer and songwriter while other Japanese female singers were attempting to become idols. Leading up to the release of her Japanese debut album "First Love", Hikaru released two successful million-selling singles: "Automatic/ time will tell" and "Movin' on without you". "Automatic/Time Will Tell" sold over two million copies. Backed by her singles, First Love went on to sell over 7 million units in Japan alone (with an additional 3 million overseas, bringing it to a sum of at least 10 million units), becoming the highest-selling album in Japan's history.
After a two-year break, Hikaru released her follow up album "Distance", garnering first-week sales of 3 million units sold. Backed by her singles — "Addicted to You", "Wait & See ~リスク~", "For You / タイム・リミット" and "Can You Keep a Secret?" — Distance became the best-selling album of the year, with almost 5 million copies sold in Japan alone. Additionally, "Addicted to You" became Hikaru's best-selling single, selling one million in its first week. Hikaru went on to release a single which was dedicated to the female victim of a murder case in Ikeda, Osaka, titled "Final Distance".
Leading up to the third album, "Deep River", Hikaru released "traveling", "光", and "SAKURAドロップス"; all the songs reached the top of the charts. Deep River sold 2.35 million copies in its first week. Oricon reported that sales eventually surpassed 3.6 million, making Utada the only act in Japanese music history to have three consecutive albums surpass the three million mark. The album was cited by many fans and critics as Hikaru's most acclaimed work, as well as achieving the Triple Crown at the 17th Golden Disc Awards in Japan. Later, she attempted to break into the US market under her stage name Utada with her album Exodus.
A year after the release of Exodus, Hikaru moved back to Tokyo and started work on her next album. Leading up to the release of her fourth album, "Ultra Blue", Hikaru released a string of successful hit singles: "COLORS" (no. 1), "誰かの願いが叶うころ" (no. 1), "Be My Last", (no. 1), "Passion" (no. 4), and "Keep Tryin'" (no. 2). The digital single "This Is Love" was released to promote the album, netting around one million digital downloads. Ultra Blue sold 500,317 copies in the first week, lower than that of the previous album, although it still topped the Oricon Daily, Weekly, and Monthly charts. Ultra Blue gave the artist her fifth consecutive chart-topping Japanese album (excluding her English album) to sell in excess of 500,000 copies for first-week sales. On July 13, Toshiba EMI published a report stating that Ultra Blue had sold over one million copies worldwide and four million digital ringtones already making it one of EMI's 10th best-selling albums of the past year.
A tour of Japan, "Utada United 2006," commenced on June 30th, 2006 (Two weeks after Ultra Blue's release) and ended on September 12th, 2006, after Hikaru Utada's performances at Yoyogi. Ticket sales started on May 28th, 2006, with the majority of venues selling out in less than two hours.
Hikaru Utada released the single "Flavor of Life" on February 28th, 2007. Her next single, "Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry", was released in Japan on August 29th, 2007 - A track which also doubled as the theme song to the anime movie "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone".
On February 20th, 2008, she released her 20th Japanese single, HEART STATION/Stay Gold which reached #1 on Japan’s weekly radio charts, which was followed shortly after by her 6th Japanese studio album, HEART STATION released on the 19th of March 2008. Hikaru intended to go for a "simpler" approach for the album; she stated, "From the beginning, I had always intended to make this album easier to listen to so anyone can enjoy it. I always aimed for a simple melody, simple lyrics and a simple message rather than over-complicating it all. But overall, I had a lot of fun making this album." Utada then returned to the US market, releasing This Is the One. She also went on tour with 'Utada: In the Flesh', playing in cities around the world, such as Los Angeles, New York, and London.
On August 9, 2010, Hikaru announced on her personal blog that beginning in 2011, she would go on an indefinite hiatus, citing fatigue since her debut 12 years previously. She also stated a need for rest, to study new things and learn more about the world, as well as see to some personal matters. It was unclear as for how long this break would last and if she would ever return to the music scene. Before the hiatus began, she said that she would go "full throttle" on her artistic activities, and soon after her site was updated, a new compilation album, "Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2", was announced, with a release date of November 24, 2010. This new album would include all her Japanese singles from "誰かの願いが叶うころ" to "Prisoner of Love" on disc one, as well as an extra EP, featuring five new tracks.
From November 24, 2010, first-week sales for Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 were 231,000 units according to Oricon album daily charting. On April 10, 2011, Utada won the award for "Best Conceptual Video" in the SpaceShowerTV Music Video Awards for the PV for "Goodbye Happiness", which also marked her directorial debut. An announcement was made that Utada would perform a two-night concert titled Wild Life at Yokohama Arena to promote the album, her first Japanese concert since 2006's Utada United.
On August 8, 2016, her sixth Japanese album's title was released: "Fantôme", French for "ghost". Following its release on September 28, Fantôme was commercially and critically successful. It debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart and stayed there for four consecutive weeks, the most of any Utada studio album since First Love. It was awarded Album of the Year at the Japan Record Awards and received positive reviews from media outlets. Musically, Fantôme is a collection of tracks that emphasize acoustic and stripped-down instrumentation, alongside influences of pop, electronic, and R&B music. The lyrical content delves into themes of grief, sadness, love, and death, mostly influenced by the death of her mother, her second marriage, and the birth of her son in 2015.
Hikaru's seventh album, "初恋", was released on June 27, 2018. The release coincided with the commemoration of her 20th anniversary as an artist in Japan. A national tour was announced to support the album in November 2018, "Laughter in the Dark 2018", her first Japan concert tour in 12 years. It is currently available on iTunes for digital download and Netflix for streaming.
Hikaru released her eighth album, "BADモード" on January 19, 2022. It features production from musicians such as Skrillex and A. G. Cook.
Official sites:
www.emimusic.jp/hikki
http://www.u3music.com/
Chikai
宇多田ヒカル Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
この際 存在を認めざるを得ない
本当にこんな私でもいいの ねえいいの
あんまり期待させないでほしいよ
今日という日は嘘偽りのない
永遠の誓い日和だよ
同じ色の指輪をしよう
悔しくて仕方がない
ダサいくらいしがみついたまま眠りたい 毎日 はああ
約束はもうしない
そんなの誰かを喜ばすためのもの
今言うことは受け売りなんかじゃない
約束でもない 誓いだよ
嘘つきだった僕には戻れない
朝日色の指輪にしよう
胸の高鳴りを重ねて踊ろうよ
今を生きることを祝おうよ
たまに堪えられなくなる涙に
これと言って深い意味はない
ただ昔を突然思い出し (ああ泣きたい)
開かれたドアから差し込む光
これからもずっと側にいたい
選択肢なんてもうとっくにない (ああ)
今日という日は過去前例のない
僕たちの誓い日和だよ
綺麗な花も証人もいらない
同じ色の指輪をしよう
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
一度じゃ足りない
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
あなたを下さい
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Kiss me three times お願い
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
あなたを下さい (愛の 愛の)
日の昇る音を肩並べて聞こうよ
共に生きることを誓おうよ
These lyrics are from the song "Chikai" by Utada Hikaru. The lyrics convey a sense of uncertainty about fate and destiny. The singer acknowledges that they don't know about such things, but in this moment, they cannot deny their own existence. The singer questions if it's okay to be themselves, with all their flaws, and asks not to be given too much expectation. The day they're experiencing is described as a day of genuine commitment and the singer suggests that they don't need beautiful flowers or witnesses, but they want to share a ring of the same color.
The lyrics continue with a sense of frustration and a desire to just cling on and sleep. The singer states that they won't make promises anymore, as they believe promises are made just to make someone happy. They emphasize that what they're saying is not just borrowed words or a simple promise, but a genuine oath. The singer feels unable to go back to being a liar and suggests they want a ring of morning sun color. The lyrics then express a desire to celebrate living in the present and share the excitement of a pounding heart.
The lyrics also mention tears that come uncontrollably at times, without deep significance, but they suddenly remind the singer of the past. The light shining through an open door represents hope and the longing to always be by someone's side. The singer feels that they no longer have choices and expresses the unique commitment they share on this unprecedented day. They, again, suggest not needing beautiful flowers or witnesses, but wanting to share a ring of the same color. The song ends with the plea to be kissed multiple times and to be chosen to live and love together.
Line by Line Meaning
運命なんて知らないけど
I may not know about destiny, but
この際 存在を認めざるを得ない
at this point, I have no choice but to acknowledge my existence
本当にこんな私でもいいの ねえいいの
Is it really okay to be someone like me? Hey, is it?
あんまり期待させないでほしいよ
I hope you won't expect too much from me
今日という日は嘘偽りのない
Today is a day without lies or deception
永遠の誓い日和だよ
It's a perfect day to make eternal promises
綺麗な花も証人もいらない
We don't need beautiful flowers or witnesses
同じ色の指輪をしよう
Let's exchange rings of the same color
悔しくて仕方がない
I'm so frustrated, there's nothing I can do about it
ダサいくらいしがみついたまま眠りたい 毎日 はああ
I want to sleep every day, clinging on desperately, even if it's embarrassingly uncool
約束はもうしない
I won't make promises anymore
そんなの誰かを喜ばすためのもの
Those are things done to please someone else
今言うことは受け売りなんかじゃない
What I'm saying now is not something I heard from someone else
約束でもない 誓いだよ
It's not a promise, it's a vow
嘘つきだった僕には戻れない
I, who used to lie, can't go back
朝日色の指輪にしよう
Let's make a ring the color of the morning sun
胸の高鳴りを重ねて踊ろうよ
Let's dance together, combining the excitement in our hearts
今を生きることを祝おうよ
Let's celebrate living in the present
たまに堪えられなくなる涙に
Sometimes, these tears become unbearable
これと言って深い意味はない
They don't hold a deep meaning
ただ昔を突然思い出し (ああ泣きたい)
They just remind me of the past suddenly (Ah, I want to cry)
開かれたドアから差し込む光
The light shining in from the open door
これからもずっと側にいたい
I want to stay by your side forever from now on
選択肢なんてもうとっくにない (ああ)
There are no longer any choices (Ah)
今日という日は過去前例のない
Today is a day without any past precedents
僕たちの誓い日和だよ
It's the perfect day for our vows
綺麗な花も証人もいらない
We don't need beautiful flowers or witnesses
同じ色の指輪をしよう
Let's exchange rings of the same color
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
一度じゃ足りない
Once is not enough
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
あなたを下さい
Please give yourself to me
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Kiss me three times お願い
Kiss me three times, please
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
Kiss me once, kiss me twice
あなたを下さい (愛の 愛の)
Please give yourself to me (with love, with love)
日の昇る音を肩並べて聞こうよ
Let's listen to the sound of the rising sun together
共に生きることを誓おうよ
Let's vow to live together
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Hikaru Utada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ayako Tashiro
on 日曜の朝
good