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/
Devil Inside
宇多田ヒカル Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody wants something they can cradle
Oh, they don't know I burn
They don't know I burn
They don't know I burn
They don't know I burn
Or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil
Or something like it inside of me
Devil or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil
Somewhere really deep inside me
Devil inside of me
Jealous angel deep inside me
You don't know 'cause you're too busy reading labels
You're missing all the action underneath my table
I'm waiting for my turn
Waiting for my turn
Just waiting for my turn
Just waiting for my turn
Maybe there's a devil
Or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil
Or something like it inside of me
Devil or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil
Somewhere really deep inside me
Devil inside of me
Jealous angel deep inside me
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Time to make it burn
This is how I burn
Maybe there's a devil
Or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil
Or something like it inside of me
Devil or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil
Somewhere really deep inside me
Devil inside of me
Jealous angel deep inside me
The opening lines of 宇多田ヒカル's song Devil Inside convey a desire for acceptance and an acknowledgement that people often project their own expectations onto others. The singer seems aware of the way that others see her ("Everybody wants me to be their angel/Everybody wants something they can cradle"), but knows that their perception is not the full picture. She burns with a flame that is hidden from view, and this private fire is a source of danger and excitement that separates her from those around her. The repetition of the line "They don't know I burn" emphasizes the distance between her inner self and the persona that others see.
The chorus turns towards a tantalizing possibility – that there might be a "devil or something like it" inside of her. This idea is repeated and explored through the song, with the singer musing on the idea that she is a mixture of light and dark, an angel and a devil. The lyrics are both introspective and engaging, with the singer implicating the listener in her musings ("You don't know 'cause you're too busy reading labels/You're missing all the action underneath my table"). This sense of danger and possibility reaches a climax as the singer declares "Time to make it burn/This is how I burn," embracing the tension between public and private selves and hinting at a darker side that is ultimately left for the listener to interpret.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody wants me to be their angel
Everyone wants me to be their savior, their ideal and perfect being.
Everybody wants something they can cradle
Everyone wants something to hold onto, something that brings them comfort.
Oh, they don't know I burn
But they don't realize that I am not perfect, I have my own flaws and weaknesses.
Maybe there's a devil
Perhaps there is a dark side to me.
Or something like it inside
Maybe it's not exactly a devil, but something similar lurking within me.
Maybe there's a devil inside of me
Perhaps there is a negative aspect of my personality that I struggle with.
Jealous angel deep inside me
A part of me that wants to be good but struggles with envy and insecurity.
You don't know 'cause you're too busy reading labels
You don't know the real me because you are too caught up in superficial judgments and stereotypes.
You're missing all the action underneath my table
You are ignoring the deeper, more interesting parts of my personality.
Waiting for my turn
I am waiting for the right moment to show my true self.
Maybe there's a devil or something like it inside of me
I am still grappling with the darker parts of myself.
Time to make it burn
It's time to confront and deal with these negative aspects of myself.
This is how I burn
This is me coming to terms with my flaws and accepting them as a part of who I am.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hikaru Utada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
spacewitch 333
I remember being in middle school and loving Utada and this song specifically. I printed out the lyrics to put on my binder and my parents found them and thought I was worshipping the devil.
Good times.
Gregory Williams
You and me both. It's why after Exodus I kept it to her japanese masterpieces.
JuanCarlos Medina
spacewitch 333 lol, some people think that I was in a cult ! Lol, I live this song
Charles Bidinger
You were
DeadKold
idk if you still use this acc but 3 years later I got a nice laugh out of this haha
MonsterLunaChick
Utada Hikaru is one of the main reasons I ever got into JPop <3 God I love her!
Simon Chen
One of her underrated songs... This is really experimentally fresh which is really suitable for targeting alternative/indie market.
Melrose Honey
haha
S K
I love Utada, she's awesome, and a great performer, very well rounded. I love both her English and Japanese songs (Even though I don't understand them yet.) She can dance, and unlike many modern 'musicians,' she actually has a real voice, and quite a gorgeous one at that.
Jahan Shadi
It's been years since I listened to her ! It's so good ! Love that style !