Utada Hikaru (Japanese: 宇多田ヒカル), born January 19, 1983, in New York City, U… Read Full Bio ↴Utada Hikaru (Japanese: 宇多田ヒカル), born January 19, 1983, in New York City, United States, also known by her fan-nickname "ヒッキー" (Hikki), is a third culture singer, composer, arranger, and record producer in Japan and the United States. Hikaru's music is primarily pop and R&B and sometimes incorporates other musical elements such as rock and electronica among others.

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/

Uso Mitai na I Love You
宇多田ヒカル Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

冷静な眼差しで
この地上の陰と陽を
左右にかき分けてく

私はあの頃から
君を真似したくて
少し尖らした唇で先へ突き進む

見渡す限り広がる嘘の咲かない草原を
夢の中で見たことがある
そこで君を待ってる

感動的に終わるストーリー
始まりはあの日君が言った I love you
待ちきれないよ後半スタート
エンドレスに疑うより
最後まであの嘘みたいな I love you
聴いていたいよずっとずっと

言葉に全部は
託せなくても声に出せば少しは必ず
伝わるはず

間もなく解き明かされる
真実一緒に確かめよう
目が覚めても悲しくない世界が二人を待ってる

線路沿い走り出す影に振り返る
あの日言えなかった I love you
追いつけないよラストスパート
ほんの少し疑う時どうするの
もう嘘つきでも I love you
側にいたいよずっとずっと

感動的に終わるストーリー
始まりはあの日君が言った I love you
待ちきれないよ後半スタート
線路沿い走り出す影に振り返る

あの日君が言った I love you
追いかけちゃうよずっとずっと

Overall Meaning

The song "嘘みたいな I Love You" by Utada Hikaru is about the singer's feelings for a person they are deeply in love with. The lyrics talk about how the singer wants to imitate the person they love and how, with a focused gaze, they are able to navigate through the ups and downs of life. The first few lines clearly show a sense of determination and confidence in the singer, who describes a vision of themselves pushing forward with slightly sharpened lips, stubbornly pursuing a goal despite any obstacles that may lie in their path.

The chorus talks about the emotional impact of a love story that comes to a satisfying conclusion. The beginning of the story was spoken by the person the singer loves, saying "I love you" on that fateful day. The singer impatiently waits for the story to develop and unfold, eager to hear more of that unbelievable love. Even if doubts start creeping up near the end of the story, the singer still wants to hear that seemingly impossible "I love you" until the very end. The singer expresses their desire to always listen to that love, to be enveloped in that feeling.

The final verse talks about uncertainty and the search for truth. The singer recognizes that words don't always carry the entirety of what is being expressed, but by speaking them, it is assured that a little something will be communicated. The singer invites the person they love to find out the truth together, and that even in the real world, a happy ending could be waiting for them both.

Line by Line Meaning

冷静な眼差しで
With a composed gaze,

この地上の陰と陽を
You separate darkness and light on this earth

左右にかき分けてく
And clear the path

私はあの頃から
Ever since that time,

君を真似したくて
I've wanted to be like you,

少し尖らした唇で先へ突き進む
So I move ahead with a sharp tongue

見渡す限り広がる嘘の咲かない草原を
I saw endless fields of truth

夢の中で見たことがある
In my dreams

そこで君を待ってる
I'm waiting for you there.

感動的に終わるストーリー
Our emotional story will end

始まりはあの日君が言った I love you
It started when you said 'I love you' that day