Hamasaki started her musical career in 1994 and released her first album "NOTHING FROM NOTHING" in 1995; the album was not successful, and she was subsequently dropped by her record label. In 1998, Hamasaki released her first single, poker face, via the Avex Trax label, after being discovered by label head Masato "Max" Matsuura partying at the Avex-owned club, Velfarre. Hamasaki's debut album, "A Song for ××", was released in 1999, and won her a Gold Disk Award. She has since sold more than 50 million records in Japan alone with the releases of her 9 full-length studio albums, 1 mini-album, 4 compilation albums, 45 singles, and 17 remix albums, becoming the top selling solo and female artist and the 4th top selling Japanese artist in history. With the release of her 40th single "BLUE BIRD", Hamasaki's single sales passed the 20 million mark, making her the first solo and female singer to reach that milestone.
With the release of her 45th single "Rule/Sparkle", Hamasaki currently has 20 consecutive #1 singles (starting from "Free & Easy") and 32 #1 singles in the Japanese ORICON charts. In addition, she is the first Japanese artist to have her first original 8 studio albums top the charts.
Hamasaki released her ninth studio album, GUILTY on January 1, 2008. Shortly after the release, Ayumi revealed that she had become completely deaf in her left ear, and that it is inoperable. It is believed that she suffers from tinnitus, and Ayumi has known about the condition of her left ear since 2007 after an examination. She also stated that she would continue on with her career for her fans, explaining that "nevertheless, I would like to continue as a singer. That's why I would like to continue singing until I reach the limit with my remaining right ear".
In addition to serving as background music for television advertisements, some of Hamasaki's songs have been used as themes for video games and film productions such as television shows and motion pictures. "Depend on you" and its b-side "Two of us" were used as the opening and ending theme, respectively, of the video game Thousand Arms, while the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams used "Startin'" and "rainy day" as its opening and ending theme, respectively. The dorama My Little Chef featured "Voyage" as its theme, while the anime InuYasha featured "Dearest." Finally, Hamasaki's songs "HEAVEN", "Secret", "fated", and "Rule" have been used as the themes for the movies Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, Confession of Pain, Kaidan, and DragonBall Evolution, respectively.
In January 2008, Hamasaki announced on her blog that an inoperable condition, possibly tinnitus or Ménière's disease, had caused complete deafness in her left ear. She had been diagnosed with the condition in 2006 and that the problem dated to 2000, when she developed an ear infection but continued to perform against the advice of doctors. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone". On May 20, 2017, she wrote that she is also losing hearing in her right ear, and had experienced dizziness and nausea. She vowed to continue performing, writing: "The stage is where I belong. It's the only place I really, truly exist. I don't know anything else."
Official site: http://avexnet.or.jp/ayu
Voyage
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kono tabiji wo yukun da
Hora egao ga totemo niau
Iroaseru koto naku yomigaeru
Hakanaku utsukushiki hibi yo
Mabushii umi kogareta kisetsu mo
Itsudatte furimukeba
Anata ga ita
Bokutachi wa shiawase ni naru tame
Kono tabiji wo yuku
Dare mo mina ienu kizu wo tsureta
Tabibito nan darou
Hora egao ga totemo niau
Nando michi ni mayotta no darou
Sono tabi ni atatakai te wo
Sashinobete kureta no mo
Anata deshita
Bokutachi wa kono nagai tabiji no
Hate ni nani wo omou
Dare mo mina ai motome samayou
Tabibito nan darou
Tomo ni yukou akiru hodo ni
Bokutachi wa kono nagai tabiji no
Hate ni nani wo omou
Dare mo mina ai motome samayou
Tabibito nan darou
Tomo ni yukou akiru hodo ni
ENGLISH:
We travel this road to find happiness.
See? You look good with a smile on your face.
These beautiful, fragile days are reborn, unfaded.
In the season of dazzling burned seas
and in the season of dancing snowflakes
whenever I turned around, you were there.
We travel this road to find happiness.
Everyone is a traveler, carrying his own never-healing wounds.
See? You look good with a smile on your face.
How many times have I gotten lost?
Every time, the one who extended his
warm helping hand was you.
*At the end of this long path, what will we think?
Everyone is a traveler, wandering about in search of love.
Let's go together until we tire of it.
*repeat
The lyrics of the song "Voyage" by 浜崎あゆみ speak about the journey we take in life to find happiness. The singer is telling the listener that they are walking alongside them on this journey. The beautiful, transient days that pass us by are reborn and never fade, and this journey is marked by both dazzling seas and dancing snowflakes. The singer turns around frequently and sees their companion, who always extends a warm helping hand. A traveler needs to keep moving forward and learn from their experiences, even when they get lost. Finally, the singer wonders what they will feel when they have reached the end of this journey, carrying wounds but also having found love by finding and walking alongside fellow travelers.
This song is very reflective and encouraging, urging the listener to keep going and keep searching, but always with a smile on their face. It emphasizes the idea that everyone we meet is a fellow traveler, and we must share in each other's joys and sorrows as we move forward, towards the end of this long path.
Line by Line Meaning
Bokutachi wa shiawase ni naru tame
We travel this road to find happiness.
Kono tabiji wo yukun da
We are traveling this journey.
Hora egao ga totemo niau
See? You look good with a smile on your face.
Iroaseru koto naku yomigaeru
These beautiful, fragile days are reborn, unfaded.
Hakanaku utsukushiki hibi yo
Oh, you transient and beautiful days.
Mabushii umi kogareta kisetsu mo
In the season of dazzling burned seas.
Yuki no maiorita kisetsu mo
And in the season of dancing snowflakes.
Itsudatte furimukeba
Whenever I turned around.
Anata ga ita
You were there.
Dare mo mina ienu kizu wo tsureta
Everyone is a traveler, carrying his own never-healing wounds.
Tabibito nan darou
Everyone is a traveler.
Tomo ni yukou akiru hodo ni
Let's go together until we tire of it.
Nando michi ni mayotta no darou
How many times have I gotten lost?
Sono tabi ni atatakai te wo
Every time, the one who extended his warm helping hand.
Sashinobete kureta no mo
Was you.
Bokutachi wa kono nagai tabiji no
At the end of this long path,
Hate ni nani wo omou
what will we think?
Dare mo mina ai motome samayou
Everyone is a traveler, wandering about in search of love.
Contributed by Victoria F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.