Utada is a third culture singer, composer, arranger, and record producer working in Japan and the United States. They have sold an estimated 52 million albums worldwide. Utada is fluent in both English and Japanese as they were raised in both New York and Tokyo. They’re most notable in the west for composing and singing the main themes for Kingdom Hearts 光 (Hikari) and Simple and Clean, as well as the theme songs for Kingdom Hearts II, Passion and Sanctuary.
Utada Hikaru was born on January 19, 1983 in New York City to Japanese parents who both had roots in the Japanese music industry; their father, Teruzane Utada, was a producer, while their mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer (she performed under the stage name 藤圭子/Keiko Fuji). Utada has been recording since 1993, creating their first professional recording at the age of twelve. They released their first album comprised of all English songs, Precious, in 1996 under the pseudonym Cubic U. The album led to their career overseas. In an MTV interview (MTV's You Hear It First, October 2004), Utada 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."
While much of Utada's earlier work borrows from the stylings of 90s Western R&B, their music has shifted to incorporate more pop/experimental tones over time. This R&B sound was what brought them so much attention with their first release in Japan; Automatic/time will tell, stood out among the crowd, as there were no other artists with their distinct style.
Utada was once-married to famed director Kiriya Kazuaki, who directed the movie CASSHERN, where they sang the main theme song Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro.
After their first singles compilation album Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol.1 was released in March 31st, 2004, Utada moved back to New York to work on their second English album Exodus, which was released in the US on October 5th, 2004. Due to lack of promotion by their record label Island Def Jam and a lack of precedent for third culture artists at the time, however, the album was met with indifference in the US market. The second single from this album, "Devil Inside," managed to become a club smash in the US despite this and topped the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay charts. Devil Inside also had a notable appearance in the 2000s LGBT serial drama Queer as Folk.
Utada moved back to Tokyo after a year of promotion for Exodus, and returned to the Japanese music scene. Despite flogging sales overseas, they released three albums over the span of 2 years: Ultra Blue and Heart Station, both certified of selling one million for shipments by the RIAJ, On October 20, 2008, their song "Eternally" from their 2001 album Distance was used as the theme for the drama Innocent Love. The song was later released as a digital single. By the end of the year, Utada was also voted the "#1 Favorite Artist of 2008" by Oricon's annual readers poll, making it their second consecutive year, and third time overall, to win the vote; their previous years being 2004 and 2007.
According to Utada's blog, on September 25th, 2007, Utada began speaking to Island Def Jam about their second English-language album. There was no set schedule, as Utada's tone suggested that they were in no rush. On October 23rd, 2007, Utada said that they had already made several demo tracks for not only the upcoming English album, but also their fifth Japanese album and was scheduled to record some of the songs on that afternoon.
On November 14th, 2007 it was announced that Utada would be featured on a download only version of Ne-Yo's song Do You. The song was released in Japan on November 21st.
Utada released their second English album, This Is The One, on March 24th, 2009 in the United States electronically. A physical copy was released later, on May 12th, 2009. The main single "Come Back To Me", which they dubbed them "breakout song" during an interview with KiwiBox, was released for airplay on February 9th, 2009. Despite their previous English album's lesser success, Utada was confident about this one. "I don't want to do experimental stuff. I just want to make a really good pop album," they told the interviewer. "This is the one, you know?"
Hikaru Utada hasn’t released anything under the “Utada” pseudonym since their last effort in 2009.
Official sites:
www.utada.com
www.emimusic.jp/hikki
www.u3music.com
opening
Utada Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between this genre, that genre
Between you and I
Is where I want to cross over
Cross the line
I just want to go further
Between here and there, grow wiser
Together you and I, we can wrestle borders
Only, only you can make me
Only you
Only you can make me
The commonly accepted meaning of the lyrics of Utada's song Opening is that the singer seeks to break free from the boundaries and barriers that limit creative expression. The singer doesn't want to cross over between different types of genres or music styles; rather, they want to cross over from one side of a barrier to the other side – this emphasizes the importance of going beyond the limits of what is expected or the norm. The song further suggests that they would rather cross that barrier between two people – "Between you and I is where I want to cross over" – indicating the importance of a deeper, more personal human connection that transcends boundaries.
The lyrics convey that the singer has a desire for personal growth and development beyond the present state. They want to learn, to become wiser, more experienced, more accomplished. The line "Together you and I, we can wrestle borders" implies that this growth and development is something that can be achieved together with another person, rather than in isolation. The lyrics portray a connection between two individuals, as equals, who can learn and grow from one another in ways that go beyond creative expression.
In conclusion, the song depicts the singer seeking to overcome the boundaries and barriers that limit creative expression in their life, as well as to seek personal growth and development beyond the present state. However, the song also portrays the importance of human connection and the mutual benefits that come with it, as it can serve as an avenue for mutual growth and development.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to cross over
I don't want to conform or limit myself to a certain genre or type.
Between this genre, that genre
I want to break the boundaries between different genres and mix them together.
Between you and I
I don't want to create distance or barriers between us.
Is where I want to cross over
I want to find common ground with you in our relationship and cross any hurdles together.
Cross the line
Let's break convention and push boundaries together.
I just want to go further
I don't want to settle and want to strive for progress and growth.
Between here and there, grow wiser
I want to learn and gain wisdom as we journey together from one point to the next.
Together you and I, we can wrestle borders
We can challenge boundaries and limitations together as a team.
Only, only you can make me
You have a unique and irreplaceable influence on me that no one else can replicate.
Only you
You are the only one for me.
Only you can make me
Your impact on my life is unparalleled.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hikaru Utada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind