Japanese Music – Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ Hamasaki Ayumi, born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer originally from Fukuoka. In her homeland she is commonly called by her nickname Ayu.

Since 2001, she is (as of 2004) by far the most successful J-Pop singer in terms of sales and popularity. She has an aversion to singing in the English language (which is rare among Japanese singers), and writes her own lyrics. She is one of Japan’s most prolific recording artists, having released 26 albums and 54 singles as of January 2005. Recently she started to write some of her own music with the pen name ‘CREA’ named after one of her beloved dogs; her single ‘M’ was the first time she has ever done music and lyrics altogether.

At one point, four of Hamasaki’s albums were among Japan’s top ten best-sellers. She is also the only individual to win the Japan Recording Award (日本レコード大賞) three years in a row, in 2001 (for “Dearest”), 2002 (for “Voyage”), and 2003 (for “No way to say”).

Before her musical debut in 1998 with the single “Poker Face,” Hamasaki was a tarento, a kind of Japanese idol who appears in photo-books, TV commercials and so on. Even though her major label debut was in 1998, she released one album and one single in 1995 featuring her song Nothing from Nothing.

Her record label AVEX Records also commissioned a series of remix albums called ayu-mi-x featuring DJ’s from around the world.

Discography

Single

poker face(1998/04/08)(8cm)
YOU(1998/06/10)(8cm)
Trust(1998/08/05)(8cm)
For My Dear…(1998/10/07)(8cm)
Depend on you(1998/12/09)(8cm)
WHATEVER(1999/02/10)(8cm)
LOVE -Destiny-(1999/04/14)(8cm)
TO BE(1999/05/12)(8cm)
Boys & Girls(1999/07/14)
A(1999/08/11)
appears(1999/11/10)
kanariya(1999/12/08)
Fly high(2000/02/09)
vogue(2000/04/26)
Far away(2000/05/17)
SEASONS(2000/06/07)
SURREAL(2000/09/27)
AUDIENCE(2000/11/01)
M(2000/12/13)
evolution(2001/01/31)
NEVER EVER(2001/03/07)
Endless sorrow(2001/05/16)
UNITE!(2001/07/11)
Dearest(2001/09/27)
Daybreak(2002/03/06)
Free & Easy(2002/04/24)
H(2002/07/24)
Voyage(2002/09/26)
&(2003/07/09)
forgiveness(2003/08/20)
No way to say(2003/11/06)
Moments(2004/03/31)
INSPIRE(2004/07/28)
CAROLS(2004/09/29)

Re-released 12cm CD

poker face(2001/02/28)
YOU(2001/02/28)
Trust(2001/02/28)
For My Dear…(2001/02/28)
Depend on you(2001/02/28)
WHATEVER(2001/02/28)
LOVE -Destiny-(2001/02/28)
TO BE(2001/02/28)

Limited Edition Single

appears (1999/11/10) (limited to 300,000 copies)
kanariya (1999/12/08) (limited to 300,000 copies)
Fly high (2000/02/09) (limited to 300,000 copies)
AUDIENCE (2000/11/01) (limited to 300,000 copies)
H (2002/11/07) (special limited digipack edition created to celebrate one million copies sold of the original H single, comprising all four H covers)

Album