Honestly, I completely agree. I understand it when you're thirteen and in school juggling homework with album production, but for God's sake, you don't go to school anymore. It really irritates me because she tries to put off this image of being innocent and humble, but it comes off to me as arrogant and supremacist. She speaks as if she's crafting masterpieces in albums like Exodus that sound like they were produced in Garageband, and I'm sorry, but it doesn't matter how wonderful your composition is if you can't arrange. Hire an arranger if you can't do it yourself (which apparently she tried to do since Timbaland [who has been quite the hit producer for the past few years] sucks for her). I'm glad she finally branched out with This Is The One, but honestly, don't say things for the sake of the pretense of "niceness" and "humility" when it's basically, "I do what I want and I'll throw an album together whenever and however I want." I know when she was with Toshiba-EMI in Japan, they were pressuring her to speed up her release schedule say, over the average of three years to an album. I don't put it past her that she's quite the genius, since I really do think she's incredibly talented, but I don't like her attitude. Honestly, being a pop star calls for appearances, photoshoots, performances, and interviews, and if you're not into doing that, then I think that's just being half-assed. Honestly, other chart-topping females in Japan may not compose all their stuff, but they do what's expected of them without passively whining about it. Hikaru knows damn well that she could release a blank CD, call it "UTADA HIKARU" and have zero promotion, and it would sell a guaranteed 200,000 copies. I like her work from her early days, and she didn't seem so forward about being a pop deviant back then, either. Yeah, I like quite a few of her songs, and I could surely sing them in the karaoke even without the subtitles, but I can't say I'm a fan. I've been following her since the beginning, and I'm talking circa 1999 guys, so no lecturing here about the nature of Hikaru's release tactics, I'm quite familiar with them, thank you. I stopped buying her albums four years ago. You're a superstar, Hikaru, whether you like it or not, and you have a responsibility to do what's required of you in that context. It was nice to see you appear in one of your own music videos after half an album worth of singles. I see other artists working themselves into the ground, and I agree with you, amorphose, that it manifests as laziness in my eyes when she doesn't do at least half of that.

I just don't get why some people get so angry with Hikki being lazy... it's she who is going to sell bad if she doesn't do her stuff right... no one else is going to have any problem with it...

^ I don't get it either... I wonder why people think pop acts have to throw themselves out. I see half this forum insulting lady gaga for doing it, and now they're complaining utada isn't doing it too? I mean o_O! weird. I'm not the oldest fan, I got to know her from Deep River, but I mean, why does it matter so much... I personally think that this shows how hikki is more about the music than fame. she just does her musical thing and if you like it or not oh well. I can't say likewise for other artists. I think hikki is a nice person who just doesn't let the fame get to her head. she probably could sell more if she threw herself out there, but oh well. It's kinda like why bother right. She's well off already. I really disagree when people call her lazy. If she was so lazy, she'd hire people to write all her stuff now. Why bother writing it urself. THat requires energy. She just doesn't want all the attention and I think that's fine.

The thing is, since the start I know hikki is this type of person. She never tells her fans when she will release new stuff. We never know her release pattern except the fact that she released all her albums either in March (First Love, Distance, Vol. 1, HS) or June (DR and UB). At the same time, I do understand the frustration for not knowing when she's exactly release a song that we know it should be due (e.g., Eva 2's theme). And also how we kinda know that she might have stayed in top 100 in Billboard 200 if she did promote TITO. I used to be frustrated as well (between For You --> CYKAS?, and a bit during Dareka --> BML), but now I'm too used to her schedule.

And tbh, assuming Eva 2's theme song has already been recorded, I assume EMI can release the single WITHOUT any promotion from hikki (well of course we need her to make cover photoshoot). It's not the first time hikki doesn't do any promotion to her single release anywayz. And nowadays she doesn't film pv pretty much, so I assume that EMI can ask the Eva team to make another anime pv to promote the song. But so far EMI hasn't announced anything so I dunno what's happening. It'll be a huge waste (for EMI, and us) if EMI doesn't make any announcement at all (even a digital release will be enough to milk the fans' money). It's pretty weird actually...

I still don't get why hikki doesn't will to promote on TVs her songs most of the time.
It's like giving stage for your own songs, she doesn't even tour often.
She did promote HEART STATION a lot on TV and magazines, and I don't see what's wrong with it and it didn't seem like she didn't enjoy that promotion process.
Is it because she knows most of the time that she can sell without being on TV and or magazines and rely on the huge tie-ins she get? Which obviously helps her keep selling really well.
I don't think that this whole "I don't care" attitude is really good...

Even humble and respected artists like B'z or Mr.Children perform on TV their songs with every single/album coming and they are no jpop divas.
I don't see why hikki shouldn't as well, though of course she doesn't have to if she doesn't want and anyway she gets great tie-ins that eats the promotion but still, I would like it more if she would give stage to her songs like she did with FoL and PoL besides the tie-ins.

The fans here that say that she doesn't do promotion because she doesn't care for the money are somehow wrong since tie-ins are no better than TV or mags promotion for "money milking", specially the tie-ins hikki usually get.

hikki isn't touring also brings up the thought that she might be a really lazy person.
For example the avex artists get most of their money from tour sales or CMs and campaigns and they get nothing for albums or singles or DVD sales but they still promote a lot on TV and mags their songs and work and also tour very often.
hikki is in EMI so she gets percentage from album and singles and DVDs sales.
She doesn't want to tour because she gets most of the money from the releases? Is that why she lets herself being so lazy and tour twice or three on a decade not giving stage for her work?
Sometimes it's hard for me to get hikki even though I love the music she does.
As a person and as an artist worker though a lot of times it's hard for me to relate to her.

Thank you. You said exactly what I was going to say. This comment is win.

I think that the tie-ins hikki started to use often for her japanese songs showing that she is about the music and the fame too.
She also did a lot of TV performances and magazines appearances for HEART STATION so I think it proves the point she is only about the music wrong. I personally have no problem with that and I do wish she would do that more often.
Just because her style isn't glitzy doesn't mean she is not about fame since fame isn't only glitz and glamour or being sexy and what not.

She already ***** herself in the public, specially with dramas as a good example, which the public watch or can watch on a weekly basis.
Obviously in order to stay relevant or as relevant she had to promote HEART STATION on TV and magazines and use tie-ins for the well fitting songs. And those tie-ins are not wishy woshy tie-ins and by no way minimal and barely affecting.
That part of the discussion doesn't have much to do specifically with TITO (partially).

I don't think that hikki "crying" about that she had to make an american album because she had a contract for that and she decided "oh well if I have to, let's make a good "pop" album" is any better to be honest.

becuz she is kuma.............

boku wa kuma kuma kuma~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LoL............

Hey guys, is no one here considering that Utada maybe got an operation? And that she might be recovering from that one?

Just a suggestion, IF she got an operation, she won't be able to use her voice in a while, and needs her rest.

IMO Hikki just doesn't like to perform... She never openly said this, but sometimes she says things like "I don't myself much as a performer"... While Ayu for example LOVES performing. And I don't see anything wrong on both ways... Ayu gets her money from touring... Hikki get's her money and promotion from tie-ins. Of course she cares about money, but most money from cd sales are for paying the Label... When Hikki composes something for a drama, a movie, a game, she is paid for it... If people hear her songs on a drama or a movie and like it, they buy it too.
I think Hikki is more focused on her music, but not like in "she doesn't care for money", but like in "the aspect of her career she likes the most, is producing music".

So, IMO she just found a way of receiving lots of money from her music without needing to appear on fashion magazines, having a lot of tv lives and touring, wich she doesn't like to do...

It's not about that, and if she did have surgery now, she could still write a blog entry about it, at least give us some news, because it's been a little too quiet the last couple of weeks...

I just hope she is okay whatever is going on.

According to some people over at JPM, Bestbuy stores have been giving Come Back To Me airtime an the album seems to be selling well at Bestbuy

ugh another ayu stan bringing in how hikki's drama tie ins >_>. I mean seriously, u don't get to choose ur tie-ins, the company choose you for the tie-in. I'm really sick of people keep trying to make it seem like hikki purposely *****s herself out to get these tie-ins and such. If the company likes it they pick it. And I think she takes the tie-in more for the money than the fame lmao. She said herself that she can walk down the street and be okay in an interview in the US. People should really stop trying to hold those drama tie-ins against her. I mean seriously, commercial tie-ins are JUSt as good as drama tie-ins. They get aired on tv every freaking day. Let alone week. I think some people like to overexaggerate about hikki here. I mean seriously, if she cared so much about the fame, she'd be pulling so many stunts to get attention and such. I think she's REALLY subtle for an artist. Just because she has a few drama tie-ins and magazine tie-ins doesn't really show she's hungry for fame. I mean first off, these things aren't going to make you that famous. she you'll get known from it, but people are going to forget you right after the drama blows over. and it isn't like hikki purposely attempts to get media attention all the time unlike soem avex artists. She really doesn't do anything to stand out and grab people's attention to get famous.

omg yes! someone took my idea and named the thread after the gay parade!

anyways~ I like the drama tie ins, they work imo. I absolutely love innocent love and last friends. XP
I don't even care if she doesn't promote more, I really don't like live performances anyways unless is a concert with a pretty freaking amazing tracklist, costume set, video interludes, and all that jazz. course hikki performs really infrequently, like waht? 3 concerts in 10 years, yeah she doesn't get out much.

^ Yeap... People ask her for tie-ins cuz she is famous, and she gets more famous if she has a good tie-in... Can't see any problem on this...

There are different ways of promoting yourself... Hikki's promotion is music-based... she doesn't sell her looks, and that gives her some advantage cuz she is never going to be "too old" for releasing good music... on the other way, Ayu is alread having problems for being 30 years old, what is VERY OLD by japanese standarts... and she will need to find a way of being interesting for public even being "too old" (I think that she alread found this way).

Hikki's fashion is aweful... Her live singing is hit-or-miss... She has lot's of charisma but almost no stage presence... She likes to be a studio artist, and that's no problem with it... If someone wants a performer/live artist/trend setter, there is a lot of singers to choose... Hikki is not like this and she doesn't want to be like this

(I don't think that she is better than Ayu, Namie, Koda, etc. She is just diferent of them... And there are a lot of singers over the world that acts just like Hikki does... she is not even unique...)

I was wondering the same thing...

Exscuse me? Another ayu stan? How can you claim such a thing?
I think that having at least 3 original copies albums by hikki is already making me at least someone who loves her music too and I can voice my opinion for it as well.
You are the hikki stan who's guarding hikki no matter what saying she is perfect, never complaining about her and not wanting to post on ayu's section because you know people "won't" accept your opinion because they are never positive, so now when someone says a bit of something that's not so positive towards your precious hikki he's an ayu stan? Gosh.
When people don't let you voice your opionins you call them rude.
Well you are rude for cutting their opinions off because it's not "OMG HIKKI YOU ARE A GODESS ONLY INTO THE MUSIC". Well you are just like those ayu stans, just hikki's.

If hikki for example didn't want she could choose not to write Flavor of Life for Hana Yori Dango 2.
Why do you think EMI even thinks to get her such a tie-in? Of course not because hikki asked, but because hikki will be happy to participate doing that.
I'm sure hikki isn't dumb and she knew (along with er PR & Management team) the result it might bring like from past usage of drama tie-ins.
Saying hikki is only about the music is being naive.
Basically if she wants people to hear her music she has to publicate it, specially now when she is not popular as she used to be.
She did it with HEART STATION with a lot of TV and magazine performances, she was pretty shoved to the public over that time besdies all of the dramas.
I still see nothing wrong that hikki would do performances so I don't understand why jumping. :)
Maybe because she is into money too?
I'm sure she knows all the consequences for the things she does, her way of promotion and marketing which serve hers and the company's purposes and since she is already a "few" good years on the industry she knows how much money she can earn from all of those projects so I doubt she's actually working hard for 100% the music.
She could sell it for free if she wanted to and if she wasn't about the money or at least not promote and market herself in any way. She could quit EMI and open an independent company, but she doesn't do it for obvious reasons, (or not so obvious to the hardcore fans apparentely).
She is mainly into the music, and yes, she has a very simple image and she is not into glamour but she still wants her music to be heard and she still wants to make money.

Points to you, ayumisreal. People just think artists are allowed to do whatever they please without consequences. It seems very diva-like for Hikaru to do as she wants if she truly prefers to stay lurking around int he studio poking around with programs and throwing albums together without having to comply to the requirements of the industry and her label (i.e. releasing music on a steady basis and promoting it with public involvement such as performances). She knows the stipulations of the industry and her label, and that's precisely why she didn't do as you said and quit to release independently. Truthfully, if she detests the type of work that is required of a mainstream pop star (magazine interviews, photoshoots, appearing in music videos and performing live on television), then she certainly has the option of entering the indie market. Since that isn't the case and she's still on a major label, it looks a bit haughty on her part (as if to say she has a chip on her shoulder) when she snuffs her label and hires other people to "promote if they must." It's just not becoming of a pop star. Look at the sales of This Is The One in Japan--they're good, but virtually nothing in comparison to her past sales, even Exodus. It might break 500,000 copies eventually, but honestly, I'm glad to see her #1 streak end, because she did virtually nothing prior to the album release to promote. She at least performed Devil Inside for Exodus how many years ago. I'm sure her label puts up with her approach to her career because she is who she is, but when her sales wane and dip like that, I highly doubt she won't receive a little heat for it. That's the nature of the business. And it is a business, no matter how much you consider yourself an ingenious artist. You are a product and businessperson as much as an artist when it comes to the music industry. When she deviates from that, it looks...almost disrespectful to the nature of the job.

Uhm, maybe because the release was targeted toward the US market. It wasn't even Hikki's decision to release the album in Japan.

^ Yeah that.

Part of me is wanting Hikaru to go and relase something already so everyone can just be calm and go back to disscussing songs and such.

Personally we just got an album, even though it was from Utada and not Utada Hikaru I'm good untill August at least. Of course not everyone is going to agree with that...

Well sorry for making such an assumption but i'm really tired of how u ALWAYS bring up hikki's drama tie-ins into everything from her sales to her fame. I mean so what if she has a drama tie-in, it doesn't really prove that she is using them to ***** for fame. I think its pretty obvious thats she's in it for the money, I already admit that. I never said she was never in it for the money. Anyways I never said hikki is perfect, you just assume that, I'm not a hardcore hikki fan v_v when people complain about her vocals and songs I don't attack them. That is their opinion and oh well I really don't care. I just find it silly that people are calling her lazy because she doesn't throw herself out there. And now you're claiming that she uses her drama tie-ins to ***** herself out there... it sounds very ridiculous to me. I just find that very contradicting if you admit she doesn't perform live or tour much... I really doubt that she doesn't perform live or tour much results from her laziness. If she was so lazy she wouldn't bother releasing an american album. Sure I know inorder to sell ur music u have to be famous, but I really doubt she's trying to ***** fame with her drama tie-ins, she just wants to sell her music and make money with or without people knowing her. I just think u contradicted urself and once again you repeatedly bring up how her dramas tie-ins helped her in so many ways. I'm sorry for calling you an ayu-stan that unnecessary and definitely uncalled for, but I don't get how u can claim that she uses her drama tie-ins to ***** herself out if you claim she's so lazy to ***** herself out by performing live and such. It just contradicts to me. Like if she uses her drama tie-ins to ***** herself out there then how would she ever get attention for her albums and other singles. It isn't like every single gets a drama tie-in and no1 will buy an album based on the fact that it has 1 song from a drama especially if the album is released like a year after the drama and peopel probably don't even remember it anyways. This is why I think it is such an exaggeration. How can she possibly plan to use a dram tie-in to ***** herself out there if she wrote the song and arranged it before she they even chose her to be part of the drama? I mean how would she ever get attention if they rejected her? She obviously gets different tie-ins to grab people's attention, but I really doubt she uses these tie-ins to ***** herself out there. If she can walk down the streets of japan and be okay then I think her "whoring" is failing... I'm not gonig to disagree that these tie-ins help her sales, but I think for attention and fame, they're not doing much anything that drastic than she's already known for. And to say that I cut off ur opinion is so wrong, I read it didn't I and I replied to it. Of course using that term was rude and I apologize but I disagreed to one part and I responded. I disagree that she uses drama tie-ins to ***** herself out and I stated my reason. You shouldn't let my rants get you because I never mean to purposely offend people. It's just sometimes when I'm tired I just type whatever is on my mind and it comes out very offensive without me realizing it.

I love how u say my ayu opinions are never positive. I complimented what I like from her. I said I liked Next Level and Days on the albums and their music videos. I do have a lot of negative opinions lately I admit that, but I do still admit that she has some decent music. U just let the negative things overshadow the positives. I even bought days/green. I just buy what I think is worth it. What is wrong with that. Technically i can say u r being overdefensive of ayu for this, too. And isn't it a good thing that I don't post in the ayu section if i don't have anything positive to say? do u want me to go in there and repeatedly spam those chat threads with my "always negative" opinions? You call me a hikki stan because I don't agree with one thing.... As you can see I RARELY post in these threads in the first place. I just post when I have an opinion on something. I really hope we don't become enemies from this one incident, but I guess whatever happens happenns.

omg the lack of the use of the enter key in this thread is giving me a headache.

so do we have anything new? when does the evangelion movie come out?

^In Japan: 27th of June

So soon.

Well we should have a new song then no? By then anyways.

If not....THEN I'll start complaining...since they announced it a while ago didn't they...

and we need some new stuff...those american songs can't have taken THAT much time to write :laugh

They sure sound like they didn't take too long, though the composition on Apple & Cinnamon is amazing.

That should've been the whole album lol

while I <333 Apple and Cinnamon...I found the composition for that and This One to be a little too similar.

But those songs are like the best on the album so...never really complained about it lol

I mean they're not similar, like the same or anything...just same formula or something...I dont know...

Oh I know what you mean. There's this "vibe" to them that is really close so it kinda reminds you of the other. That happens with me for a few Hikki and Kuu songs


... to be honest I didn't make it past Apple & Cinnamon on TITO ._. I got to that song and promptly put it on repeat, then ignored every other track on that album lol.

To me, thinking that Hikki MUST do all the tours, tv lives, magazines and all that crap just because she is a pop singer is retarded... Sorry if I ofended anyone, but she can do whatever she wants until it stops working... and her way of doing things still works pretty well in Japan...


about being lazy... it's easy to say that she is lazy cuz she doesn't promote, no one is seeing the time she takes to compose... It's easier if you just receive ur music done or have to only write the lyrics... Hikki composes the melodies, the lyrics and take part on the arrangments and production, and all this takes a lot of effort and time. She was working on some TITO songs since 2007...

And even if she was lazy, she could be... she is rich and pretty much got everything someone may want to get on the music industrie... while there is people (me included) wasting time envolved on a useless discussion about how lazy she is or isn't. If you don't like the way she works, just stop suporting her! I can't understand why someone suports an artist that cause so much bothering to him/her!

^I love your exclamation mark at the end.

Some people think she's lazy. Honestly...she probably really isn't...she probably just has other things to do. Or maybe, she's just not creative or something...you know...like writer's block.

who cares...I don't understand how you can't understand people that like an artist who bothers them.

Some of us are only in it for the music and we couldn't care less about the person making it.

you never know the reason...so don't let it get your wings all aflutter.


@InoriNoUta:lol for tito....you really have to take the album for what it is.

I personally would never expect it to be popular amongst a demographic of people that listen to mainly Ayu.

not that we can't have multiple music interests...just sayin...

Yeah it's kinda like EXODUS in that way. It's really not my cup of tea, but then I told a friend of mine about it, who really goes for that sugary mainstream pop lyrics that don't mean much of anything stuff, and she totally loved it. So TITO is at least beloved in her heart <3

Basically I can only stretch my guilty pleasure pop to like, Kuu. And maybe TVXQ. But their lyrics are still better than what was on TITO :o I'm not saying Hikki can't have her fun, but you know, different strokes and all.

Yeah her english lyrics, at least for tito (I'm not even gonna go there with EXODUS because it's just totally wtf) are really straightforward and sort of light, and really like comical in ways.

I like them, because they amuse me, and I like to be amused...but I mean...I could definitely see how it's not someone's cup of tea.

I really wish that she would continue her US promotions...for like a year or something...because I would really like her to get big enough to where like my friends have heard the album so I could know what they think about the lyrics and stuff...but I sincerely doubt she will.

People should support her for the music (and that's what I personally do).
Her personality or the way she works of course are not involved when I buy her CDs. Still doesn't mean other issues can't be discussed or to be questioned.

amorphose brought up a good point and I understand where he came from.
I guess such things can't be discussed here though. oh well.

About her being lazy... Well she is right now!

Remember how she was all "This really is the one!" and all that talk when she did those radio interviews a while back... Well now she just seems to be a bit "whatever" about it... And even if she has not fully recovered from tonsil-infection yet, her record label and promo-team should have kept her name "up there" in the critical time of an album release. She did good promotion before it was released, then when it was out... nada, quiet, nothing... So Utada / her label don't really seem to care about TITO anymore...

I dunno... I think if she fell ill, and it really was that serious, there's really only so much a label can do to promote a record without the person who is ON the record to be out there and promote it as well. It's like trying to promote a book without the author.

Also, if she's slated to have the next Eva movie theme released soon she probably was either working on that or they're (as I think someone mentioned previously) holding up to see if she can come up with something by now.

Y'know, Hikki isn't the only artist who does things like this. There are some artists who just never tour at all, never really promote their albums besides relying on word of mouth. Rurutia comes to mind, but there are western acts who do the same thing. I wouldn't say it makes them better than artists who go out there and do commercials and tie ins and talk shows and all sorts of stuff to get the word out about their records--nor would I stoop so low as to make a crack about another artist and their PVs--that's just what makes them different.

The band Rammstein comes to mind. For the last record Rammstein didn't do any promoting or touring, not even in Europe, which they've been so successful in for so long. Not only that but that record was a collection of songs that didn't fit on the previous one, combined with some songs they'd just recorded--so it wasn't like, brand spanking new stuff. That came out in 2005--that was four years ago and they've been on "break" ever since @_@ Though supposedly they're back in the studio recording stuff, it still is a long way to wait. Also, Portishead have nearly a 10 year gap between their second record and their third. TEN YEARS, PEOPLE D: We all thought they were bust and all our hopes were dashed until one of the guys in the group just randomly put "Yes, we're working on a new record" up on his Myspace. I mean wtf :laugh.

I don't think for most people it's a deliberate or conscious act of neglecting their work, it's just... something that happens. Rammstein are getting up there in years and all have families to think about, so I can see how they'd utilize a hiatus to its full effect by spending time with people they love. Hikki's probably just doing whatever Hikki does lol, which I've yet to really pinpoint but... I guess it involves music in some capacity.

On the other hand, I can see why people would be frustrated with Hikki. I understand that frustration because I feel a little bit of it myself. She's got the talent and the brains and the musical ability to really make it over here if she took the extra steps to solidify herself in the musical world. I think of artists who want to tour America, or who have to rely on like, anime conventions or ****** Hot Topic or "energy drink" tours just to even MAKE it over here, and then I look at Hikki who can get a record label and release music that's nowhere near what she's known for and I'm kinda like "Bzuh?" Though in the end, it really is up to her (and her management) what goes on as far as promotion and pimping out the record... it's just a pity because I'd like to see her break out of her usual Hikki ways and realize she's gotta haul ass for a different market.

idk maybe she doesn't want to lol.

Hmm why do people give them self the right to say they know what kind of person an artist is and what are her goals? It's really silly to say Utada only works and makes music cuz she is simply lovin' it. Sure if it was all about the money she'd stop years ago (she might be a Zeni Geba though, kidding). Even though she might've never used her "looks", she has exploited tie-ins like no other artist. From product CMs, games, movies, dramas - she has done it all. That's an obvious fact. That's not really a bad thing imo, many people became popular that way or at least have been able to draw some attention. On the other hand, I can't remember when was the last Utada Hikaru single released that didn't have a tie-in? In the end that won't make me like her songs any less, but it surely changed my opinion on her over the years as it seems she'll only release when there are good chances her releases will sell. Once again, I think people are really underestimating her as a business woman, she wouldn't have gone trough all the troubles of releasing the album and bragging about how she made a "good pop" album if she didn't want it to sell this time. So yeah, should she be promoting - of course.

the thread is hilarious because 90 percent of the year, when she isnt releasing new material, it's people arguing and then the remaining 10 percent is spent talking about the material she releases :roflmao

Bur it really annoys me.... it's like the Ayu area of the forum... there are people who don't like anything she has done since... Rainbow or something that keep saying how good she was before! And I can't think about anything but "If you don't like it, let it go! Or get a life that it's not based on when jpop artists are going to release their new music! That will make it easier to wait for new releases and stuff!" ><

First, I really would like to say that I love the fact that there are fans here, like xheartstation, amorphose, greggerz189 and Andrenekoi who like the artist, but aren't afraid of giving their opinion frankly and honestly, but without bashing.
I love discussions, and especially discussions where everyone states good points that make sense.

Only the lack of use of the "enter" buttons gives idd some headache...


Then; I'd like to state my points;

NO official news has come out yet of Utada, and I think we need to pay a little attention to this.
I think she really might have had her tonsils removed if it takes already this long to give us some news.
And this is more of a dramascenario, but what if her voice is damaged?

Other thing is that she is recovered, or is recovering and is having a lot of meetings to set up a new touring and promoting plan.

Further about her "lazy" thing..
It's true that she's different from other artists in this promotional thing...
She doesn't appear in many magazines, and certainly doesn't give a lot of performances.
But she has this superstar status in Japan, ever since her first album.. People love her, whatever she might do, in Japan, and she doesn't need mega, super promotion in Japan.

I'm sure she's aware that she doesn't have the same status at all in the USA.
She was doing very good promotion untill she got sick, I think. She gave a lot of interviews, some photoshoots, performed already a few times, got on the radio, worked together with hit-makers to get more fame from that (yes she said it like that), ...
I don't know what's going on, bt we'll be hearing news from her.

Besides.. Nobody asked to do promotion yourself.. So please don't get upset as your "efforts" seem to be in vain ^^;
It's lovely that you try to promote Utada by all means, that's what I try too, all the time, but still, it's no responsibility.

Further than that, I just would say, keep it positive. It's also gotten to my nerves quite some times, that there was no new music, but when music gets there it always makes up for it ^^

That's a very good way to approach this situation, Rogue. And you're absolutely right--when Hikki gives us music, it usually makes up for the time between releases (it does for me, anyway). We just gotta keep our heads up, it seems.

Ahh it gives me a headache to read through the last two pages.

Yes it is. Since when hikki thread becomes like that I wonder... :P.

My point exactly. She should at least do what's required of her in terms of promotion prior to the album when her label moved to release the album in Japan in spite of being targeted toward the US market. There are parts of a job that you might not necessarily want to do or intend on doing, but it's your job, so you should do it properly for the sake of it being done well. That's why her reluctance and resistance to her label and in some ways, the industry altogether, can be seen in a negative light.

Sorry for the lack of spacing between paragraphs before, hehe.

WTF happened to this thread? @_@

We're all restless because Hikki's been MIA ._.

^ Let's hope for the best on everyone's health, mental health especially lol.

LOL I just saw a commercial for a Nikkon camera on TV....and the song....I was like sooooooooooo familiar!! What is it?!! I remember Utada sang it....and then I was like OH! I realized it was Close to You. LOL totally random

Random thing about Utada from the singer Duffy.

Source:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0090327r1.html

So for everyone who hates Utada's current hairstyle (including myself), atleast we know now its memorable. Haha.

Still no REAL news about Utada though. Sigh

I know! haha I haven't been in this thread much since we started talking a couple pages back and after all the new, long posts I was like: :tired

That's EXACTLY what I wanted to say to the people who keep saying that "she's about the music."

If she really wants to be an artist's artist then she should drop her album, record and release her music independently on the side and get a different job. Because even though she is an artist, it's still her job and if everyone else is expected to do their jobs correctly, why shouldn't pop artists?

I LOVE Hikki. She is my all time favorite artist. She's just irking me right now with all the quietness. It couldn't have come at a worse time, and I'm not saying she didn't need to take time off for her illness, because she definitely did.

But not even a blog entry or another press release from IDJ-- it's jsut unproffessional. And that's all I wanna say about it because it seems this discussion is starting to get really heated for a few people and we don't wanna get another thread trashed. :dead2


p.s. If we make it to another thread before there's any news (god, I hope not) we should name the next thread "Hikki's not doing much of anything in her 32nd thread!" XD

HIKKI COME BACK TO US~ COME BACK~ :P

ah.. the hikki thread exploded cuz of the arguments - ___ -

^_^ Yay, we're on the same page!

Just wondering if anyone knows the sales of TiTO this week in America?

According to an employee at BestBuy, Come Back To Me is on the BestBuy radio CD that they play in stores....w/e that means.....I hope that helps promote atleast a bit

I haven't been to a BestBuy in a while but it could either mean they play it in the store of the loudspeaker, or they have one of those stations where like, you can put headphones on and scroll through a few albums listed. Hikki's might be one of them.

http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/c...4020844277.jpg

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/5425/scan0022g.jpg






.................................................. .........wut is this?

:shakehead

Where did you find that? o.O Are you sure it's her? It doesn't really like totally like her and I've never seen that before. The other two I have though... I'm not postitive about the first, but I think it was sometime around Be My Last (judging from the hairstyle) and the second I'm pretty sure is from her first tour.

^Ah! I'm sorry. Mistaken identity. She is Sayaka Yoshino. I got the pictures from Utadanet. That aint hikki. my bad. I was fooled though

^Haha, she kind of looks like a sexed-up version of First Love Hikki with the huge eyebrows and whatnot. XD

^Yah...theyve got some cute ones over there...but you gotta do some digging. Some of the posts have long expired and the links are dead

I liked these:

^ i like the last one!!
I wonder what era that ones from???

exodus i do believe.

I LOVE THIS !!

What you all are saying about Hikki being different and doesnt give alot of concerts and promo, well, that is perfectly fine in Japan where she is already a superstar. But she wanted to conqeur USA and make a name in the states. You have to promote yourself!! She can't just sit down and wait for Ms. Famous Superstar to knock on her door over there... That's why she is "lazy"... It's different when you are already a superstar, don't need to do much promoting, but when you want to make it abroad being virtually unknown, then you sure have to work for it! No denying on that!

^Meh w/e. I'm so over the U.S thing. Next Japanese single please. More favorites:

LOL those pics are hilarious :irked that GIF is the best, though.

I do believe Come Back To Me is on the Baja Fresh CD that they play in stores as well. I heard it when I was there having a mango chutney taco salad. Props to Hikki for promoting in Best Buy and Baja. =D

JET AA NY Interview
She said all of this back in January. Obviously she knows she has to work for it over here. She had a bunch of promotion lined up starting the day TITO was released, but she got sick. It isn't fair to call her lazy for that.

I know she got sick, and off course I wish her the best and hope she is doing well now... But about the lazyness, I didn't start that, I just agreed on people calling her lazy. She hasn't even written anything on her blog or myspace, and if you get your tonsils removed, you can still type on a keyboard right? Or are the tonsils located in your fingers?
Basically I'm worried that TITO (which is a really good album with loads of potencial!) will be the same flop as Exodus, for all the same reasons (i.e. lack of promotion), that's why... Utada seems a bit like a type of person who would start something big, having huge plans and ideas, then only follow them through halfway because she gets bored from it.

Does Utada have iPhone? haha :p

^but yah...it looks like an iPhone to me

^ MHM!

Why should she have to? I hate the waiting too, but it has only been a month. She'll update her blog when she does.

It is sad that TITO hasn't had much promotion thus far, but the only reason it hasn't is because she got sick. When they decide she is well enough she'll probably go back to it.

maybe it's a blackberry STORM ;D

hopefully, the next time hikki blogs or smthin, she'll explain why she "disappeared"

I hope hikki gets better soon. I miss her. alan is eating me alive x_x

^sounds painful :P lol

I guess... Don't mean to sound carelress about her being sick, or sound rude... But I'm impatient^^ And would love to get some kind of update ASAP. Anything really, it's a bit worrying that it is this quiet. And btw, if you remove your tonsils, your voice actually changes noticeably, so if she removed them, it will be... interesting to hear what she sounds like. It doesn't get totally distorted or anything but it does affect your tone of voice.

wow...:shakehead

she'll update when she updates, she'll promote when she promotes, and she'll blog when she blogs. No amount of careless and (quite frankly) rude comments sprinkled with sarcasm will make that come any faster.

so just sit back and chill with her older music. She makes good music, get lost in it. I usually create a never ending playlist when things get slow (and they frequently do so get used to it) and just chill-lax. I'm sure there's some little nugget out there that you've never seen/heard before. Distract yourself. (that's actually what I did in between Exodus and Ultra Blue)

I'm sure if she's recovering from getting her tonsils out she doesn't feel like using her fingers to type about being sick.

Hikki'll probably come back with some super happy/cracky post about being recovered/thanks for the patience and support/ILU guys! post on her blog and then things'll be back to normal with the 5000+ posts talking about it.

I do listen to her older wotk at tme time. Celebrate is good! Nijiiro Bus as well, those are songs i first ignored but now love

I'm right now looking at Hikki's single sales and they all are amazing. They just got bad during the Ultra Blue and Heart Station era. The only exception is Flavor of Life and we all know why :) But i don't understand why Heart Station/Stay Gold happened to be her single with the lowest sales :( It's just beautiful.

I agree! HEART STATION is one of the most calming and beautifully sad songs I've ever heard~

I think it has her lowest sales because when it came out, people already knew she was coming out with an album of the same name a month later...

Other than that, her sales have been sloooowly, but surely, declining since ULTRA BLUE's era started. However, I don't blame This Is The One for low sales because she did, two photoshoots and very low-key interviews in Japan, far less promo than she did during the EXODUS era.

I think her sales decline is also just a sad fact of the music industry these days. It seems like most artists' sales have taken a hit since the beginning of the millennium, right? Hikki's doing pretty well for herself all things considered, IMO.

She still outsould everyone on digital charts... So... yeah, her single sales still very strong, u r only looking the wrong media :P

^I consider her singles to be selling well based on the digital sales too....however, personally i would rather buy physical sales. Its nice to have something tangible.

All artists sales have been decreasing the last couple of years, it's how the industry is right now, people downloand, and also because of the financial issues atm, bying cd's aren't top priority I guess. I haven't bought a cd myself for a while, I feel bad!

ugh why isn't tito being promoted more?! she had like 100000 interviews, but only like, 2 live performances. and america isn't like japan. its wasn't even really an official like hey hey hey performance, it was a here I am in the corner filling up time while the credits roll past my head type of performance.

^well...we don't really have a lot of music shows like the do in Japan do we?

Maybe I just don't watch television...but I see artists performing more on like talk shows lol

Wasn't TRL like one of the last ones of those kinds of shows?\

besides, people have already pointed out that the american industry is not like japan, where you need to do a whole crap ton of over exposure for your release and then everyone moves on.

I still think she has a good year of like promotion stuff to do...but as there's nothing really lined up...it is sort of disappointing...

and the prospect that she's going back to Japan already.

@Xiaou-xijiang; LOVE you for saying that! ^______^
Finally someone who... *shuts up before some bashing begins*

Let change the topic! Yay!

So how was everyone's weekend? Mine's was alright. Thank you all for asking.

No, let me stop. Did her official site ever add the lyrics to the songs there? I'm too lazy to check. Maybe one of you who frequently go there can tell me. Thank you~

My thoughts exactly :roflmao


I wish they had music shows like they do in Japan over here in the US though. That would be awesome and would help a lot.