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.