the official thread 12 "utada hikaru
 

credit : fanmail

ooo New thread! Cool! hikki's new album's coming soon!

yay you used some of my first post XD

^ yapp... lol
i was lazy to create new one :D

yeah can't wait for it ! Still deciding whether I want to preorder it from HMV Japan or HK though .

Hopefully there will be a HK press of HS , it will be much much cheaper for me to afford .

I think there will be a S'pore press of it but as to how long it will take to be out in stores I have no idea

Yay new thread! I'm looking foward to the new album.

I'm looking forward to the album as well, but it may be a while before I can actually buy it. XC Or not, since my b-day is 3 days before it releases. So we'll see. :thumbsup

Can't wait for it!

Me either ^^ I CANT WAIT !!

ohhh can't wait for the album *-*
looks amaizing!

"utada hikaru? :P

Credits to U.Blog!!!!

Take 5 -> the "most unique" track on the album [sounds like I'm gonna like it - for some reason, I'm thinking uptempo]

Niji-iro Bus -> cute and bright tune [also upbeat?]

- previews should be coming any day now...So get pumped for those who are going to listen to previews. Personally, I'll be waiting for my album to arrive to me [only 23 more days]

As well, I'm surprised the album hasn't leaked yet so I'm proud of EMI!

SSTV Chart Combain

HEART STATION info from Hikki

- "softness" was very important in creating the album
- identity as a woman played important part in the making of the album

i found hikki is gaining weight... since she released ultra blue...
is this th effect of divorce??

LOL she is so funny...

I think so . At least I'm not the only 1 who realises that . If you watched Flavor Of Life , it's pretty much it .

waww. soo hikki will look chubby :D:D:D

no album can beat ULTRA BLUE :D

Hikki does look slimmer now compared to the FoL time..

Guys, Hikki's weight is fine. She's perfect, much hotter with a bit of meat on her than some stick-thin pole dancer *Koda :innocent*

^ LOL.

Yah more meat pl0x.

lol thats a nice pic of hikki, I dont think she's gaining any weight at all... At least I didnt realize it..

black's a slimming colour you never know but I do admit there was 1 period of time where she looked quite chubby than usual & that was before she got divorced .

either that or I put it down to bad choice of clothing .

^your right,but I never notice things like weight unless you gained or lost a lot of it...but it makes a lot since if she gained it because of the divorce...

If you checked those previous news at yahoo.jp during the summer last year, you will see she actually lost a lot of weight after getting divorced. I think yahoo.jp even mentioned about her slimmer legs during a press or something.

tbh... her clothing style + short hair makes her look chubbier than usual. I really hope she will grow her hair instead of keeping it short.. I think she only looking good at MS.. She looked so weird on other shows..

Credits to Hikki Station!

• Fight The Blues 4:10
• HEART STATION 4:36
• Beautiful World 5:17
• Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version- 5:25
• Stay Gold 5:14
• Kiss & Cry 5:06
• Gentle Beast Interlude 1:13
• Celebrate 4:26
• Prisoner Of Love 4:46
• Take 5 (テイク ５) 3:42
• Boku wa Kuma 2:23
• Niji-iro BASU (虹色バス) 5:50
• Flavor Of Life (Bonus Track) 4:46

Roughly 6 minutes for a cute song? Hope it won't drag on. And wow, Take 5 is short

true I suppose but usually during a marriage or after a divorce , you tend to put on weight depending on the nature of your marriage .

guess Utada channelled all of her energy into pilates or something after she got divorced hmmm

Hmmn... I dunno how many times they've seen each other during those 4 to 5 years of marriage. Everyone knows that she wrote about kuma more than kiriya even before they're divorced. (just made a quick search at Hikki Texts and she did mentioned about kiriya a bit more during the early marriage.) A few months before they broke up, I always wondered why she didn't talk about her husband on her blog. I didn't expect she would mention his name everytime... but it's quite weird to see kuma-chang in 9 out 10 blogs, while kiriya... probly 1/20 chance..

Well she is still a bit chubby, but it's much better compared to her EXODUS --> Be My Last era. That's kinda a nightmare.. :P

I love her short hair look. It's so boyish that I've fallen in love. <3

thanks for the pic... she looks realy fine :D

She looked like a boy in that picture.

LOL I come back after a couple of days and I find another thread of Hikki :thud
I really missed out :headache
But anyways, I got some Hikki news for you all <3

"HEART STATION" Monthly airplay; Utada Bests record!

According to a new Livedoor article, Utada’s latest single, “HEART STATION,” was the most played song on Japanese radio in the month of February. The song recorded 1,064 plays, the only song to cross the one thousand threshold last month. This also brings the monthly total airplay above Utada’s previous record month of 1,037 plays for 2002’s “traveling.” There is also a new promo pic of Utada attached to the article.

Credit = U.BLOG

Yay Hikki!!!

I find it slightly amusing that it got some may radio plays - radio frequency theme of HEART STATION :D [bad humor I know...]

Anyway, HEART STATION is a great song so I'm happy that she's enjoyed radio success despite the opposing physical release.

The album is coming in just a little over a week!

^ I know! :D I know leaking albums/singles is a bad thing but temptation...temptation...
:innocent

lol, it's been surprisingly easy for me to resist temptation. Maybe it's cause I know there aren't that many new tracks so I might spoil them by listening to them early.

I'm surprised HS hasn't leaked out in full yet . Not even Ken Hirai's fakin' pop ! His new album's gonna be out this Wed ..

I want to hear Rainbow Bus from HS LOL , sounds cute

So, there's only five actual new tracks? Bummer.

^ But I bet all the tracks will be wonderful :D
If it's coming from Hikki, why wouldn't they be? n.n
Although the track I'm really looking forward to is 'Prisoner of Love', because it's a strings track <3

Oh yeah, here's a new promo pic for you guys :D

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...da28176cc3.jpg

Utada doesn't look too fat at the moment. XD

Her weight has been going up and down since Exodus really. Must be the American food. D:
I remember she was quite pudgy during the Exodus Showcase.

I think the best she's looked was during COLORS. :3 (SHE HAS TO GO BACK TO LONG HAIRR)

I don't think she looks fat either, and yay for Heart Station!

yeah man . The same thing goes for Ken Hirai's fakin' pop & also otsuka ai's LOVE PiECE album . Practically almost 1/2 the album was released before their albums were out .

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing .

Utada needs to buy a weave, that hair aint great, couple pounds lost would be perfect... then she would be my perfect DIVA :D

Oh and a stylist :D

i think she's fatter than usual

Sorry but this must be a joke. I think Hikki is just Hikki and that's great. Fat? Sorry but Hikki is'n fat!

I know :o If y'all saw a REAL fat person, you'd call Hikki anorexic. </3

:rolleyes

If Hikki's fat than I guess Beyonce is fat as well. Hikki is what you call "stout", a thick person, just like Beyonce. If you live in Amerykah <~Credits to Erykah Badu, that that's a good thing especially among the African-American community. :yes

She is indeed a thick person, but she can lose a couple lbs of weights.. I'm not saying she should go back to her weight during Distance --> DEEP RIVER era (cuz then she may probly need to lose at least 15 to 20 lbs).

I think that Hikki looks just fine. :)

No! Im the second person. I think she looks great as allways!

Gosh again the weight thing OMG O.O
Shes greeaaat!!

I know right? Hikki has such a perfect figure. :grumpy

Hikki is not fat. If people consider that fat then o.o

Check her CYKAS? MS performance.. I think that's quite a difference (esp her arms)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRmO7...eature=related

^ She's so petite :D And so beautiful! <3!

BUT! All you guys need to stop saying Hikki's fat! Because she's not! Case closed.
:yes
She's perfect just the way she is <3
Who cares if someone gains a couple of pounds here or there, it makes no difference whatsoever. Hikki will always be the cool person we know and love.

Yes that's right. :luv2:luv2:luv2:luv2:luv2

But Japanese press started it. In Japanese standards Hikki is considered chubby.

'pparently.

Btw, "2008.04.08 (Canada)"

HEART STATION is being released in Canada? o_____o'

Edit;

I ruv you Shan. :D

Yuppers :D A Canada release it is!

But why?! Of all the places she could go to...

Why Canada, do people even... live there? :confused

I think that the hair cut makes her face looks like she was "fat" but obviously she's not...
I like more with long hair, but if she is happy that way I'll be too ^.^

PEOPLE
stop with the fat comments
she's not fat at all
if anything she looks skinnier than before

wow, this discussion comes up on forums too much. I think the whole thing should just be dropped but I can't say what to do.

I can't wait to see Hikki's NINKI rating. I want a 300 rating like Kumi and EXILE!

^Hmm...when you think about it, this will be Hikki's 1st album on the Ninki. I'm expecting 400 to 500 tops. lol Just imagine if Ninki was around when First Love and Distance was out. XD

lol, First Love -> 1000!!!

haha, it'll be interesting though. 400 - 500 is HUGE. Isn't the highest one to date in the 300s. I wanna say it was Kumi but I don't know. This album looks like it'll be HUGE though...

1) Massive Promotion -> ~30 magazine / radio appearances; tons of TV appearances as well [I think, not positive]
2) Flavor Of Life -> #2 single of last year [even Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry earned the number 2 female single of last year]
3) it's Hikki -> who blows people away with her album sales

- P.S. I cannot wait for Sakigake! That's my fav Hikki appearance EVER! I can't wait to see the one for HEART STATION

And this mixi thing sounds interesting. Bet it spurs promo even further

I dunno, her album sales have been declining with each successive release, so I'm guessing the max amount she'll get is around 600k ~ 800k maybe?

so big @.@; I don't like that picture of her. :( I like the attitude, but maybes its the lighting against her skin...

^ Her pictures lately have been making her look kind of pale :/
And she looks as if she's getting kind of thin (not in a good way). I hope she's taking care of herself and not letting the media get to her too much (with all their fat comments and all although this picture isn't as bad as some screencaps I've seen)...
Not only that her style seems to be going in a very boyish direction.

^If I'm not not mistaken, Hikki has always been pale. I think the only time she hadn't look pale was during her First Love era. If you look at her promo pics from her Distance to Heart Station era, she looks pale which how she's just about always looked. COLORS show she looks so beautiful as a pale Japanese women, don't ya think? Also, again, her weight is normal for her age. Ugh, just be lucky she's not some overweight 200-something pound person. :yes

100% agree Luv!

I couldn't believe that 30 magazines were going to feature her new album :thud That's three times as many as Ayu! It makes me happy :D

ALSO
What is NINKI ratings exactly? Someone had told me before but I still only have a basic grasp of it.

I actually think Ninki had been out before ULTRA BLUE was released.. Unless oricon was lazy and didn't update the Ninki chart, otherwise this will be at least her second album on the Ninki. (come to think about it... Be My Last was on Ninki as well, so ULTRA BLUE should have been on Ninki).


HEART STATION could be a special case.. This will be the first album after divorce, and it seems like Hikki popularity increased after this incident. Most singles are better received than those in UB (except Dareka and COLORS, but those two were released a long time before UB).

Either hikki will be sinking like ayu is, or HS will be another million seller.

@AyUta

NINKI basically polls the interest of people for upcoming singles / albums. The numbers they give aren't estimates but basically are measures for how many people are interested. Of course, NINKI doesn't always get it right but it gives a somewhat grasp of the positions that people [mostl big names] will hit.

And yes, I think HEART STATION can outsell Ultra Blue despite everyone's declining sales :)

not everyone's sales decreasing.. Look how well EXILE's last album sold. (Honestly.. fangirl effect towards Takahiro... :P).

And more about NINKI..
Basically oricon randomly surveys 400 people (from 4 million people), and the results based on "interest, concern rate" and "purchase intention".
The last sentence is a bit confusing tho... It says those 400 people are from 5 different generation groups (10, 20..., 50), 50 males and 50 females within each group..
(probly I misunderstand some sentences... otherwise 100 people from each generation meaning there should be 500 people being surveyed instead of 400... :no)
(edit: I look at the graphs presented by oricon... they only cover 10, 20, 30, and 40... so I guess only 4 generations were done.)

I'm anxious to see how HS will sell in the 1st week & in the long run

Credits to U.Blog -

The choice to use “HEART STATION” as the album title was quite random, as Utada casually chose the name as it sounded very appropriate for a Title.

“Boku wa Kuma” played a vital role in shaping the outcome of this album. It allowed Utada to realize how important it is to loosen up, and to not take things too seriously.
This more relaxed, soft side is reflected in much of the songs in the album, and allowed her to create tracks that she would not have been able to otherwise.

With “Prisoner Of Love,” Utada utilized chords which she describes as “the ones that come easiest to me.” She references other tracks as having a similar structure, and she explains that she originally shyed away from using these chords for fear of accidentally rehashing old material, but decided that it was far more unnatural to avoid doing something for the sake of avoiding it. She also mentions a J-Drama tie-up (which has yet to be confirmed), and thematically the producers wanted lyrics that could relate to both lovers and friends.

“Prisoner Of Love” has strings, which are more intense in nature, required her to create lyrics that would be easier to annunciate, making the singing on the song lighter and keep the track from dragging down and becoming heavy. The song was originally written in English.

“Gentle Beast Interlude” and “Celebrate” were originally part of the same demo, but were split up for their respective tracks. There is said to be a smooth transition between these songs. “Celebrate” was the last song created for the album, and Utada mentions that she wanted it to be an upbeat song, as most of the last songs created for her albums are darker and more ballad oriented.

The music track for “Take 5″ was actually created for “ULTRA BLUE.” It was very difficult to create lyrics for the song, so she approached them more as writing for literature than for a song. She found them to be a bit strange, but thought it fit in with the vibe of the track. She found inspiration in the work of poet Miyazawa Kenji’s ”Ginga-Tetsudou no Yoru.”

“Niji-iro Bus” has an “analog sound,” something Utada has not done in a long time. Thematically, the song is very melancholic, talking about everybody’s longing to go to a place beyond their current reality. The interviewer describes the song as seeming to come from an adolescent point of view, hypothesizing that because of Utada’s sudden rise to fame at such a young age, perhaps she is going back and re-experiencing adolescence from a 25 year-old’s perspective, thereby creating something fresh.

”Niji-iro Bus”: Everybody feels the same/Everybody feels the same/Niji-iro bus de, niji no mukou he (On this rainbow colored bus, to that place beyond the rainbow)

“Prisoner Of Love”: Arifureta nichijyou ga kyuuni kagayakidashita/Kokoro wo ubawareta ano hi kara/Kodokudemo tsurakutemo heiki dato omoeta (These days have suddenly begun to shine/Since the day my heart was taken away/I’ve begun to think that even through loneliness and pain, I will still be okay)

“Celebrate”: Just enjoy the art of life

“Take 5″: Kyou no kibun wa saikou desu/Zetsubou mo kibou mo nai/Sora no youni suki toutte itai (My mood today is the highest/With no hope nor despair/Like the sky I want to be see-through)

~

I love that lyric for "Celebrate" - sounds very deep. And I hope even if the album is ballad-oriented, it's filled with amazing sounds and are ballady like the songs she's released so far.

didn't wikipedia updated her wikipedia page saying that initally the album title would be DEATH ?

I almost fainted when I saw that . Thank goodness HEART STATION is a more suitable title .

The songs sound interesting after this..hopefully there are good...
her relaxed style seems very similar to each other apparently...so i hope the OTHER new tracks can provide more variety..

That may be true...but at least it looked natural back then..it seemed like she had more of a complexion in her skin but ah well. And I never complained about her weight so I don't really know what you meant by the last part :/
I just said that it looked like she might be losing weight in an unhealthy way. But hey ya know, I'm pretty pessimistic on these topics so don't mind me xD!

I think her weight is pretty normal right now, and the pictures are really just washing her out. I think it's okay though since very white skin is so fashionable in Japan :luv2 She looks so cute in her latest interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDnE3JnOAuQ

FULL ALBUM LYRICS!

NOTE: I need someone to translate/put them in Romaji. Either one works :D

Fight the Blues
http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND61985/index.html

Celebrate
http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND61986/index.html

Prisoner of Love
http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND61987/index.html

Take 5
http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND61988/index.html

Niji-ro Busu
http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND61989/index.html

Credit - Uta-Net

AMAIZING!!!

thanks for sharing!!! :D

OMG! The lyrics to celebrate! :heart "Mister DJ" and "Sexy Lady" :heart I can't wait to hear celebrate!

^You made me think of Rihanna HM! :laugh I can't wait either. I getting excited for the album now. lol And yay! Hikki said she is currently working on her english album. Woot!

She's making the album already? I'm excited now, I can't wait to hear what it's going to sound like.

"Celebrate" sounds like it's gonna be so much fun. I am so excited!

I knew I'd be excited for "Celebrate" - hopefully it won't disappoint. All I need now is a translation...

Translations! :laugh
I would do just that but I don't have one of those translator thingys that Cloud_Honey and a couple of other people have. :(

^ I know i wanna translation too!

New CD DATA:

http://www1.e-hon.ne.jp/images/zassh...0042810481.JPG







Wooot! I like the cover!

cute cover! :)

Aw! :laugh

...would've been perfect if you Kuma was on her back. :sdevil I do adore the cover tho! Woot!

^ :laugh
! But! Hikki said she had done photo hoots with Kuma in them! :D They're supposed to be in one of the 30 magazines that are being sold :thud

she's kinda stylish in that pic. omh hikki, just use extension to make your hair longer! the boy hair-style didn't suit you!!

she looks so pretty ^.^
I like her!!!

agree with ayu-fan... I miss her long hair -_-

Mini-Hikki NEWS Everyone!

According to the latest episode of Music Station, Utada’s free Chaku-Uta campaign for her hit 1999 single “First Love” garnered 700,000 downloads within the 4 day span it was available. This surpasses the 500,000 downloads for the free “Automatic” downloads late last year, also a part of the 10 year anniversary campaign.

Oricon has released their weekly NINKI chart, and Utada’s “HEART STATION” comes in easily at #1. The NINKI chart does not reflect predicted sales, but gives an indication of the level of interest within the general Japanese public.

Credits to U.blog!

That's all for now! :)


:shimmy Yay! Hikki's getting #1. lol Woot! First Love is selling like pancakes on a Sunday Morning! :shimmy

^ Yay Hikki News! (:laugh)

I want Shokotan to get #1 though... she said she'd run through some mainstreet in Tokyo naked if it did.

:[

And who doesn't want to see Shoki naked? <3

Go First Love! Woo! I love it, but I think it's a bit overated.

lol you should be careful...I live in Montreal,Canada..I'm not the type to flame about those things, but some other people might. and yes there are people who live in Canada :P

I hope the album leaks soon. I need new music to listen to on my harddrive.