[Utada Hikaru] 8th Album News/Updates

rikku411 · #1 23rd January 2009, 01:36 PM

This Is The One
Utada Hikaru's 8th album

Release date

March 14, 2009

March 24, 2009

Pre-order
Amazon.com | Best Buy | YesAsia | CDJapan

Track list
01. On And On
02. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI
03. Apple And Cinnamon
04. Taking My Money Back
05. This One (Crying Like A Child)
06. Automatic Part II
07. Dirty Desire
08. Poppin’
09. Come Back To Me
10. Me Muero

Singles
- Come Back To Me [listen] [cover art] [music video]

Info
- Utada worked on the album with Stargate and C. "Tricky" Stewart
- It was recorded in Tokyo, New York and Atlanta

On the web/in the press
- Official album cover and track list - Utada.jp
- "This Is The One" delayed until March 14, 2009 for release in Japan - Utada.jp
- LiveDaily Song of the Day: Utada - "Come Back To Me" - LiveDaily
- Utada at various GRAMMY events: [1] [2] [3] [4]
- Utada Sits Down With Ningin - Ningin
- "A Conversation with Utada" - Interview by Examiner.com
- "Come Back To Me" listed on Amazon's music store - Amazon.com
- Island Records hires director Anthony Mandler for "Come Back To Me" music video - VideoStatic.com
- Utada to Unveil New Single “Come Back To Me” (Press release) - Island Records

Spoiler:

(January 21 -New York, NY) In the small world of pop artists who write their own music enters the big voice of artist/songwriter Utada who is set to reveal her new single “Come Back to Me” this month. Utada, already one of the world’s biggest recording artists, will release her new album on March 24, 2009 on The Island Def Jam Music Group.

“Come Back to Me”, the soulful yet energetic ballad produced by the hitmaking team Stargate (Ne-Yo, Rihanna, Beyonce), will officially debut on pop radio on February 9th and will be available via iTunes. The sparkling, mid-tempo hit showcases the 26-year-old singer’s powerful husky-sweet vocals and natural effervescence, placing her indisputably into the landscape with major female artists like Madonna, Beyonce, Rihanna and Mariah Carey.

Utada’s forthcoming album is comprised of 10 self-penned songs recorded with top producers Stargate and Tricky (Britney Spears, Madonna, Mariah Carey). Recording took place in New York, Atlanta and Tokyo.

On creating the album Utada comments, “I like to make music that’s mutli-layered. You might just want to dance, without really diving into the lyrics. And then if you like words, you might notice the references I make to Captain Picard or Winona Ryder. Both things are equally important to me—to be catchy, so when you hear it on the radio it sticks out, and to have that depth. "

Producer Stargate comments, “Working with Utada was great. She walks in, has confidence about her, integrity, and a voice that you can’t believe. We were really blown away.”

Born and raised in Manhattan and educated at Columbia University, Hikaru Utada had strong ties to Japan as her father, Utada Teruzane, was an accomplished musician and producer and her mother, Keiko Fuji, was a successful Japanese enka (ballad) singer. With such a musically prolific family, Utada would reside between New York City and Tokyo and the recording studio literally became her second home. By age 11, Utada had written and recorded her first song. By the time she graduated from junior high school, the bi-lingual singer had signed onto a major record label EMI and released her first Japanese album. With a number of album and single releases over the last ten years in Japan, the young star has become one of the most successful and acclaimed pop singers in Japanese music history with record sales of over 52 million.

www.utada.com <http://www.utada.com/>

- Utada releases new single 'Come Back To Me' - Monsters and Critics
- Most Anticipated: 2009 Edition - HX Magazine
- Utada Hikaru's new English-language single - Angry Asian Man
- J-pop prepares an assault on the West in '09 - The Japan Times Online

- Utada's Myspace blog
- Utada's U3 blog

Requesting and Keeping Track of Come Back To Me

Spoiler:

Images

Spoiler:

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I thought this might be useful for just putting a lot of the stuff coming in about the article in one place for people who just want to scan and see what's up with her album. I know things can get lost in some threads sometimes so this might help I hope. If you guys find anything out worth mentioning feel free to post it of course.

JaysenRyan · #2 23rd January 2009, 05:18 PM

Thanks, this will be very useful in teh future as more info becomes available.

jbrat2219 · #3 23rd January 2009, 07:54 PM

Thanks for the information

haikudasai · #4 23rd January 2009, 09:39 PM

Wouldn't this be considered a Second album?

rookies · #5 23rd January 2009, 10:44 PM

Thanks for making this thread. ^^ The Utada thread does go by fast, so having the info on the first post is good.

**Yoake** · #6 23rd January 2009, 11:39 PM

the album promo image is awful!

thanks for info!

AyuGAME · #7 24th January 2009, 02:54 AM

that's her new look? she looks thin

rikku411 · #8 24th January 2009, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haikudasai

Wouldn't this be considered a Second album?

Technically it's her 3rd English album... but 8th overall. If we don't count Precious under her Cubic U name, though, it's her second English, and 7th overall. So I just put 8th until we know the name

yoshino · #9 24th January 2009, 03:54 PM

thanks for the news!

the second pict of her short hair is cute though.

AyUta · #10 25th January 2009, 03:25 AM

Very helpful, thanks

rikku411 · #11 26th January 2009, 03:03 PM

According to VideoStatic, a website that tracks music video production, Island Records has enlisted the help of director Anthony Mandler to shoot a video me "Come Back To Me" for Utada. Some of Mandler's recent work includes Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia," OneRepublic's "Stop and Stare" as well as Beyonce's "Irreplaceable."

Quote:

Originally Posted by VideoStatic.com

BOOKED: Utada - Anthony Mandler, director

artist: Utada
song: "Come Back To Me"
label: Island/IDJMG
director(s): Anthony Mandler
production co: Les Enfants Terribles

Keiichi_JPU · #12 26th January 2009, 03:30 PM

^ interesting news!!

I hope he'll make a unique vid like Disturbia (but then not as freaky ofc) because I completely forgot the vids for Take a Bow and Irreplaceable. I can't even picture one scene from them...

so I hope it'll turn out OK

edit: wait I remember irreplaceable now, that was quite a nice vid. I hope he'll make a PV just as nice for hikki

Hydeki · #13 26th January 2009, 06:47 PM

yay! And when will be release the pv?

AyUta · #14 27th January 2009, 02:16 AM

^ We have no idea yet, unfortunately.

rikku411 · #15 1st February 2009, 05:18 PM

Hikki's started blogging on her Myspace, and informed us that the video for "Come Back To Me" is now in the editing process. Can't wait!

You can find the two blog messages above or on her blog. She also updated her U3 blog. [here]

Olw---A · #16 2nd February 2009, 12:57 PM

well she really have to work her image because it won't work in US if she doesn't have more epic shoots !
the single cover looks cheap...

I love Utada and I hope she'll have real success is US or internationally but I think this is too low to do something really big out there.

rikku411 · #17 2nd February 2009, 10:51 PM

Also, new interview in the works.

Mike Dent, the host and producer of R5 Central, a podcast that covers Japanese pop culture, recently got a chance to interview Utada Hikaru herself. The interview will be ran in Otaku USA magazine, but the audio will be streamed in an upcoming episode from R5 Central.

Check out the audio teaser [here].

"Simple OR Clean?"

**Calico** · #18 3rd February 2009, 12:01 AM

LOL it releases in Japan the day I get there. Silly.

AyUta · #19 3rd February 2009, 03:32 AM

[QUOTE=rikku411;1809529]Also, new interview in the works.

Quote:

Mike Dent, the host and producer of R5 Central, a podcast that covers Japanese pop culture, recently got a chance to interview Utada Hikaru herself. The interview will be ran in Otaku USA magazine, but the audio will be streamed in an upcoming episode from R5 Central.

Check out the audio teaser [here].

"Simple OR Clean?"

Niiiice.

rikku411 · #20 4th February 2009, 01:17 AM

Album name announced! This Is The One!

Source: http://www.myspace.com/thisisutada

Interview with Examiner.com

Thanks for U.Blog for the heads up.

Spoiler: