[Utada Hikaru] ☆ Utada Hikaru: The 46th Thread ☆

[koumori]

Welcome to Utada Hikaru's 46th thread at AHS ♡

Biography ღ

Hikaru Utada was born in Manhattan as the only child of Teruzane Utada, a Japanese record producer, and his wife Junko Utada, an enka singer, performing under the stage name Keiko Fuji.
She did her recordings with her mother, releasing songs under a band named “U3” (also known as Utada 3). until 1996 when she started her first solo project, "I'll be Stronger."

The "Cookin' With Moses Vocal" from this project was called the "Cookin' With Gas Vocal" on the promotional release.
I'll Be Stronger was the first song Utada wrote.
It was released under the artist name "Cubic U", a mathematical reference to her being the third Utada 'power', which was Hikaru's pseudonym before becoming a superstar in Japan.
The song was not released in the United States, and in 1997, she started her next project, though at first she was hesitant.
Cubic U released her debut single Close to You, which was a cover of The Carpenters' song. She then released her debut album Precious.

2011 update

The Japanese TV station NHK premiered a documentary about Utada on January 15, 2011. Titled Utada Hikaru ~今のわたし~ (Utada Hikaru: Ima no Watashi, Utada Hikaru: What I Am), the documentary featured new studio performances by Utada (Show Me Love (Not a Dream) and Goodbye Happiness), as well as some of her Wild Life performances from December. It also featured a post-Wild Life interview with J-Wave host Chris Peppler about her decision to go on hiatus as well as what she plans to do, in which she said she wanted to do volunteer work overseas, and also travel. Utada also stated that she would continue writing music during her hiatus.
- Wikipedia

Discography ღ (Japan)

Spoiler:

First Love - 1999

Tracklist

1. Automatic -Album Edit-
2. Movin' On Without You
3. In My Room
4. First Love
5. Amai Wana: Paint It, Black (甘いワナ ～Paint It, Black; Sweet Trap: Paint It, Black?)
5. Time Will Tell
6. Never Let Go
7. B&C: Album Version
8. Another Chance
9. Interlude
10. Give Me a Reason
11. Automatic: Johnny Vicious Remix

Chart Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 2,026,870
Total Sales (Japan): 7,650,215
Total Sales (Worldwide): 10,056,000

Distance - 2001



Tracklist

1. Wait & See (Risk)
2. Can You Keep a Secret?
3. Distance
4. Sunglasses
5. Drama
6. Eternally
7. Addicted to You (Up-in-Heaven Mix)
8. For You
9. Kettobase!
10. Parody
11. Time Limit
12. Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi (Translation: "Indescribable Feelings")
13. Hayatochi-Remix (bonus track)

Chart Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 3,002,720
Sales Total (Japan): 4,472,343


DEEP RIVER - 2002



Tracklist

1. Sakura Drops
2. Traveling
3. Shiawase ni Narō (Translation: "Let's be Happy")
4. Deep River
5. Letters
6. Play Ball
7. Tokyo Nights
8. A.S.A.P
9. Uso Mitai na I Love You (Translation: The Dubious I Love You)
10. Final Distance
11. Bridge (Interlude)
12. Hikari (Translation: Light)

Sales Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 2,350,170
Total Sales (Japan): 3,605,000

ULTRA BLUE - 2006



Tracklist

1. This Is Love
2. Keep Tryin'
3. Blue
4. Nichiyō no Asa (Translation: Sunday Morning)
5. Making Love
6. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro (Translation: When Someone's Wish Comes True)
7. Colors
8. One Night Magic ft. Masashi Yamada
9. Kairo (Translation: Sea Route)
10. Wings
11. Be My Last
12. Eclipse (Interlude)
13. Passion

Sales Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #7

Debut Sales: 500,317
Total Sales (Japan): 900,343

HEART STATION - 2008



Tracklist

1. Fight the Blues
2. Heart Station
3. Beautiful World
4. Flavor of Life ~Ballad Version~
5. Stay Gold
6. Kiss & Cry
7. Gentle Beast Interlude
8. Celebrate
9. Prisoner of Love
10. Teiku 5 (Translation: Take 5)
11. Boku wa Kuma (Translation: I am a Bear)
12. Niji-iro Basu (Translation: Rainbow-Coloured Bus)
13. Flavor of Life (bonus track)

Sales Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #5

Debut Sales: 480,081
Total Sales (Japan): 1,011,373

Discography ღ (English)

Spoiler:

Precious - 1998 (USA and Japan)


Tracklist

1. My Little Lover Boy
2. Lullaby
3. How Ya Doin
4. I Don't Love You
5. Here and There and Back Again (promotion copies only)
6. Promise
7. Ticket 4 Two
8. Take a Little While
9. 100 Reasons Why
10. Work Things Out
11. Close to You ft. Shiina Ringo
12. Precious Love
13. How Ya Doin (Rap Version)~(bonus track)

Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #2
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #5

Total Sales: 702,060


EXODUS - 2004 (USA, Japan and U.K)


USA ver.

U.K ver.

Tracklist

1. Opening
2. Devil Inside
3. EXODUS '04
4. The Workout
5. Easy Breezy
6. Tippy Toe
7. Hotel Lobby
8. Animato
9. Crossover Interlude
10. Kremlin Dusk
11. You Make Me Want to Be a Man
12. Wonder 'Bout
13. Let Me Give You My Love
14. About Me

Japan

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #6
Total Sales: 1,074,393

USA

The Billboard 200: #160
Top Heatseekers: #5
Total Sales: 55,000


This Is The One - 2009


Tracklist

1. Come Back to Me
2. Me Muero
3. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI
4. Apple and Cinnamon
5. Taking My Money Back
6. This One (Crying Like a Child)
7. Automatic Part II
8. Dirty Desire
9. Poppin'
10. On and On

U.S only Bonus Tracks:

Simple and Clean
Sanctuary (Opening)
Sanctuary (Ending)
- Physical copies only -

Japan

Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #3
Total Sales: 242,657

U.S.A

U.S Billboard 200: #69
U.S Top Heatseekers:: #2
Total Sales: 16,000

Best of Albums ღ

Spoiler:

Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol.1 - 2004


Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 1,403,102
Total Sales: 2,586,347

Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 - 2010


New Tracks

1. Arashi no Megami (Translation: Storm Goddess)
2. Show Me Love (Not a Dream)
3. Goodbye Happiness
4. Hymne à l'amour (Ai no Anthem)
5. Can't Wait 'Til Christmas

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #20

Total Sales (Japan): 441,000


Utada the Best - 2010


Oricon Weekly Charts: #12
Total Sales (Japan): 20,278

We miss you Hikki~! ☆

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by bluegie

Hikki was never the best live singer since the beginning. I remember I heard First Love on music station and thought it wasn't as good as the studio recording (and I wasn't really a hikki fan until 3 months after - the release of ATY). I think the last 5 songs she made tho (single collection vol. 2) were in her range, so actually she did really good on those songs. And after hearing Wild Life, I think her voice was getting better actually. (Yeah I repeated my post again and again lol. Forgive me).

So do we want less attractive songs from hikki but she could comfortably sing them, or should she go for wild songs, like BLUE?

I find SC2 songs to be pretty attractive

And she can rearrange older songs to suit her voice better, what wouldn't be a big problem considering she always changes the arrangments anyway

[Polyrhythm]

Originally Posted by emi♡

Personally, my first concert was UU...and her vocals never really seemed that bad to me. I know I didn't pay as much attention back then though

but meh. I always say, if I can handle Ayu, I can handle anything.

This

[isthisLOL?]

Right now(as in latest Utada recordings/lives and latest Ayumi recordings/lives) Ayumi is easily a better vocalist than Utada, she doesn't destroy her own vocals the way she is singing. However for the longest time Utada definitely was better.

[Evolution7/4]

For me that only time where Ayu was destroying her vocals was concert 2000. then she got better and better, and after some adjustment due to her conditions has vastly improved. But for me, 2002-2006 was ayus bets vocals. I mean that I am performance from 2002 is such a powerhouse

[Maemi]

^ LOL no matter what people say, Utada will ALWAYS have better vocals than Ayu. It's the fact.

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by Maemi

^ LOL no matter what people say, Utada will ALWAYS have better vocals than Ayu. It's the fact.

What exactly does Utada have on Ayumi?
Pitch? Both are off half of the time.
Range? Utada's useable chestvoice range is tiny and everybody can go high(and off) with headvoice.
Strenght? Ayumi has a more powerful voice now.
Control? Equally mediocre.
Technique? Ayumi wins here(she lost before 2011) since she uses correct support and doesn't sing out of her range.

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by Maemi

^ LOL no matter what people say, Utada will ALWAYS have better vocals than Ayu. It's the fact.

definately. I hate their both techniques but their voices & vocal range are uncomparable, lol

[isthisLOL?]

Originally Posted by ayu_ready?

definately. I hate their both techniques but their voices & vocal range are uncomparable, lol

Considering that their chestvoice ranges are almost identical and headvoice is usually not considered part of a singer's range since everyone can naturally reach a huge range with it I don't see how they are "uncomparable".

[Zeke.]

R&B stuff is gross.

[koumori]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

R&B stuff is gross.

You're gross!

Idk, I like her R&B stuff too. And she does sing it better live~

[Not Fade Away]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

R&B stuff is gross.

lol maybe so, but at least she can sing her r&b stuff extremely well.

Automatic live is still nearly flawless (barring UU when her voice was going to hell - though it still sounded amazing) and it seems that she sings Automatic better with age.

A lot of her experimental stuff is when she struggles to get notes out. Passion, Stay Gold, This is Love, Keep Trying (though again that was probably the worst live in UU because of her vocal issues) being prime examples.

I still wouldn't call it vocal deterioration though. I just think she composes songs that are, often times, not in her range.

Dear heavens, I almost typed "Is this Love" instead of "This is Love" my JPop artists are overlapping too much with song titles. Maybe Utada's song is the response song to Ayu's.

[Maemi]

Well we won't agree on that, but to me, Hikki has always had more powerful voice than Ayu, and no matter how much I love Ayu, I've never loved her for her voice When you listen to Hikki and Ayu, it's obvious which voice is more powerful and which is more annoying.

[isthisLOL?]

I love how you state your opinion as fact without any reasoning aside you liking it while completely ignoring what I said. Priceless. Both are rather mediocre singers, the difference is that Ayumi improved like crazy while Utada has been around the same place, possibly getting worse.

[koumori]

Let's not turn a reasonable discussion about Utada's voice into a flame war between Utada and Ayu fans please.

[Polyrhythm]

Originally Posted by isthisLOL?

I love how you state your opinion as fact without any reasoning aside you liking it while completely ignoring what I said. Priceless. Both are rather mediocre singers, the difference is that Ayumi improved like crazy while Utada has been around the same place, possibly getting worse.

wut the fack have you been listening to?

[emi♡]

um I can see where he's coming from with Ayu's improvement...

but...with all her screaming, and the tone of her voice now...I think hikki is a little more pleasant to listen to than her because even if she's progressively getting worse...she still sounds like her and okay.

idk I saw her at In The Flesh, and I listened to the recordings later...I can see how her voice has deteriorated...but I think her songs help keep her afloat.

I never want to say this in the Ayu section...but she kind of reminds me of Koda now. Just in the way that, Koda has the power, and is on key....but her tone is always so low and just not as ~pleasant~.


I think it has to do with that anyway. Why people think hikki is still better. Ayu's tone is so obviously different...but hikki's isn't. Even though she's off key and whatever...a lot of people can't really tell those differences. They go by the sound...and hikki still has her same sound.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by emi♡

um I can see where he's coming from with Ayu's improvement...

but...with all her screaming, and the tone of her voice now...I think hikki is a little more pleasant to listen to than her because even if she's progressively getting worse...she still sounds like her and okay.

idk I saw her at In The Flesh, and I listened to the recordings later...I can see how her voice has deteriorated...but I think her songs help keep her afloat.

I never want to say this in the Ayu section...but she kind of reminds me of Koda now. Just in the way that, Koda has the power, and is on key....but her tone is always so low and just not as ~pleasant~.


I think it has to do with that anyway. Why people think hikki is still better. Ayu's tone is so obviously different...but hikki's isn't. Even though she's off key and whatever...a lot of people can't really tell those differences. They go by the sound...and hikki still has her same sound.

Well, Utada also has her scream queen moments... I got surprised everytime anyone praise the UU Kremlin Dusk performance cuz she was basically screaming off key there... It's among the worst live performances I ever saw for a professional singer (Ayu also has one of those).

I agree with ThisisLOL through... both are mediocre live singer with some good moments, and since Ayu started taking proper singing lessons, she got better than Hikki (but she still is mediocre). Hikki need proper singing lessons...

Anyway, it's not like I think any of the 00s big female singers is amazing... most of them are mediocre, with one of them being just plain bad (Mika Nakashima). If u go for good jpop vocalists, the top of the charts is not the best of the places...

edit: Tomiko Van was also a disaster on the golden age of DAI...

[isthisLOL?]

I can understand not liking her tone now. Ayumi's tone is something quite unusual and has changed a lot over the course of her career, but it's really not something making her vocals objectively bad so it's not something to use when calling one of them superior or inferior. When looking at the actual objective aspects of singing, control, pitch, range...Ayumi and Utada have been on a rather similar level for a long time but are going into opposite directions now, with Ayumi's vocals having constantly improved since 2008(after having gotten worse for a few years) and Utada's having been on the same level and/or gotten worse.

For Ayumi having improved like crazy...it's really no rocket science. If you know anything about vocals you will realize for the last year she has employed proper vocal technique, something she has never done before. Her range has been growing back to her old 2 octave chestvoice(it was around 1.6-1.8 octaves for a long time before lately, she had to stick to "safe" songs or transpose them to lower pitches), her pitch and control have improved greatly.

[emi♡]

I agree~ But, we both know people...and...they go by their opinions all the time. They'll be like "This song is better because I don't like that other song." All the time.

I also think, it's difficult to have everyone understand those technical things, especially if they're tone deaf lol

what else can they go on? Oh well.