[Utada Hikaru] ʕ•̫͡•ʔ Upcoming 2018 Album and Tour in the 57th thread ʕ•̫͡•ʔ

[sora-kara]

Does anyone want my ticket code?

[Baco__]

Originally Posted by sora-kara

Does anyone want my ticket code?

Haha won't work anymore =(

[sora-kara]

Originally Posted by Baco__

Haha won't work anymore =(

damn...my copy arrived to late to be useful! XD

[freedreamer]

Won 2 tickets for the 4th Dec show

[Xianghua]

General lottery will start September 14th
https://ticket-hikaruutada20th.com/

[mi|kshake]

Finally got my copy of the album on Tuesday and have been listening to it pretty much every day since then. So, thoughts:

Play A Love Song - Cute, catchy, nice little Hikki song with her R&B style. Not sure if the choir were necessary but I like the... (not sure what to call them) "sparkly/electronic" bits to the song.

Anata - Like this one too, the chorus gets stuck in my head.

Hatsukoi - Finally a song called First Love I can get behind! Great ballad and nice strings.

Forever More - Loving the chorus! One of my favourites from the album along with Chikai and Too Proud.

Chikai - I'm liking this more and more. Got to admit I was expecting a bit more of the ending of the song but I'm used to it now and I like the subtle change. Love the melody. Looking forward to the English version. It sounds very Kingdom Hearts-y.

Too Proud - This was another song at first where I was expecting a bit more after hearing about the beat but now I'm loving it! I'm always turning this one up load to hear all the different elements - the beat, spoken word bits etc.

Good Night - I thought this was a bit repetitive at first but am enjoying it now. I love the electric guitar.

Pakuchii no Uta - Not sure what to say about this song other than it brings a smile to my face.

Nokoriga - My least favourite song from the album. Nothing wrong with it but I don't find it very memorable. Think it needs some more listens.

Ozora de Dakishimete - The strings at the end are great!

Yunagi - Another one of my favourites from this album along with...

Shittosarerubeki Jinsei - It may just be my favourite from the album but hard to tell yet. I love these sort of ethereal songs from Hikaru (Sakura Drops and Passion are some of my favourite songs from her) I love the placement of this with Yunagi on the album as well.

This is a great album although not sure where I will rank it in my Top Hikaru albums yet but it could be pretty high. Sounds very Fantome which is a good thing but I need to give it a few more spins. She is also sounding great this album!!

I also got the Wild Life Blu-ray which I look forward to watching.

[bluegie]

2018.07.16 - No. 2 - 2,938 copies
2018.07.17 - No. 11
2018.07.18 - No. 5
2018.07.19 - No. 5
2018.07.20 - No. 4
2018.07.21 - No. 4
2018.07.22 - No. 2 - 3,979 copies

weekly no. 6: 20,223 copies
total: 305,127 copies

I think it can break 350K at this point, may need some push for 400K .

[YUKARI]

Originally Posted by bluegie

2018.07.16 - No. 2 - 2,938 copies
2018.07.17 - No. 11
2018.07.18 - No. 5
2018.07.19 - No. 5
2018.07.20 - No. 4
2018.07.21 - No. 4
2018.07.22 - No. 2 - 3,979 copies

weekly no. 6: 20,223 copies
total: 305,127 copies

I think it can break 350K at this point, may need some push for 400K .

wow 305k! I heard she sold like 200k so I'm surprised to see 305k

I think she'll reach 350K and more when she starts touring

[Katsuyuki012]

The documentary was really interesting... Loved seeing the process and how she struggled and in the end they still found a way... I could use so many words to describe it but I will keep it short. It really shows again how much of an artist she is! It was also nice to hear her talking in English :3

[thinkingoutloud89]

^found it nice too but she is such a weird person.... I find her neither charming nor nice. She is rather offputting in a way.

[ahtka-chan]

Originally Posted by thinkingoutloud89

^found it nice too but she is such a weird person.... I find her neither charming nor nice. She is rather offputting in a way.

I feel lke she's a very particular person and I believe she's a real nice friend. On the other hand, in this doc we only see her in her working environment, so it does make sense she looks too rigid or unpleasant.

I mean, she has to make sure every single aspect of her craft is respected and that everything goes the way she wants it too. After all, it's her name and her art at stake.

[thinkingoutloud89]

Originally Posted by ahtka-chan

I feel lke she's a very particular person and I believe she's a real nice friend. On the other hand, in this doc we only see her in her working environment, so it does make sense she looks too rigid or unpleasant.

I mean, she has to make sure every single aspect of her craft is respected and that everything goes the way she wants it too. After all, it's her name and her art at stake.

Its not just this doku. except for her instagram which is celebrate, i never found her to be appealing as a person. But i dont care anyways - I'm here for the music.

[bluegie]

She's always a weirdo in some way (her instagram proves how weird she is ), that's why people love her . Anywayz,

2018.07.23 - No. 3 - 1,605 copies
2018.07.24 - No. 20 - ??
2018.07.25 - No. 5 - ??
2018.07.26 - No. 7 - ??
2018.07.27 - No. 5 - ??
2018.07.28 - No. 2 - ?? (forgot to write down the numbers)
2018.07.29 - No. 2 - 2166 copies
(weekly no. 8: 10,856 copies, total 315,983 copies)

[ayu_ready?]

I think the album reminded me of old Hikki in terms of compositions. they seem old-school Hikki, I really like the album

[No_Doubt]

Originally Posted by ayu_ready?

I think the album reminded me of old Hikki in terms of compositions. they seem old-school Hikki, I really like the album

Yes! I agree completely. The album has those big pop melodies that were missing from the more subdued material on Fantôme and from the original material that was on Singles Collection Vol. 2. It feels like the successor to Heart Station that I've been waiting for.

[Andrenekoi]

Well, Hikki was never really famous for being nice or charming, did she? People complains about her not being down to earth and humble from times to times.

Considering she is one of the best pop musicians alive in the world right now, I couldn't care less about how friendly she is :B

[sora-kara]

They're releasing a limited number of Hatsukoi on vinyl.

This is what I've been asking for! Maybe they'll go back and do the last 3 album as well. I need them.

We are also pleased to announce the release of individually numbered, limited edition vinyl editions for album "Hatsukoi." It's what a lot of fans were waiting for, and we're very happy to be able to bring it to you!! The release date will be Wednesday, November 7, coinciding with her first concert tour in 12 years (the product actually arrives in stores the day before, i.e.-November 6, and usually available as it arrives, thus making it available on the actual first day of the tour). A vinyl edition of her album hasn't been released since her third album "DEEP RIVER" in 2002. Chris Bellman of Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood worked on the vinyl master, and comes highly recommended by mastering engineer Bob Ludwig, who worked on the CD. It will be a 2 LP set where you can savor all the deliciousness of the vinyl format including its luscious sonic textures. Each album jacket is individually numbered and the booklet is, of course, vinyl size. It's definitely a collector's piece and only available as a limited edition, so please be sure to pre-order!!



[Hikaru Utada Analog Album Information]

Analog album "Hatsukoi"



Release date: Wednesday, November 7, 2018

CD Product No.: ESJL 3094-5（2LP）

Suggested retail price: \5,000 (incl. tax)/ \4,630 (w/o tax)

[bluegie]

Thinking whether buy it or not... I don't collect vinyl (and doesn't have a player to play it), but it sounds great...

[amorphose]

I've been asking for this since day 1!!! Pre-ordered. Can't wait.

[sora-kara]

I have a small vinyl collection, most of which is Hikki stuff. Recently I was lamenting to my boyfriend what a shame it was that Fantome (especially) didn't come out on vinyl. So I immediately pre-ordered Hatsukoi!

Allow me to gloat for a second:

Spoiler:

It's going to feel empty without Ultra Blue, Heart Station and Fantome in there. :/


On the topic of her in that documentary: she seems very serious. There's definitely a lot on her plate when it comes to all the tasks she takes on for her music. And she doesn't have to do it all either. She could very easily pass those responsibilities on to other people, but her vision of her music and her self seems very clear and honest, and she wants to make sure that the end result represents her self to the world in the way that she wants to. She is doing her best through the entire session to explain the unexplainable to the team. Trying to get a very specific emotion or moment from someone creatively is difficult enough, and when there is no one word to define the feeling you're looking for it's even more difficult. I thought she did a good job of directing towards what she wanted, explaining her intentions from multiple angles, and knowing when to pass on ideas and trust others with their skills.

I say all this coming from spending about 10 years in a creative management job. It is not an easy job. Her approach to it was realistic and respectful of the other artists involved. It's often remarked upon in this thread how emotionally bare her work sounds at times. You can't argue with results! I loved the doc for that and her discussions of her seeking her personal truth. Really great piece.