[Utada Hikaru] Volume XLVIII: The Return of the Queen

[primavera♥]

I don't care what hikki writes about as that's what art is for. So if she writes a song about her mother or her death a year from now or five years or whatever, I certainly wouldn't have a problem based on subject matter. But I don't feel like she'll be writing anything soon. I miss her music. I didn't care for sakura nagashi but I'll live with my UB.

Honestly this is just sad, and it's sad to see her like that. Death is just the worst.

[hayasaki]

Hikki has written a new entry on her official blog regarding her mom's death. According to this article,

On September 5th, Utada Hikaru wrote a message to long time supporters of her mother, Enka singer Fuji Keiko on her official website.

Utada started by thanking those who have supported her mother over the years. She then stated, "There is something I have to tell those who are still concerned about my mother," and revealed, "A series of reports had mistaken my mother's real name. She wasn't Abe Junko, but Utada Junko. Even after she divorced my father, my mother wished to be called Utada instead of her maiden name Abe. Her name also remained in my father's family register. Whether they were husband and wife or not, the two they were connected by a close bond."

Utada added, "It was reported that there was no will left behind, but there was a will that she had written in the beginning of this year. Like my mom, it was very honest with no room for other interpretations." "Based on the content of that will, I am trying hard to mourn in a way to comply with my mother's intentions as much as possible."

She also explained, "There were people who wished to see my mother's body, but I reluctantly refused it. Please allow me to apologize on this occasion," and revealed this was her own decision, "After thinking about my mother's feelings, this was my decision as the chief mourner."

Finally, she closed it with, "I was also a fan of Fuji Keiko. I will continue to be a fan of hers now and forever."

(Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/article/201...-of-fuji-keiko)

[Not Fade Away]

: o /

Just the fact that she has to address all these rumors makes me sad. I wish she could just be left alone to grieve without having to combat falsified reports surrounding her mother's death.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Keep Tryin' on repeat for days...

[CoriKaru]

Anyone have or know where a better quality version of this is? Or smaller or bigger or something because it just isn't turning out right.

[Benikari47]

Originally Posted by CoriKaru

Anyone have or know where a better quality version of this is? Or smaller or bigger or something because it just isn't turning out right.

This is in much better quality but with text on it, idk if you still want it but here.

[CoriKaru]

I will take it! Thank you! One of her best shoots.

[Delicious n Bold]

Now if only she rocked that pose on the Heart Station cover...

[Benikari47]

Originally Posted by CoriKaru

I will take it! Thank you! One of her best shoots.

You're very welcome! It's definitely one of her best shoots, she looks absolutely stunning and i always loved that hairstyle on her.

If you need more HQ photos from the shoot just tell me, i have most of them

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

Now if only she rocked that pose on the Heart Station cover...

The Heart Station covers were such disasters, she looks like like she got punched in the face with a curling iron. Not to mention that she looks a little too "butch lesbian" for my taste, it's a shame cause the album is a absolute masterpiece. Thankfully i managed to do a decent cover for the album last year http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yPHw-gEwZM...er5+TAGGET.png

But come to think of it Utada never had impressive album covers.
Distance is the only one that comes to mind that's actually great, Deep River is nice as well but she looks so rough.

[Polyrhythm]

She's a musical artist first and foremost. Her music sells her albums. Leave the generic over-airbrushing and one click Instagram-esque filters to the drama queens over at Avex (or Nishino Kana). Let's not forget, this is what the cover of the best selling album in Asian music history looks like:

[Benikari47]

Originally Posted by Polyrhythm

She's a musical artist first and foremost. Her music sells her albums. Leave the generic over-airbrushing and one click Instagram-esque filters to the drama queens over at Avex (or Nishino Kana). Let's not forget, this is what the cover of the best selling album in Asian music history looks like:

I appreciate the rawness in her work, and that comes to her image and artwork as well. But i'm the kind of person who can't take artwork that looks unfinished, which is my main problem with most of her covers. It's not just that she's not airbrushed, i can live with that. But the lightning on her covers are so bad, like they didn't even think of fixing the exposure.

Her music is A+, why shouldn't the covers be of matching quality? However that's just my opinion, either way it's only great for me cause it gives me an opportunity to be creative and really let the music speak to me when i make my covers. It's only made me a bigger fan of her I might just be too interested in this kinda stuff, artwork is everything to me lol.

[NintendoHTF1242]

DEEP RIVER and Exodus are really good album covers though.

Don't get me started on Be My Last. Gorgeous.

[Delicious n Bold]

Well I guess one can argue that HS's cover is as "raw and simplistic" as its sound.
But the sound doesn't sound like a dead butch lesbian with an organ failure -taken from randomjpop

Seriously, how can you SOUND dead?

It's still a hot mess of a cover. Even First Love. But utada always delivers with the content so...

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by Benikari47

Deep River is nice as well but she looks so rough.

That's how the feeling of the album should look like. IMO DR is the best cover from hikki, which fulfilled the concept of the album.

[CoriKaru]

Originally Posted by Benikari47

Thankfully i managed to do a decent cover for the album last year http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yPHw-gEwZM...er5+TAGGET.png

Pretty

I like her HEART STATION Album cover though.

[hayasaki]

Ultra Blue cover ftw.

[terra]

Deep River and Be My Last are my favorites.

[CoriKaru]

Utada tweeted:

"Being staked out my home, being tailed, those kinds of things are nothing new. And I think I can’t help those. But I changed my mind toward media when my mom’s coffin was carried out. I was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, preparing for bad things to some extent. But I had not even be able to imagine that the media corps stood up against the funeral car. They prevented the coffin from being carried out, shooting me. It’s the blasphemy against the dead."

[Not Fade Away]

^That shit was so disrespectful of the media. I wanted to kick and slap all of them many many times over.

[emi♡]

I think it speaks a little to the amateur nature of the media in Japan, tbh.

Like, I mean, I guess maybe I'm just used to how it is here, but I feel like, if it was a funeral for someone here in CA, the media would have made deals with people to get their wanted coverage, without being so in-your-face about it to where it's an actual *problem*, like blocking the street.

Even if they have to be sneaky, or whatever. They aren't going to be all like, right in the middle of things. Especially when there is police and such. Everyone might hate them afterward, but they're much smarter with their game here. They have relationships with celebrities and companies, and even the police.

I feel like Hikki should have had her father, or a publicist, or something take care of the media for her.

I'm not blaming them, it IS rude of the media, but I guess, I'm just not really used to the media ever being gracious or respectful over their own agendas.

I suppose they are expected to be in Japan, but obviously, that's dying out.