Ayumi Hamasaki

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Ayumi Hamasaki in Taiwan

Ayumi Hamasaki ( Japanese 浜 崎 あ ゆ み , bourgeois 濱 﨑 歩 , Hamasaki Ayumi ( Hiragana は ま さ き あ ゆ み ); born October 2, 1978 in Fukuoka , Fukuoka Prefecture ) is one of the most successful J-Pop singers. Also known under the acronym Ayu, Hamasaki was one of the most popular pop singers in Japan and coined the 2000s with her title “Empress of J-Pop” (or the English name “J-Pop Queen”). She grew up in her native Fukuoka before moving to Tokyo to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. With the release of several albums and more than 50 singles, she has sold more than 50 million records since her debut single Poker Face , in Japan alone. This has not been achieved by any Japanese solo artist since Oricon was officially documented record sales .

Her 39th single, Startin '/ Born to Be… made her the solo artist with the most number one hits in Japan. With the release of their single L in 2010, 38 of their singles reached position 1 and a total of 50 of their singles reached the top 10 in the Oricon Charts Japan . It has 25 number-one hits in a row starting with the single Free & Easy (2002) through L (2010). She is also the only Japanese artist whose first eight albums topped the charts.

Childhood and first steps in the music industry

Ayumi was born in Fukuoka and raised by her mother and grandmother after her father left the family when Hamasaki was three years old. When she was seven, she worked partly as a local model to earn some money for her family.

At the age of 14, she occasionally went from Fukuoka to Tokyo to do odd jobs. She used the pseudonym Kurumi Hamazaki for cheap film appearances and B-movies . However, she didn't have much success with her talent agency. After graduating from junior high school, she decided to attend senior high school in Tokyo. A modeling career was not granted to her as she was viewed as too small for the modeling business and was eventually dropped by her talent agency. She wore short skirts, dyed her hair and struggled with school until she finally gave up. She made this decision when her mother was moving to Tokyo for a new job. She spent the days shopping during the day and dancing at night.

Hamasaki's first professional, musical endeavors were increasingly in the rap scene. On December 1, 1995, their first album Nothing from Nothing was released in collaboration with Dohzi-T and DJ Bass on the Nippon Columbia label. When her album missed the chart entry, she was terminated from her label.

Her future producer Masato Matsuura noticed her in the “Velfarre” discotheque, which belongs to the record label “Avex Trax”. Matsuura asked her if she was interested in a singing career, but Hamasaki was suspicious of him and refused. Matsuura held on to the offer for the following year, until Hamasaki agreed and took singing lessons. In the opinion of her teachers, however, she was too rigid and her performance too weak because she mostly did not attend classes. When she confessed this to Matsuura, he sent her to New York for a training course. During her stay, she wrote a letter suggesting that Matsuura write her own lyrics, and then got the producer's approval.

Music career

1998 to 1999: A Song for XX and Loveppears

In April 1998 Hamasaki's debut single Poker Face was released under the Avex label, which reached number 20 on the Oricon charts . Their second single You , which also reached number 20, fared similarly . With Hamasaki's third single Trust , which reached position 9, she made it into the top 10 for the first time. The fourth single For My Dear ... was released on October 7, 1998 and, like its predecessor, reached number 9 in the charts. Depend on You , the fifth single, reached number 6 on the weekly Oricon charts and was used as the theme song for the video game Thousand Arms . Hamasaki's debut album A Song for XX , which was released on January 1, 1999, held the top position on the Oricon charts for 5 weeks.

On February 10, 1999, Ayumi's sixth single, Whatever, was released, which reached number 5 in the Oricon charts. In addition, in March 1999, Ayu-mi-x, the first of a remix album by Hamasaki, was released. Ayumi Hamasaki got her first number 1 hit with her seventh single Love: Destiny , which was produced by Tsunku . Their eighth single To Be , which was released a month later, did not have the chance to build on the success and reached number four in the charts. Hamasaki's ninth single Boys & Girls not only topped the charts again, but also became their first single, which sold over a million times. Simultaneously with the release of Boys & Girls , Ayumi Hamasaki followed the trend of the music industry and launched her singles on 12 cm discs instead of the 8 cm discs that were common at the time. The increased storage capacity was used for more remix tracks on their singles.

When their tenth single A was released in August 1999, it became their most successful single with over 1.6 million units sold. Hamasaki on 10 November 1999 published at the same time their second studio album Loveppears and the single Appears . Loveppears rose to the top of the charts and sold over two million copies. After the album was released, 2 singles were released from the album. Kanariya was released in a limited edition in December of that year and Fly High in February 2000.

2000 to 2002: Duty , I Am ... and Rainbow

In 2000 Ayumi Hamasaki became an advertising spokesperson for the Japanese cosmetics manufacturer KOSE. When the first promotional videos for a lipstick with her were broadcast, the product sold over 500,000 times in the first two days. Her single Vogue , which was used as background music, sold over 700,000 copies in Japan. Hamasaki also became a spokesperson for Tu-Ka , a Japanese cell phone distributor. From April to June 2000 she released the three singles Vogue , Far Away and Seasons . Seasons won the first text prize at the Japan Record Awards in 2000. On September 27, their seventeenth single Surreal was released at the same time as their third studio album Duty . The album not only made it to number one in the charts like its predecessors, but also sold over three million times, making it Ayumi Hamasaki's best-selling studio album. In December 2000, the single M was released, Hamasaki's fourth single that sold over a million times. M also opened a new section in her music as she became more influential and began to write songs herself under her pseudonym CREA . Subsequently, shortly after the release of their single Never Ever , Hamasaki was forced to release their first compilation called A Best under pressure from their label Avex Trax . The album was released the same week as Utada Hikaru's studio album entitled Distance . The competition between the singers, which was mainly staged by their labels, led to the great success of the two albums. A Best and Distance became the two best-selling albums of the year.

In December 2001, after a series of single releases ( Endless Sorrow , Unite! And Dearest ), the single A Song Is Born was released, which arose from the Song + Nation project with Keiko . Through this project, songs by various well-known performers were published in Japan in order to raise funds for the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 . On January 1, 2002, their fourth album I Am ... was released , which, like the previous albums, sold over two million times. I Am ... consists of songs that express loneliness and confusion, like many of Hamasaki's early songs. After the attacks of September 11th, she decided to revise the album to put the emphasis in her lyrics on topics such as faith and world peace. A song is born was particularly affected by the mood of the events.

The release of the single Free & Easy in April brought changes to Hamasaki's singles. The number of remixes has been reduced and the playing time of a CD has been reduced. Their 27th single H was released in July of the same year and became the most successful single of the year in Japan with over a million records sold. Compared to their previous single A , H did not contain any remix tracks. Her next single Voyage was marketed with the short film Tsuki ni Shizumu and held the top position on the Oricon charts for 3 weeks. Hamasaki's next studio album, Rainbow , was released on December 18, 2002. It sold over a million times in the first week. Many of the songs were co-composed by her under her pseudonym CREA and the songs were increasingly given English text passages. A password was noted in each album, with which the buyers could log into a special page on the Internet, which contained an instrumental version of the title track Rainbow and a suitable song text could be sent in. The song was only noted on the album as a non-existent track 00 and was ultimately included on the compilation A Ballads .

2003 to 2005: A Ballads , Memorial Address and My Story

In March 2003 she released her compilation called A Ballads . Nine months after their last single, the single & was released in July 2003 . Like the singles H and A , this one also had 3 A titles and the song Theme of A-Nation '03 as a B title . Hamasaki's next single, forgiveness , was released on September 1st and also hit number one on the charts with over 220,000 sales. After their subsequent single No Way to Say in November, Hamasaki's first mini album Memorial Address was released, consisting of the last three singles and three new songs. The album was available in CD and CD + DVD versions and was the first mini album in Japan to break the 1 million mark in sales.

In autumn 2004 the single Moments was released - in a pure CD version and a CD / DVD combination. All subsequent singles were released in these two formats. With her contract with KOSE expiring, Moments was her last song to be featured in a promotional video featuring the company's products. Her sixth studio album, My Story , was released in December. With over 570,000 units sold in the first week and over 1.1 million in total, it reached number one on the charts and platinum status. It was the second best-selling female singer album in Japan in 2005.

Single number 35 Step You / Is This Love? was released in April 2005. Both songs were used commercially - Step You at a Panasonic and Is This Love? at a Morinaga commercial. The single was number one in the daily, weekly and monthly charts and was their best-selling single in 2005 with over 345,000 units. Their 36th single Fairyland offered 2 different cover variations for the CD-only version and the CD / DVD combination on. Heaven , their 37th single, was the theme song for the movie Shinobi - Heart Under Blade . The title Will was another song she produced under her pseudonym CREA. It was their twelfth consecutive number 1 single after "Free & Easy". Ayus 38th single, Bold & Delicious / Pride , briefly secured first place on the weekly Oricon charts despite sluggish sales. In doing so, she equalized the record of 25 number 1 singles that the singer Seiko Matsuda had previously held.

2006 to 2007: (Miss) understood , Secret and A Best 2

When Ayumi's 39th single Startin '/ Born to Be… reached number 1 on the Oricon charts, Seiko Matsuda's previous record was broken. It was Ayumi's 26th single that hit number one on the charts. Startin was the theme song of the Playstation2 game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams , while Rainy Day - released on the album (Miss) understood  - was the ending song. Born to Be… was the official song for the Winter Olympics 2006 on the Japanese broadcaster Nihon TV . Her concert tour Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006: (Miss) understood was her biggest tour to date with 30 concerts in 3 months. Their 40th single, Blue Bird , was their 15th consecutive and 27th overall number 1 single. The songs on it could also be heard in promotional videos - Blue Bird in a Zespri Gold Kiwi and Beautiful Fighters in a Panasonic D-snap / D-dock commercial. For September 2006 the single "1Love / Jewel" was announced. However, after a short time it was decided to record another new song and turn the single into an EP (Extended Play) with the title "Secret". This was also revised again: On November 29th, her eighth studio album with fourteen titles was finally released. The name "Secret" remained, however. The song of the same name was also the theme song of the movie Confession of Pain .

Hamasaki on their Asia tour "Tour of Secrets"

On February 28, 2007, the two compilations A Best 2 - White and A Best 2 - Black appeared in a total of four versions. There was a limited CD version with 2 DVDs and a pure CD version. All versions contain selected songs that were released between the singles Evolution and Bold & Delicious / Pride . A Best 2 - White contains beat-up songs. The two DVDs show the music videos for the songs and the live concert Best of Countdown Live 2006/07 . A Best 2 - Black , on the other hand, contains ballads. The two DVDs contain the music videos for the songs and a backstage report on the Countdown Live 2006/07 concert . On March 17, 2007 the A Best 2 - White Album took number 1 and A Best 2 - Black number 2 on the Unites World Charts. She is the first singer to have achieved this success. From March to June 2007 Ayumi's tour "Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2007: Tour of Secret" took place. She has given concerts in Japan, Taiwan, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The 41st single Glitter / Fated was number one on the Oricon charts. The song Fated is the theme song of the Japanese horror film Kaidan . An 18-minute short film was also made under the title Kyoai - Distance Love , consisting of the editing of the music videos for both songs. The sale of their 42nd single Talkin '2 Myself / Decision was sluggish, but was able to secure number one in the charts with 70,000 copies sold in the first week. On December 5, 2007, Together When ... was released as an exclusive download single in Japan. You could celebrate your birthday in an unusual way. The Avex label owns an area called "Avex Island" in the computer simulation Second Life . There was a virtual celebration here that fans could attend. Her single Talkin '2 Myself / Decision was also advertised there.

2008: 10th Anniversary

On December 30th and 31st, 2007, Ayumi's traditional New Year's concert under the title Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007-2008 10th Anniversary took place. With this concert, Ayumi introduced the concert series for her 10th stage anniversary in 2008. An Asia tour in spring / summer 2008 under this motto followed.

Hamasaki in Paris, for the music video "Mirrorcle World"

On January 1st, 2008 their album Guilty was released as usual in a CD and a CD + DVD version. The DVD contains the music videos from the album, the associated making-ofs as well as the short film Distance love, consisting of the cut of the music videos Glitter / Fated . In addition, the first pressing contains the photo book "Guilty". On March 12, 2008, a compilation of their 2007 Asia tour in a 2-DVD version was released under the name Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2007 A: Tour of Secret - Live + Documentary . In addition, the two new remix albums Ayu-mi- × 6: Gold and Ayu-mi- × 6: Silver were released on March 26th, her first remix albums since 2003. Her single "Mirrorcle World", released on April 8th, 2008 ranked number one on the Oricon charts. This single was released in 2 versions. One version contained the title "You", the other the title "Depend on You" in a "10th Anniversary Version". On September 10, 2008, the single collection A Complete: All Singles was released. It contains the first song of the singles Poker Face to Mirrorcle World . There was also a 10th anniversary version of the song Who ... which was also available as a Chinese record . The singles Days / Green and Green / Days released on December 17, 2008 also contained two 10th Anniversary versions , on the single Green / Days it was a re-recording of the song To Be and on the single Days / Green it was a re-recording of the song Love : Destiny . The single reached number one on the Oricon charts. New Year's Eve 2008 was Ayumi their New Year concert entitled Premium Countdown Live 2008 ~ 2009 A . She sang almost all songs that she had never sung live before.

2009 to 2010: Next Level , Rock 'n' Roll Circus & Road to 50th

On February 25, 2009 the single Rule / Sparkle was released in three versions. There was a CD + DVD version and two CD-only versions. On one CD-only version there is an acoustic version and a remix of the song Green and on the other CD-only version there is an acoustic version and a remix of the song Days . All three versions also feature two remixes of the theme song Rule from the movie Dragonball Evolution . Sparkle was playing in the background of a Honda commercial . On March 25, 2009, the album Next Level was released. It was available in a CD-only version, a CD + DVD version, a 2CD + DVD version and, for the first time, a USB stick version. The 2CD + DVD version contains live audio tracks on the second CD of the songs from Premium Countdown Live 2008–2009 A, sung live for the first time . The USB stick - in the form of the “10th Anniversary” logo - has a storage capacity of 2 GB, of which 800 MB is occupied by the fourteen songs in mp3 format and six videos in mp4 format. The concert double DVD from Premium Countdown Live 2008–2009 A was released on May 13, 2009. Ayumi's 46th single Sunrise / Sunset: Love Is All was released on August 12, 2009 in the two usual versions. The CD version features the title songs Sunrise: Love Is All and Sunset: Love Is All as well as a Fairyland-Glitter-Blue Bird-Grateful Days-July 1st Mega-Mash-Up-Mix. On the CD + DVD combination there were also the two music videos that are in a similar style. Her single You Were… / Ballad or Ballad / You Were… was released on December 29th . From December 29th, 2009 to January 1st, 2010 Ayumi's tour Countdown Live 2009–2010 A: Future Classics took place.

Hamasaki (in the middle) in London, with European fans

On April 11, 2010, their new arena tour "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" began, based on the Saitama Super Arena, which can hold more than 20,000 people, before the album of the same name "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" was released on April 14. To record the album, Ayumi traveled to London in January of that year to make her sound recordings and to shoot some music videos. Almost in time for her anniversary on April 8th, Ayumi began, like many other artists, to use a Twitter account that already had 80,000 followers a few days after it opened on April 22nd. Ayumi released her 48th single Moon / Blossom on July 14, 2010 . Then at short intervals single number followed 49 Cross Road and their 50th single L . On the occasion of this anniversary she held the concert Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour Final: 7 days Special at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium on seven days . Her twelfth studio album Love Songs was released on December 22, 2010. Furthermore, a collaboration single by Ayumi and Urata Naoya, singers of the J-pop group AAA and one of their former background dancers, was released on the same day with the title Dream On .

2011: Power of Music and Five

Due to the earthquake disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011, Ayumi donated an amount of 30 million yen (approx. 261,200 euros) to the Japanese Red Cross. At the same time, she designed a T-shirt in collaboration with ViVi magazine, the proceeds of which were also donated. As with many other Japanese artists, the CD and DVD releases planned for March have been postponed for a few weeks. Her planned concert tour Hotel Love Songs has been postponed to May and renamed Power of Music . On April 20, 4 remix albums were released, as well as a concert DVD and a live DVD with recordings of their 50 singles. Since all 4 albums were simultaneously in the top 10 of the Oricon charts (positions 4 to 7), she was the first female singer in Japan to succeed. Both DVDs were also in the top 10 (number 1 and 2 in the Oricon DVD charts), something that no Japanese singer had achieved before. She set another record on May 4th - with over 2,313,000 DVDs sold, she overtook the Morning Musume group , which sold a total of 2,303,000 DVDs, and took the lead among the Japanese singers with the most DVD sales.

On August 31, 2011 she released her third Extended Play (EP) after 2003 , which she titled Five . It was able to stay at number 1 on the charts for two weeks in a row and sold more than 200,000 times. It was also awarded gold by the RIAJ .

2012 to 2014: 15th Anniversary , commercial decline

On March 21, 2012, she released her 13th studio album, Party Queen . This is Ayumi's first studio album to be released without prior single releases. However, she already presented some songs at her Countdown Live 2011–2012 concert. After the publication of her compilation A Summer Best on August 8, 2012, it was announced that Ayumi Hamasaki has officially sold 50 million records in Japan and is thus the first Japanese or Asian artist to have done so. Finally, on September 23, the download single Song 4 U was released , which was used as the theme song for the PlayStation 3 game Tales Of Xillia 2 . With her studio album Party Queen and her compilation A Summer Best she landed at # 2 on the Japanese Oricon charts.

To mark its 15-year existence on the stage, five new records were announced in five consecutive months. This project started with the EP Love on November 8, 2012. The announcement of this EP caused a bit of a stir in advance, as it contains 12 songs (including 3 new and various remixes and instrumental versions). The question arose why this was not classified as a single, since the single A (from 1999) contained a total of 14 tracks and was marketed as a single. Avex record company said they wanted to continue the record of 25 number 1 singles, but didn't feel ready for it yet. The EP Again followed on December 8th . Her 14th studio album, Love Again was released on February 8, 2013. The album consists of their previously released EPs Love and Again , together the title of the studio album forms, and a further seven tracks have been announced on the album. However, the album only sold just under 89,000 copies, making this their first studio album that failed to break the 100,000 mark. On March 8, 2013, the fifth release of the 15th Anniversary project followed , the live video release Arena Tour 2012 A: Hotel Love Songs , which was recorded during their Arena Tour 2012. In all five releases of their 15th stage anniversary there were codes that could be sent in later on April 8th, so that the final song Tell All could be downloaded for free exclusively through TeamAyu . On that day, another video release, Countdown Live 2012–2013 A: Wake Up , followed, but it was not part of the project. That was the day she released her debut single, Poker Face , 15 years ago . Another concert tour under the name 15th Anniversary Tour: A Best Live was also announced that day. For this purpose, fans were allowed to choose from 50 songs which were sung. Among the 50 selectable songs there was her song Kanariya , which she had never sung live before. The tour started on April 13th and ended on July 28th, 2013. Their first live album, which relates to the 15th Anniversary Tour, was released in October 2013, and a Blu-ray and DVD version was also released in the same month released. In October her 51st single was announced, entitled Feel the Love / Merry-go-round , which was released on December 25, 2013 and was her first single in three years. The single reached fifth place on the Oricon charts in its first week, ending its record with the highest number of consecutive top singles in Japan.

For the film Buddha 2 she sang the theme song entitled Pray , which was released as a download on January 27, 2014. She also appeared in Paris for the film premiere. In July she released her 15th studio album Colors and placed for the first time, as one of her albums, at number 5 on the Oricon charts. Despite the cooperation of many international producers, such as Armin van Buuren , Fedde Le Grand , RedOne and Rodney Jerkins , she did not succeed in the jump in sales, as the studio album was able to sell a little more than 50,000 times. In order to continue to advertise the studio album, the song Terminal was announced as a single for October 1, 2014 . The single reached # 24 as the highest ranking and sold a little over 4,000 times and is therefore rated by Oricon as their most unsuccessful single. Her next single, Zutto… / Last Minute / Walk , was released on Christmas Eve of that year .

2015 to 2017: A One and M (a) de in Japan

In January 2015 she released another orchestral album entitled Love Classics , replacing the A of Classics with her popular trademark. However , it could not build on the success of A Classical and finally she released her 16th studio album on April 8, entitled A One . This is an album that has not been experimented with again and has been based on earlier songs. Again she had worked with Tetsuya Komuro , who was responsible for the composition of the Love Songs songs. The studio album has also been described as going back to the good old J-Pop days , advertised and sold similarly to Colors . A few days after the release of A One , the next release was announced, a sixth Extended Play and finally a download single called Step by Step was released on July 1st, which was the theme song for the NHK - Dorama Beauty and Boys was used. The release date and details for the EP were released over time and so it was released on August 5th with the title Sixxxxxx and six songs. On December 23 of that year, she finally released another orchestral album entitled Winter Diary: A7 Classical , which refers to her albums A One and Sixxxxxx and thus the title A7 comes about (One (for 1) + Six ( for 6) = 7 and combined with the A of A One = A7).

A new edition of the compilation was released on March 28, 2016, 15 years after A Best was released. On May 11th, she released her 17th studio album M (a) de in Japan on the Japanese streaming portal Awa with ten titles, including eight new songs, and announced that they would be recording a CD version of the album on June 29th Year will publish. In September of the same year, it was also announced that Hamasaki was entering into an advertising contract with the game Clash of Queens and was shooting several promotional videos for the game, which have been shown on Japanese television since September 17, 2016. Shortly thereafter, a download single was also announced, which should serve as the theme song for the game. It's called We Are the Queens and was released on September 30, 2016.

For the first time, Hamasaki did not release an album in 2017 and only released the digital single "Words" on September 6th of that year, which was offered via their concerts with a download code.

Since 2018: Trouble and 20th anniversary of the stage

In August 2018 she released her EP “Trouble”, which included the tracks “We Are the Queens”, “Words” and three new tracks, but did not get a promo single. It was her first album release with new titles that was advertised without music videos. The year 2018 was also her year in which she reached her 20th anniversary on stage. Unlike the 10th anniversary , there was no commercial celebration for this.

Over the year 2019 she went on a concert tour entitled "Trouble 2018-2019 A". Just one month after the birth of her son, she gave her traditional New Year's concert under the title "Countdown Live 2019-2020: Promised Land A". On November 10, 2019, she re-released her second studio album "Loveppears" on the 20th anniversary of the release, together with her 11th single "Appears", which was limited to 300,000 CDs at the time, under the title "Loveppears / Appears: 20th Anniversary Edition".

On July 5, 2020, she released the single "Ohia no Ki" ( オ ヒ ア の 木 ). It is her first single since 2016 and also her first song to be written in Japanese . She previously published Japanese titles, but these were transcribed in the Hepburn system . The single reached number 18 on the weekly Oricon Digital Singles chart . At the end of the same month she released another single titled "Dreamed a Dream" and in August of this year she released another video album "Countdown Live 2019-2020: Promised Land A".

Life

Relationships

Ayumi has been dating singer and actor Tomoya Nagase since her acting career, and they made their relationship public in 2001. Six years later, the media speculated that they were going to get married. However, Ayumi announced on July 13, 2007 that they were already separated. But she said that they parted amicably and that they would continue to be friends.

On January 2, 2011, Ayumi announced that she had married the Austrian actor Manuel Schwarz the day before in a chapel in Las Vegas. They met while shooting the video for Virgin Road , in which Manuel played her husband. He then also appeared in the videos for Last Angel and Love Song . Finally, on January 18, 2012, she announced that she wanted to divorce him again. The reason given is that the earthquake in Japan in March 2011 caused the two to grow apart because Ayumi had given up on her plans to move to the USA. In various magazines, however, it was suspected that revealing photos of Schwarz were the reason for the divorce.

On November 14, 2012, Ayumi announced via her TeamAyu blog that she was in a serious relationship with her dancer Maro (real name: Uchiyama Moroca). A day later, at her request, an article about it was published in a magazine, as she did not want to hear false speculations and rumors. Maro explained this on the same day as Ayumi on his blog. Some time later, the news broke that both were apart again. After Maro was appointed as the choreographer for her Countdown Live 2012-2013 , he was fired after the show. This relationship in particular hurt her career, as he was invited to various Japanese programs some time later and reported about his misfortune, which was honored because of the separation from her, which ultimately led to the termination of his employment contract. He said that he was homeless and that he even ate grass. The separation is said to have come about because of the wealth difference; while she presented him with Louis Vuitton watches, he could only afford flowers for her.

At the beginning of 2013, a picture was published together with a man for her 35th birthday party. Various fan sites described him as their new boyfriend, whose name was unknown at the time. As later became known, he is ten years younger than her and is studying medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles . Their engagement was announced in December 2013, and they were married on March 3, 2014. Ayumi announced this in a short tweet. Rumor has it that the two of them are already divorced, this rumor came about when she posted a picture of her in the arms of a man whose face cannot be seen on the social network Twitter on October 22, 2015 with the description “Let's make something whole slowly forgetting, let's expect something new, Bye-bye my love, hello my love. ", whereupon the tweet was deleted a short time later. In September 2016, she announced the split with him, but said that they had been together for three years and will soon divorce.

The recurring rumor that she was with Max Matsūra, CEO of the Avex Trax record company , was confirmed in Narumi Komatsu's book “M Ai Subeki Hito ga Ite” ( M 愛 す べ き 人 が い て ). This book is about interviews with Hamasaki who reflect on her career from debut to her rise in the music industry. Hamasaki commented on the relationship that she had not loved a man so much that she had destroyed herself.

On January 2, 2020, Ayumi announced on her fan club page that she would become the mother of a son in late 2019. The child's father is not a celebrity, remains unknown to the public and they are not planning to get married.

health

Since the Dome Tour 2001, Ayumi suffered from progressive hearing loss of the left ear, caused by a sudden hearing loss or progressive tinnitus . On January 4, 2008, she announced that her left ear was now completely and terminally numb. After experiencing problems with her right ear, nausea and dizziness prior to her 2017 concert tour, she underwent additional hearing tests. These showed that the years of overuse, the hearing ability of her right ear continuously deteriorates and she is threatened with complete deafness. Ayumi announced this on her blog on May 20, 2017.

Public perception

As a trendsetter and advertising figure

Ayumi Hamasaki achieved cult status in terms of her fashion as early as 2000. She was featured very often in magazines such as CD Data , Girlpop , Cawaii , ViVi , SCawaii or Popteen . With her extravagant style, she had long become a trendsetter among Japanese youth. Oversized sunglasses or fake foxtails became fashionable again. This sometimes gave her bizarre awards. She was Japan's “fingernail queen” for three years in a row. She is also a five-time winner of the "Best Jeanist" award, and she was also able to win a Barbie award.

In 2002 she was the representative for gemstones in Thailand, in 2006 she was voted best-dressed singer in Japan's Oricon chart elections in the spring and summer. In 2007 she won this unofficial award for her hairstyles.

She was also the spokeswoman for the cosmetics company KOSE Visee and the cell phone company TU-KA . Ayumi appeared in their promotional videos and was able to promote their new songs at the same time, which were playing in the background. Panasonic promotional videos were also highlighted with the music from their current album or single. She also appeared in mostly funny commercials for the companies Boss Coffee and Morinaga (HiChew). In 2009 she was featured in commercials and on billboards for Honda (Model ZEST Spark) and the Rimmel cosmetics company .

The popular A logo

Their "A" logo, which is their trademark, is particularly iconic. This logo was first found on a CD cover in 2001 on their Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 2 Remix album, their next studio album Rainbow also decorated the "a" replaced with this logo. The A should also be a stylized component of the spelling of the respective titles; instead, in the respective cases, the "a" to be written on their website will be replaced with their A logo. Almost all of her concert tours, including various marketing articles from her, are advertised with this A.

"Ayupan"

Ayumi Hamasaki's marketing articles are not limited to the normal standard such as t-shirts, bags, fans or mobile phone tags. By releasing collective figurines -  called Ayupan - she stands out from the crowd. The name Ayupan is made up of their nicknames "Ayu" and "Panda", as Ayumi said in the first draft that the figures resembled a panda due to the rounded face shape. These approx. 5 cm tall figures have been appearing at their concerts since 2002; more rarely, individual figures are also produced for CD releases. Sold in Japan for the equivalent of around 3 to 4 dollars, figures described as "rare" reach prices of up to 250 dollars on various auction platforms such as eBay or Yahoo . Ayupan was also the title of a 19-part 3-D style anime series that told short stories for a younger audience. In addition to small figures, there are also different sized versions of their dogs Marron and Crea as plush toys.

Activities besides the singing career

In October 2002 Ayumi's weekly TV show "Ayu Ready?" Started on the Japanese broadcaster Fuji Television . Here she had an amusing conversation with various Japanese artists. Mostly funny games took place and local dishes were presented. In 2003, a wooden house was built on a beach for this broadcast; viewers could watch the broadcast from the beach. Due to falling audience ratings - also due to the late transmission time from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. - the program was canceled in March 2004.

Social networks

It currently has more than 1.4 million followers on the Twitter social network , more than 550,000 likes on Facebook and more than a million followers on Instagram .

Trivia

  • It won the 2001 World Music Awards for the highest grossing in Asia .
  • In 2010, she was named the 7th Richest Singer in the World by Forbes with an estimated net worth of over $ 400 million. In 2014 she was named the 6th richest singer in the world by MSN , with the same fortune of $ 400 million as Forbes announced in 2010.
  • It is five times in the list of the most expensive music videos of all time and thus holds the record.
  • With more than 50 million records sold, she is the best-selling Japanese solo artist in Japan and ranks 4th overall. However, this is only theoretical, since sound carriers were also sold before the official Oricon chart system , some sales figures before 1967 were not officially documented. So the singer Hibari Misora, who died in 1989, is said to have sold more than 80 million records in Japan, which would put Ayumi in second place.
  • Her videos have more than 250 million views on YouTube .
  • 14 of their records have sold more than a million copies each.
  • Her first eight studio albums reached the highest ranking in chronological order, a total of 12 of her studio albums achieved the highest ranking.
  • She has been recognized for her musical sales 188 times in Japan, of which 24 were awarded a diamond .
  • She is the first solo artist who has managed to place 50 of her singles in the Japanese top 10.
  • With 50 albums in the top 10, she is the artist with the most top 10 albums in Japan.

Discography

Studio albums

  • 1999: A Song for ×phia
  • 1999: Loveppears
  • 2000: Duty
  • 2002: I Am ...
  • 2002: Rainbow
  • 2004: My Story
  • 2006: (Miss) understood
  • 2006: Secret
  • 2008: Guilty
  • 2009: Next Level
  • 2010: Rock 'n' Roll Circus
  • 2010: Love Songs
  • 2012: Party Queen
  • 2013: Love Again
  • 2014: Colors
  • 2015: A One
  • 2016: M (a) de in Japan

Extended plays

  • 1995: Nothing from Nothing
  • 2003: Memorial Address
  • 2011: Five
  • 2012: Love
  • 2012: Again
  • 2015: Sixxxxxx
  • 2018: Trouble

Compilations

  • 2001: A Best
  • 2003: A Ballads
  • 2007: A Best: White
  • 2007: A Best: Black
  • 2008: A Complete: All Singles
  • 2012: A Summer Best

Filmography

year title role annotation
1993 Twins Teacher ( film ) Momo Tachibana
Battle Spirits Ryûko no Ken ( TV )
Battle Spirits 龍虎 の 拳 		Yuri Sakazaki Voice actress
1995 Sumomo mo Momo (film)
す も も も も も 		Kuriko
Miseinen (film)
未成年 		Hitomi Tabata
Ladies Ladies !! Soucho Saigo no Hi (film)
Nagisa no Sindbad (film)
渚 の シ ン ド バ ッ ド 		Kasane Aihara
1996 Kitto Dareka ni Au Tame ni (television)
き っ と 誰 か に 逢 う た め に 		Appearance in episode 9 - TV Tokyo
Yami no Purple Eye (television)
闇 の パ ー プ ル ア イ
Gakko II (film)
学校 II
2002 Tsuki ni Shizumu (film)
月 に 沈 む 		Minamo She also sang the theme song Voyage
2003 Namahoso wa Tomaranai (Tanpatsu)
生 放送 は と ま ら な い! 		Oneself
2006 TalkAsia ( Documentation ) English interview with CNN
2007 Kyo Ai: Distance Love ( short film )
距 愛 ~ Distance Love ~ 		Short film based on her single Glitter / Fated based

Web links

Commons : Ayumi Hamasaki  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Empress of Pop TIMEasia.com ( Memento of August 3, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ news.bbc.co.uk
  3. ↑ tokyohive.com
  4. ↑ oricon.co.jp
  5. ↑ oricon.co.jp
  6. ↑ a b c biography ( memento of September 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), on enotes.com (English).
  7. ↑ homepage2.nifty.com ( Memento from July 13, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Lisa Takeuchi Cullen: Empress of Pop ( Memento from June 14, 2002 in the Internet Archive ), on TIMEasia.com (English).
  9. ↑ Ayumi Hamasaki in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  10. ↑ yummycelebrities.com
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k discography on avexnet.or.jp
  12. ↑ a b c d e data ( Memento from May 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), on www1.coralnet.or.jp.
  13. ↑ gamefaqs.com
  14. ↑ tsunku.net ( Memento from July 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ musictvprogram.com
  16. ↑ avexnet.or.jp
  17. ↑ musictvprogram.com
  18. ↑ time.com ( Memento from August 7, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ oricon.co.jp
  20. ↑ musictvprogram.com
  21. ↑ time.com ( Memento from August 6, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  22. ↑ [archive.is/oQun ampedasia.com]
  23. ↑ askmen.com ( Memento from March 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  24. ↑ avexnet.or.jp ( Memento from January 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  25. ↑ avexnet.or.jp
  26. ↑ riaj.or.jp
  27. ↑ time.com ( Memento from June 14, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  28. ↑ time.com ( Memento from April 3, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  29. ↑ time.com ( Memento from June 14, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  30. ↑ riaj.or.jp
  31. ↑ www1.coralnet.or.jp ( Memento of the original from February 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www1.coralnet.or.jp
  32. ↑ avexnet.or.jp
  33. ↑ avexnet.or.jp
  34. ↑ avexnet.or.jp
  35. ↑ avexnet.or.jp
  36. ↑ riaj.or.jp
  37. ↑ Ayumi Hamasaki Started the Nation-Wide Tour to Mobilize 350,000 Audiences! Musicjapanplus , April 12, 2010, accessed April 12, 2010 .
  38. ↑ Fans From All Over the World Following Ayu on Twitter. Musicjapanplus , April 22, 2010, accessed April 22, 2010 .
  39. ↑ headlines.yahoo.co.jp ( Memento from April 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  40. ↑ oricon.co.jp
  41. ↑ Generasia Five (Hamasaki Ayumi) In Generasia , accessed October 7, 2012.
  42. ↑ RIAJ 『ミ リ オ ン シ ン グ ル ／ ア ル バ ム』 認定 作品 一 覧 In riaj.co.jp (Japanese), accessed October 7, 2012.
  43. ↑ Generasia Party Queen (English), accessed on 15 September 2012 found.
  44. ↑ ayu.official オ リ コ ン よ る と, 8/20 付 の 『A SUMMER BEST』 の 売 上 を 加 え 、 ソ ロ ア ー テ ィ ス ス ト 史上 初 と な る 、 シ ン グ ル し た た バ バ ル し た し ル ル ル し し し ル ル バ 売 し た 万枚 ル バ ル し た し ル ル し た し ル ル In Facebook (Japanese), accessed September 15, 2012.
  45. ↑ Aysohmay Ayumi Hamasaki To Celebrate 15th Anniversary With 5 Consecutive Months Of New Releases (English) in JpopAsia , accessed on October 7, 2012.
  46. ↑ Aysohmay (Editorial) Is avex Afraid Of Letting Ayumi Hamasaki Release Singles? (English) in JpopAsia , accessed October 7, 2012.
  47. ↑ a b shunichi new studio album announced for February 8, 2013 ( memento of October 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In Hamasaki.asia (German), accessed on January 2, 2013.
  48. ↑ Generasia Love Again In Generasia , accessed February 12, 2013.
  49. ↑ a b Aysohmay Ayumi Hamasaki Releases 15th Anniversary Single "Tell All" In jpopasia (English), accessed on May 10, 2013.
  50. ↑ SYNC MUSIC JAPAN 50 top voted songs by the fans for Ayumi Hamasaki's 15th anniversary tour were revealed In syncmusic.jp , accessed on May 10, 2013.
  51. ↑ Avex Special Website In Avex (Japanese), accessed May 10, 2013.
  52. ↑ Official website 浜 崎 あ ゆ み 、 約 3 年 ぶ り と な る シ ン グ ル 「Feel the love / Merry-go-round」, Xmas 発 売 決定! し か も 世界 初! DJ Hello Kitty が 楽 曲 プ ロ デ ュ ー ス !! In avexnet.or.jp/ayu (Japanese), accessed October 23, 2013.
  53. ↑ Hamasaki.asia 51st Single - Feel the Love / Merry-go-round ( Memento from January 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In hamasaki.asia (German), accessed on January 12, 2014.
  54. ↑ Generasia Colors (Hamasaki Ayumi) In Generasia , accessed September 12, 2014
  55. ↑ Avex 【リ リ ー ス 情報】 10/1 (水) ニ ュ ー シ ン グ ル 「Terminal」, Plug Air 「XOXO」 2 タ イ ト ル 同時 発 売! In avex.jp (Japanese), accessed September 12, 2014
  56. ↑ Oricon 浜 崎 あ ゆ み の ラ ン キ ン グ In Oricon (Japanese), accessed December 25, 2014
  57. ↑ Aysohmay Ayumi Hamasaki Working With Tetsuya Komuro On New Song, express train Difficulty in recording In jpopasia.com (English), accessed on August 6, 2015
  58. ↑ Aysohmay Ayumi Hamasaki Announces 5th Mini Album In jpopasia.com (English), accessed on August 6, 2015
  59. ↑ Kyle Ayumi Hamasaki releases surprise album “MADE IN JAPAN” via AWA streaming service In Arama Japan! (English), accessed July 9, 2016
  60. ↑ sumikai.com In Sumikai (German), accessed on October 3, 2016.
  61. ↑ LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN Empress of Pop ( Memento from August 3, 2002 in the Internet Archive ) In Time , accessed on July 29, 2013.
  62. ↑ Japan News Review Ayumi Hamasaki and TOKIO's Tomoya Nagase break up ( January 21, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive ) In Japan News Review , accessed July 29, 2013.
  63. ↑ pop-music-idol-hamasaki-gets-married-in-us [url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/01/03/news/pop-music-idol-hamasaki-gets -married-in-us / japan times]
  64. ↑ Toykoreporter: Japan's 'Empress of Pop' Ayumi Hamasaki to divorce Austrian actor husband, Kyodo says ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  65. ↑ Maro ご 報告 In ameblo.jp (Japanese), accessed July 29, 2013.
  66. ↑ until that day Ayu & Maro Breakup In ayumi-hamasaki.net (English), accessed on July 29, 2013.
  67. ↑ ARAMA JAPAN Ayumi Hamasaki's ex-boyfriend Maro still blames her for his misfortunes In Arama! Japan , accessed December 31, 2015
  68. ↑ Ayumi Hamasaki marries ucla med student on japantoday.com
  69. ↑ Ayumi tweeted Just Married In Twitter (English / Japanese), accessed on March 3, 2014.
  70. ↑ Thomas Did Ayumi Hamasaki get divorced again? In Arama! Japan , accessed December 31, 2015
  71. ↑ ARAMA JAPAN on September 12, 2016 Ayumi Hamasaki announces divorce from second husband In Arama! Japan , accessed September 15, 2016
  72. ↑ RONALD, on August 2, 2019 Ayumi Hamasaki Confesses to Dating Avex CEO Max Matsuura In ARAMA! JAPAN , accessed August 9, 2019
  73. ↑ ARAMA JAPAN on January 2, 2020 ayumi hamasaki becomes a mother In ARAMA! JAPAN , accessed January 2, 2020
  74. ↑ Singer Ayumi Hamasaki says she has lost hearing in her left ear. (No longer available online.) Japan Today, January 8, 2008, archived from the original on June 26, 2008 ; Retrieved January 8, 2008 .
  75. ↑ Japan's pop princess 'Ayu' goes half deaf. (No longer available online.) AFP January 6, 2008, archived from the original on February 18, 2008 ; Retrieved February 2, 2008 .
  76. ↑ J-pop star Ayumi Hamasaki is going completely deaf. The Straits Times, May 21, 2017, accessed May 21, 2017 .
  77. ↑ ayu_19980408 ayumi hamasaki In Twitter (English / Japanese), accessed on October 27, 2019.
  78. ↑ ayu.official 浜 崎 あ ゆ み (ayumi hamasaki) In Facebook (English / Japanese), accessed on December 31, 2015.
  79. ↑ a.you instagram.com In Instagram (English / Japanese), accessed on January 12, 2018.
  80. ↑ Maki-dream (World Music Awards 2001) Ayumi Hamasaki In Dailymotion (English / Japanese), accessed October 7, 2012.
  81. ↑ Cindy Williams 10 Richest Female Singers 2010 ( Memento from October 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In mademan.com (English), accessed on October 12, 2013.
  82. ↑ msn entretenimento Sucesso! Madonna Lidera ranking das cantoras mais ricas do mundo; saiba quais artistas integram o top 10 ( memento of the original dated November 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In MSN (Portuguese), accessed November 5, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.msn.com
  83. ^ Joseph On The 40 Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made In REFINED GUY , accessed October 12, 2013.
  84. ↑ headlines.yahoo.co.jp 【オ リ コ ン】 浜 崎 あ ゆ み 、 ソ ロ 初 の 総 売 上 5000 万枚 超 え 「フ ァ ン の み み ん な の 記録」 ( Memento of August 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) In Yahoo Japan (Japanese), accessed on 7 October 2012.
  85. ↑ YouTube Official YouTube Channel.Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  86. ↑ Oricon In "www.oricon.co.jp" (Japanese), accessed August 4, 2016
  87. ↑ music-book 浜 崎 あ ゆ み 、 50 作 目 の ア ル バ ム TOP10 入 り 達成 ＆ ア ル バ ム TOP10 獲得 作品 数 記録 更新 In music-book.jp (Japanese), accessed on July 27, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Hamasaki, Ayumi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ayumi, Hamasaki (full name); 浜 崎 あ ゆ み (Japanese); 浜 崎 歩 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese pop musician
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd October 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH Fukuoka , Japan