Biography

She was natural inside New York City, New York to Japanese parents who two experienced roots in the Japanese music industry: her father, Teruzane Skingg Utadthe, was a producer, when her mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer (she performed under the stage name "Keiko Fuji"). She mass produced her number 1 broker recording at a age of 12, & recorded her foremost album, Precious, in 1996 under the anonym Cubic U. A album led to her career overseas. Around the recent MTV locate (MTV's Your family Hear It Foremost, October 2004), Utada said: "Someone in Japan heard it, at a Japanese record company, and he said, 'Oh, can't you write in Japanese? You speak Japanese.' And I didn't want to say no, so I had to try it."

"Time Will Tell"
She moved to Tokyo later that year & attended The American School in Japan, while continuing to record in the newly locate Toshiba/EMI. She shortly mass produced her mark in Japanese music sustaining her successful only "Automatic", shortly followed per album First Love, which sold over 5 million copies around the year when you took March & April of 1999, and located Utada among a One c loaded population within Japan. She too broke a record of units sold withwithin one album in Japan; she however holds a record (in 2005).

A album has sold other than ten million copies around Asia.

Music into the 2000s
Utada returned to Future York within 2000 to attend Columbia University as a freshman, but quit from either it in a season. She continued to record, notwithstanding, & her ii subsequent albums, Distance (2001) and Deep River (2002), also went multi-platinum. Shortly fallowing a release of the latter, she announced her marriage to Kazuaki Kiriya, a lensman & director fifteen years her senior who directed her online videos "Final Distance", "Traveling", & "Sakura Drops" in September 2002.

A videos for Utada's 2001 song "Can You Keep a Secret" received a bit of attention when section of International Week, which coincided by using a 2001 EMAs, on the Our contries channel MTV2. That streaming video's airplay was in all probability Utada's foremost risk at exposure in the United States.

Then far she is better known in the american hemisphere for singing "Simple and Clean" , a theme to the video game series "Kingdom Hearts," which is an English version of her popular song "Hikari". She likewise performed the easily-received duet by having Foxy Brown, "Blow My Whistle", which was featured on the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack. Her virtually all successful singles include "Can You Keep a Secret?", "Addicted to You", & "First Love".

Breaking into the English market
In October 5 2004, Utada Hikaru released her N Our contries debut album, Exodus, under the title "Utada" (for fear of fans mutilating her Japanese nickname, Hikki). It was freed about the year earliest, in September 9 in Japan, with the favorite leaflet & housed around the unlifelike slipcase. Within an MTV locate, Utada said: "There really aren't any completely Asian people singing right now. For me, it's an experiment to see what people are gonna think of it".

However her Our contries debut as an Island Def Jam Music Group artist was met with indifference per Our contries market, peradventure due inside a portiin to unfortunate promotion on her record label's a portion. Despite a failure within a international markets, this album topped the stock and index charts in Japan, though it sold to a lesser degree her releases when Utada Hikaru. Besides, "Devil Inside" became the club hit in the U.S. & topped a Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay stock and index charts.

Utada Hikaru calls Exodus her "experiment", & failing to establish when brobdingnagian a fanbase when the a single she has within Japan probably won't bother a immature wizard up to it has her traditionalist Our contries fans. Her ability to traverse each a English & Japanese languages by having ease, along using her songwriting abilities & unique voice place Utada firmly in the hierarchy of Japanese adept.

"Easy Breezy" wwhen freed as a lead lone within early August 2004, followed up per dance blockbuster "Devil Inside" the year & fortnight late. "Exodus '04" was freed at a prevent of June 2005. There exists presently there are no 4th individual aforethought for release within Northward Us from either Exodus.

Future plans
Exodus is freed in the U.K. in October 24 2005, and her debut European only "You Make Me Want to Be a Man" is freed in October 17 2005.

Her forthcoming only, "Passion", is the theme song for the video game Kingdom Hearts II. These are placed to become freed in December 14 2005.

Discography

Albums
Japanese Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol.1 (March 31 2004) — #1 Deep River (June 19 2002) — #1 3,605,000 copies sold Distance (March 28 2001) — #1 4,467,000 copies sold First Love (March 10 1999) — #1 7,648,000 copies sold (worldwide: 10,000,000 copies sold) (Holds record for most copies of an album sold within Japanese history)

English Exodus (September 8 2004 [Japan]; October 5 2004 [USA]; October 24 2005 [UK]) — #1 JP ~30,000 copies sold (1,074,000 copies sold in Japan) Precious (1998)

Singles
Japanese "Passion" (December 14 2005) "Be My Last" (September 28 2005) — #1 over 117,000 copies sold (week Trinity) "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro" (April 21 2004) — #1 365,000 copies sold "Colors" (January 29 2003) — #1 894,000 copies sold "Sakura Drops/Letters" (May 9 2002) — #1 687,000 copies sold "Hikari" (March 20 2002) — #1 598,000 copies sold "Traveling" (November 28 2001) — #1 856,000 copies sold "Final Distance" (July 25 2001) #2 582,000 copies sold "Can You Keep a Secret?" (February 16 2001) — #1 1,485,000 copies sold "For You/Time Limit" (June 30 2000) — #1 909,000 copies sold "Wait & See -Risk-" (April 19 2000) #1 1,662,000 copies sold "Addicted to You" (November 10 1999) — #1 1,784,000 copies sold "First Love" (April 28 1999) (12cm) — #2 501,000 copies sold "First Love" (April 28 1999) (8cm) — #6 303,000 copies sold "Movin' on Without You" (February 17 1999) (12cm) — #1 880,000 copies sold "Movin' on Without You" (February 17 1999) (8cm) — #5 347,000 copies sold "Automatic/Time Will Tell" (December 9 1998) (12cm) — #2 1,291,000 copies sold "Automatic/Time Will Tell" (December 9 1998) (8cm) — #4 772,00Coping sold

English "You Make Me Want to Be a Man" (October 17 2005) "Exodus '04" (June 21 2005) — #24 Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay "Devil Inside" (September 14 2004) — #1 Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay "Easy Breezy" (August 3 2004)

Videos/DVDs
Passion (December 14 2005) Be The Go (September 28 2005) Dareka there is no Negai ga Kanau Koro (July 28 2004) Utada Hikaru within Budokan 2004; Hikaru there are no V (July 28 2004) UH Survive Video: 20Dai evergreen state Ike Ike! (March 29 2003) Colors (March 12 2003) UH Lone Clip Collection Vol. Trey (September 30 2002) Traveling (January 30 2002) Utada Hikaru Unplugged (November 28 2001) UH Individual Clip Collection Vol. Ii (September 27 2001) Wait & See ~Risk~ (June 30 2001) Bohemian Summer 2000 (December 19 2000) UH Only Clip Collection Vol. I (December 16 2000)

Others — various artists
Japanese Beautiful Drivin' Classic — Wish (November 6th 2003)

English Unity: Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games (July 27 2004) Def Jam's Rush Hour Two Soundtrack (July 31 2001)