Ayumi Hamasaki: November 2008

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Evolution (JAP)

sou da ne bokura atarashii jidai o
mukaeta mitai de kisekiteki ka mo ne
nido to wa chotto ajiwaenai yo ne
mou ichido omoidashite

kono hoshi ni umaretsuita hi
kitto nan da ka ureshikute
kitto nan da ka setsunakute
bokura wa naite ita n da
wow yeah wow yeah wow wow yeah

genjitsu wa uragiru mono de handansae
ayamaru kara ne soko ni aru kachi wa
sono me de chanto mikiwamete ite ne
jibun no monosashi de

konna toki ni umaretsuita yo
da kedo nan to ka susundet'te
da kara nan to ka koko ni tatte
bokura wa kyou o okutte'ru
wow yeah wow yeah wow yeah

konna hoshi ni umaretsuita yo
nan da ka totemo ureshikute
nan da ka totemo setsunakute
ookina koe de nakinagara
wow yeah wow yeah wow wow yeah

konna toki ni umaretsuita yo
da kedo kimi ni deatta yo

konna hoshi ni umaretsuita yo
da kara kimi ni deaeta yo

kono hoshi ni umaretsuita hi
kitto nan da ka ureshikute
kitto nan da ka setsunakute
bokura wa naite ita n da
wow yeah wow yeah wow wow yeah

konna toki ni umaretsuita yo
da kedo nan to ka susundet'te
da kara nan to ka koko ni tatte
bokura wa kyou o okutte'ru
wow yeah wow yeah wow wow

Beautifull lyrics

Evolution (ENG)

It's true, isn't it? It seems as though
we're headed for a new century. It's miraculous:

This is something you can only taste once.

Let's remember one more time.

On the day we arrived on this Earth

we were somehow happy,

and somehow it hurt.

We were crying

wow yeah wow yeah wow wow yeah

Reality is a traitor; it's easy

to misjudge things. So with your own two eyes

please decide the worth of this place.

Do it with your own standards.

We've arrived in these times.

But somehow things move on
So somehow we're standing here

and we're living through today.

wow yeah wow yeah wow yeah

We've arrived on this kind of world.

Somehow I'm very happy

somehow it hurts a lot.

While crying at the top of my lungs:

wow yeah wow yeah wow yeah

I've arrived in these times.

But I met you.

I've arrived in this kind of world.

So I was able to meet you.

On the day we arrived on this Earth

we were somehow happy,

and somehow it hurt.

We were crying

wow yeah wow yeah wow wow yeah

We've arrived in these times.

But somehow things move on

So somehow we're standing here
and we're living through today.

wow yeah wow yeah wow yeah.

More pictures

Saturday, 22 November 2008

Ayu profile

Name : Ayumi Hamasaki a.k.a. Ayu
BirthDate : 2nd October 1978
BirthPlace : Fukuoka Prefecture
Zodiac : Libra
Blood type : A
Height : 156 cm
Weight : 40kg
Measurement : 80-53-82
Favorite Female Entertainers : Keiko (Globe), Rie Miyazawa, Seiko Matsuda
Musical Influences : As a child I listened to rock music (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple), influenced by a relative. Now I like listening to soul music such as Babyface and En Vogue.
Favorite Actors : Nicolas Cage, Rie Miyazawa
Favorite Movies : The Bodyguard, Betty Blue, Leaving Las Vegas
People I Respect : People who have things I don't have.
People I Dislike : Liars, people who don't say hello.
Current Interest : Collecting white things for my room
Favorite Food : Biscuits (maybe my staple diet!), cakes, chocolates, kimchee (Korean marinated cabbage)
Favorite Things to Read : Most of the fashion magazines. Modern-language translations of the Manyo tanka poems are especially interesting. Poems of Natsuo Giniro, Mitsuo Aida, etc.
Lessons : Piano, Japanese calligraphy (5th rank), abacus calculation, Japanese flower arrangement, Kumonshiki study system
About My Lyrics : I like to try to view my own and my friends' experiences objectively, and put my honest feelings into words. If I write when I'm low, it will be a dark song, but I don't care. I want to be honest with myself at all times.

Awards and records of Ayumi Hamasaki

1999

-Japan Gold Disc Award - New Artist of the Year
-Japan Gold Disc Award - Pop Album of the Year (A Song for XX)
All Japan Request Awards- Grand Prix

2000

-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Pop Album of the Year — Loveppears
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Song of the Year — A
Record: The only artist to have four albums in Oricon Top 10 simultaneously
-The Japan Record Awards- Best Album — Duty
-The Japan Record Awards- Gold Prize — Seasons

2001

-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Artist of the Year
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Song of the Year — (M, Seasons)
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Pop Album of the Year — Duty
-Japan Cable Award- Grand Prix
-The Japan Record Awards- Gold Prize — Dearest
-The Japan Record Awards- The Award — Dearest
-MTV Japan Video Music Awards- Best Female Artist
-MTV World Music Awards- Best Japanese Pop/Rock Artist
-MTV World Music Awards- World's Best-Selling Asian Artist
-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist

2002

-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Artist of the Year
-MTV Asia Awards- Best Female Artist Award
-MTV Asia Awards- Most Influential Japanese Artist In Asia (special award)
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Pop Album of the Year — (A BEST, I am…)
-Japan Cable Award- Grand Prix
-The Japan Record Awards- Gold Prize — Voyage
-The Japan Record Awards- The Award — Voyage
-Oricon Awards- Best selling remix album of the year (Super Eurobeat presents Ayu-ro mix)
-All Japan Request Awards- Grand Prix
-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist

2003

-MTV Japan Video Music Awards- Best Female Video — Because of You
-MTV Japan Video Music Awards- Best Pop Video — No way to say
-MTV Japan Video Music Awards- Best Live Performance Presented by Asahi Super Dry
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Song of the Year — (Free & Easy, H, Voyage)
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Rock/Pop Album of the Year — (Rainbow)
-The Japan Record Awards- Gold Prize — No way to say
-The Japan Record Awards- The Award — No way to say
-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist
-All Japan Request Awards- Grand Prix
-World Music Awards- Best Japanese Pop/Rock Artist
-Oricon Chart Awards- Best Selling Album Title Award
-Oricon Chart Awards- Best Hit Award

2004

-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Artist of the Year
-Hito Awards Taiwan – Best foreign Artist
-Hito Awards Japan – Moments
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Rock/Pop Album of the Year — (A BALLADS, &, Memorial address)
-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist
,
2005

-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist
-Hito Awards Taiwan – Best foreign Artist
-Hito Awards Japan – my name's Women
-Japan Gold Disc Awards- Song of the Year — (Moments, Inspire)
-Musicnet Awards – Best Album (My Story)
-Best Selling solo and female Japanese Artist Awards (Worldwide Award)

2006

-No. 2 ranking for Total Female Artist Album Sale
-No. 1 ranking for Total Female Artist Single Sales (more than 20,000,000 single copies)
-Musicnet Awards – Best Artist
-Musicnet Awards – Best Album (miss) understood
-Musicnet Awards – Best Single (Heaven)
-Musicnet Awards – Best Concert Video (Arena Tour 2005 ~My Story~)
-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist
-The Japanese artist with all Original Albums ranked no.1 consecutively from Debut Album

2007

-4th Best Selling Japanese Artist in history
-Best Selling Japanese Female Artist in history
-First female solo artist in 36 years who have simultaneously occupied the top two positions at -the album chart
-Record: Best Selling Female & Solo Japanese Artist in history
-Japan Gold Disc Awards - Rock/Pop Album of the Year - ((miss)understood, Secret)
-Japan Gold Disc Awards - Million Sales Album Artist Card - (miss)understood
-RTHK International Awards - Best Japanese Song of the Year - Secret
-Hito Awards Taiwan – Best foreign Artist of 2007
-130 million people choose best artist award – Best artist (2007)
-Second Best Selling Artist of 2007
-Highest Earning Female Celebrity of 2007
-Asian MUSIC eXtreme Awards 2007 - 2007 Best Asian female single artist

2008

-Record: Only female and solo artist with 30 number-one singles
-Record: Only female and solo artist with 40 TOP 10 singles
-Record: Artist with most #1 singles withing consecutive years (10).
-Musicnet Awards – Best Artist
-Musicnet Awards – Best Album (A Best 2 [White/Black]
-Musicnet Awards – Best Single (talkin' 2 myself)
-Musicnet Awards – Best Concert Video (Asia Tour 2007 A ～Tour of Secret～)
-Hito Awards Taiwan – Best foreign Artist of 2008

Filmography

-Battle Spirits Ryûko no Ken (1993)
-Sumomo mo Momo (1995)
-Miseinen (1995)
-Like Grains of Sand (1995)
-Gakko II (1996)
-Tsuki ni Shizumu (2002)

Studio Albums

-1995: Nothing from Nothing (pre-Avex mini-album)
-1999: A Song for XX
-1999: Loveppears
-2000: Duty
-2002: I am...
-2002: Rainbow
-2003: Memorial Address (mini-album)
-2004: My Story
-2006: (Miss)understood
-2006: Secret
-2008: Guilty

Other activities

As well as serving as background music for television advertisements, some of Hamasaki's songs have been used as themes for video games, television shows and motion pictures. "Depend on You" and its B-side "Two of Us" were the opening and ending theme respectively of the video game Thousand Arms; the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams used "Startin'" and "Rainy Day" as its opening and ending theme respectively. The dorama My Little Chef featured "Voyage"; the anime InuYasha featured "Dearest". The movies Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, Confession of Pain, and Kaidan used "Heaven", "Secret", and "Fated" as themes respectively.
In 2001, Hamasaki launched her own brand of clothing, MTRLG (Material Girl); the clothes were sold at MTRLG boutiques and at Mise S*clusive stores. On October 12, 2002, Fuji Television began airing Ayuready?, a talk show, on Saturday nights from 11:30 to midnight, hosted by Hamasaki and often featuring her performing songs with guests, among whom were Goto Maki, Puffy, and Akina Nakamori. To promote the program (and her album Rainbow), Hamasaki opened a restaurant, Rainbow House, on Shōnan Beach; it was occasionally used in episodes of Ayuready?. After less than two years, the last episode aired in March 2004. Also in 2002, Hamasaki created Ayupan, a cartoon version of herself that appeared in a line of merchandise (mainly figurines) and in a 2003 cartoon. In 2007, Hamasaki and Sanrio created a line of merchandise called Ayumi HamasakixHello Kitty; the products, featuring Ayupan and Hello Kitty together, were sold at Hamasaki's 2007 tour Tour of Secret and also online at mu-mo.net. The merchandise consisted of cell phone straps and Lumix cameras decorated with a picture of Hello Kitty behind Hamasaki's "A" logo;[ the former product was a result of a collaboration with Sanrio and Japanese fashion brand Ash & Diamonds, the latter a collaboration with Sanrio and Panasonic.

Public image

Hamasaki's influence extends into other aspects of pop culture, including fashion,and she is often considered an icon and trend-setter in fashion, a status attributed to her tight control over her image. As well as appearing in fashion magazines such as ViVi, Popteen, and Cawaii, Hamasaki repeatedly wins awards such as "Best Jeanist", "Nail Queen" and Oricon's "Most Fashionable Female Artist". This status has led to Hamasaki's shaping of Japan's fashion scene; many aspects of Japan's fashions—including clothing, hair, nails, and accessories—have in some way been influenced by her. As with her music, trends Hamasaki started have spread to Asian countries as Taiwan, China, and Singapore. Because of her "trendy image", Hamasaki has been sought by numerous brands to endorse their products. Throughout her career under Avex, she has promoted products ranging from electronics (Tu-Ka cell phones and Panasonic) to various snack foods. Among the products she has advertised on television are the Honda Crea, Kosé cosmetics, Mister Donut donuts, and Boss coffee. Although Hamasaki initially supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, saying that it was "necessary that [she is] viewed as a product", after the 2001 incident in which Avex forced her to release A Best, she protested Avex's decision to market her as a "product rather than a person".

Lyrics and themes

Hamasaki's lyrics, all her own, have resonated among her fans, who praise them as being honest and "expressing determination". Because she has "trouble voicing her thoughts", Hamasaki uses her lyrics as an outlet; she "draws from her own experiences and emotions" and tries to put them "honestly into words". She has stated that honesty is essential to her lyrics, saying, "If I write when I'm low, it will be a dark song, but I don't care. I want to be honest with myself at all times." Because of this, she did not use English lyrics until her album Rainbow, as she had felt that she could best express herself in Japanese. As with her musical style, the themes of her lyrics have varied: although "loneliness and confusion" were frequent in her earlier albums, she has branched out to wider themes such as faith and peace; themes in her later albums have included love and the struggles of women. Hamasaki draws inspiration for her lyrics from various sources. A story told to her by her friend about a saint named Mary served as the basis for "M", while the September 11 attacks inspired "A Song Is Born".

Style and influence

Because of the widespread influence of her music, Hamasaki has often been compared to Madonna, whom Hamasaki cites as one of her influences, along with soul musicians Babyface and En Vogue and rock bands Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. She also admires Michelle Branch, Kid Rock, Joan Osborne, Seiko Matsuda, Rie Miyazawa, and Keiko Yamada; these diverse influences have led to the variety of her own music.
Having released over 100 songs (not including remixes), Hamasaki's musical style has changed over time; her music spans styles including dance, metal, R&B, progressive rock, pop, and classical. She uses different instruments and techniques including piano, orchestra, gospel choirs, guitars, traditional Japanese strings, music boxes, and effects such as yells, claps, and scratching. She frequently employs others to compose; as she has explained, "I'm not a professional; I lack even basic knowledge about writing music." However, when writing "M", none of the melodies composed by her staff appealed to her, and she decided to compose. Thinking that this let her get closer to what she had in mind.
Hamasaki is often involved in the artistic direction of her live performances; as a result, they are often lavish productions that use a variety of props, extravagant costumes, and choreographed dances. She has used large video screens, fireworks, simulated rain drops, trick stage floors, and suspended devices. As with her live performances, she is involved in the artistic direction of her promotional videos and tries to convey the videos the meanings or feelings of their respective songs. The themes of the videos are varied; she has made "sad and fragile" or "emotional" videos ("Momentum", "Endless Sorrow"), " "refreshing summer" videos ("Blue Bird", "Fairyland"), and "humorous" videos ("Evolution", "Angel's Song", "Beautiful Fighters"). Some of the videos are lavish as well: those of "Fairyland", "My Name's Women", and "Jewel" are among the top twenty or so most expensive music videos, making Hamasaki the only non-anglophone to hold such a distinction.

Image and artistry

The influence of Hamasaki's music, sometimes considered one of the major forces in shaping Japan's current music trends, has been attributed to her constantly changing image as well as her self-penned lyrics; critics, however, credit clever marketing strategies. The popularity of her music extends beyond Japan; she has a "sizable [following] across Asia" and is one of the few Japanese singers whose albums have sold over 10,000 copies in Singapore. Though her first tour with stops outside Japan did not take place until 2007, Hamasaki has been moving towards an Asian market since 2002: in addition to performing at the MTV Asia awards, she performed at South Korea's first joint performance among Asian singers and at a concert to celebrate Sino-Japanese relations.

2007–present: Foray into Asia

On February 28, 2007, Hamasaki released A Best 2, a pair of compilation albums containing songs from I am... to (Miss)understood. The two versions, White and Black, debuted at the first and second positions on the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the first female artist in thirty-six years to hold the top two positions on any Oricon album chart. At the end of 2007, the pair became Japan's fifth and seventh best-selling albums of the year respectively.
In support of A Best 2 and Secret, Hamasaki held the four-month-long Tour of Secret from March to the end of June. She performed not only in Japan but also in Taipei, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, making Tour of Secret her first tour with stops outside Japan. As a result, the concerts became highly anticipated, and tickets for the one in Taipei sold out in two hours; tickets for her Hong Kong concert sold out in three hours.
the writing of Hamasaki's ninth studio album, Guilty (January 2008), was not an emotional experience for her, nor did it have a set theme. However, she said later that the album's tracks appeared to tell a story. Most of the songs were dark; the album had a notable rock tinge. It contained some upbeat dance tracks and ballads, though the latter also had rock overtones. With first-week sales of around 432,000 copies, Guilty peaked at the number-two position on the weekly Oricon charts, making it Hamasaki's first studio album not to reach the top. The album's singles, however—"Glitter/Fated", "Talkin' 2 Myself", and Hamasaki's first digital-only single, "Together When..."—all reached the top of their respective charts. Finally, Guilty was later released as a digital album in twenty-six countries outside Japan, nineteen of them Western nations. That, along with Hamasaki's decision to employ western DJs such as Armand van Helden for her 2008 remix albums Ayu-mi-x 6 -Gold- and Ayu-mi-x 6 -Silver-, has been interpreted as her first step into a global market.
In a January 8, 2008 entry on her TeamAyu blog, Hamasaki revealed that an inoperable condition, possibly tinnitus or Ménière's disease, had caused complete deafness in her left ear. She disclosed that she had been diagnosed with deafness in 2006 and that the problem dated back to 2000. Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that she would "not give up" on her fans and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone".
To celebrate her tenth anniversary in Avex, Hamasaki held her second tour of Asia, Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary. The portion of the tour held in Japan spanned seventeen concerts and lasted from April until June; the stops outside Japan were again held in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Hamasaki's forty-third single, "Mirrorcle World", was released on April 8, 2008. To commemorate her tenth anniversary in the music industry, the single was released in two versions, the second B-side containing a remix of either "You" or "Depend on You". "Mirrorcle World" became yet another number-one single for Hamasaki, making her the only Japanese female solo artist to have a number-one single every year for ten consecutive years. On September 10, 2008, Hamasaki released A Complete: All Singles, a compilation album that includes the A-sides of all her singles along with previously unreleased footage from her A-nation concerts. Hamasaki's forty-fourth single, "Days/Green", will be released on December 17, 2008, in two different versions; the "Days/Green" version will contain an updated "Love: Destiny", and the "Green/Days" version will contain an updated "To Be".

2003–2006: Decline in sales

In 2003, Hamasaki released three singles, "&", "Forgiveness", and "No Way to Say". To celebrate the release of her thirtieth single ("Forgiveness"), Hamasaki held the A Museum concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Her mini-album Memorial Address (December 2003) was her first album to be released in CD+DVD format in addition to the regular CD-only format.
Memorial Address topped the Oricon chart and became a million-seller. The sales of Hamasaki's singles began to wane, however: though all three of the album's singles topped the Oricon charts, "&" was Hamasaki's last single to sell over 500,000 copies. By the end of her Arena Tour 2003–2004, Hamasaki had become dissatisfied with her position in Avex: she felt that the company was treating her as a product instead of a person. Along with her dissatisfaction with her last two studio albums (which she thought had been rushed), this led her to begin work on My Story (December 2004) early. In contrast with her previous albums, My Story had no set theme, nor did Hamasaki attempt to write "something good" or even "something that would give people hope"; rather, she simply wrote freely and honestly. As a result, the album contained mostly autobiographical lyrics about her emotions and reminiscences of her career. She was so pleased with the result that she declared My Story the first album she felt satisfied with. My Story and its singles, "Moments", "Inspire", and "Carols", all topped the weekly Oricon charts; moreover, My Story became another million-seller. From January to April 2005, Hamasaki held the nationwide My Story arena tour, her first tour based on an album.
Miss)understood (January 2006), Hamasaki's seventh studio album, showed new musical directions. Wanting to sing a tune like those of Sweetbox, Hamasaki obtained the permission of Sweetbox composer Roberto "Geo" Rosan to use demo songs he had intended to use in Sweetbox's upcoming album. She edited the songs to fit her personal vision, rewriting the lyrics and rearranging some of the songs. The result was more musically diverse than the previous album; (Miss)understood included ballads, funk, dance-pop, R&B, and rock songs. All of (Miss)understood's singles reached the top of the Oricon; "Bold & Delicious" became Hamasaki's twenty-fifth number-one single. "Secrets" was, appropriately, the theme of Hamasaki's eighth studio album, Secret (November 2006). The album also explored strong female figures, love, and sadness; songs depicted the artist's struggles and "cheered on girls". Although Secret was originally intended to be a mini-album, Hamasaki "began brimming with things to say" and wrote five more songs. The album consisted mostly of rock songs and ballads; to complement these, Hamasaki experimented with new vocal techniques. Both of the album's singles, "Startin'" and "Blue Bird", continued her streak of number-one singles: "Startin'" became her twenty-sixth, setting a new record for most number-one singles held by a solo female artist. The album also topped the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the only artist to have eight consecutive number-one studio albums. Her sales, however, continued to decline: Secret was her first original studio album not to become an RIAJ-certified million-seller.

2000–2002: Commercial peak

From April to June 2000, Hamasaki released the "Trilogy", a series of singles consisting of "Vogue", "Far Away", and "Seasons". The lyrics of these songs focused on hopelessness, a reflection of Hamasaki's disappointment that she had not expressed herself thoroughly in any of her previous lyrics and a sense of shame of her public image. Likewise, many of the songs she wrote for her subsequent studio album, Duty (September 2000), involved feelings of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of her responsibilities.
Duty resonated with fans: the "Trilogy" were "hit singles" ("Seasons" was a million-seller); the album itself became Hamasaki's best-selling studio album. At the end of 2000, Hamasaki held her first New Year countdown concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.
In 2001, Avex forced Hamasaki to release her first compilation album, A Best, on March 28.
I am... (January 2002) marked several milestones for Hamasaki. The lead single, "M", was the first of the many tracks from the album that she composed herself, under the pseudonym "Crea". In 2002, Hamasaki held her first concert outside Japan, at the MTV Asia music awards ceremony in Singapore. she received the award for "Most Influential Japanese Singer in Asia". In support of I am..., Hamasaki held two tours, Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A and Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A; the latter was her first tour held in outdoor venues. In November 2002, as "Ayu", she released her first European single, "Connected", a trance song from I am... composed by DJ Ferry Corsten. It was released in Germany on the Drizzly label.
Realizing that English was a "common global language", she used it for the first time on her next studio album, Rainbow (December 2002). The album had three singles—"Free & Easy", "Voyage", and "H"; the last became the best-selling single of 2002.

1998–1999 : Rising popularity

Hamasaki's debut album under Avex, A Song for XX (1999), was "unassuming": its singles—"Poker Face", "You", "Trust", "Depend on You", and "For My Dear..." (all 1998)—were not major hits; the tracks, composed by Yasuhiko Hoshino, Akio Togashi (of Da Pump), and Mitsuru Igarashi (of Every Little Thing), were "cautious" pop-rock songs. However, Hamasaki's lyrics, introspective observations about her feelings and experiences that focused on loneliness and individualism, resonated with the Japanese public. The songs gained Hamasaki a growing following, and the release of the album was a success: it topped the Oricon charts for five weeks and sold over a million copies. For her achievements, she earned a Japan Gold Disc Award for "Best New Artist of the Year".
With Ayu-mi-x (March 1999), the first of a series of remix albums, Hamasaki began moving beyond the pop-rock of A Song for XX and began to incorporate different styles including trance, dance, and orchestra. Composed by Yasuhiko Hoshino and Dai Nagao (of Do as Infinity), the singles released later that year were dance tunes and earned Hamasaki her first number-one single and first million-selling single. Her second studio album, Loveppears (November 1999), not only topped the Oricon charts, it sold nearly 3 million copies. The album also showcased a change in Hamasaki's lyrics. Though the lyrics of Loveppears still dealt with loneliness, many of them were written from a third-person perspective. In support of Loveppears, she held her first tour, Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 A.

Childhood and early endeavors

Hamasaki was born in Fukuoka Prefecture and raised by her mother and grandmother. Her father had left the family when she was three and never again came into contact with her. Because her mother worked to support the family, Hamasaki's grandmother became her primary caracter.
At age seven, Hamasaki began modeling for local institutions, such as banks, to supplement the family's income. At age fourteen, she moved from Fukuoka to Tokyo to take modeling jobs under SOS, a talent agency. Her modeling career did not last long; SOS deemed her too short and transferred her to Sun Music, a musicians' agency. As "Ayumi", Hamasaki released a rap album, Nothing from Nothing, on the Nippon Columbia label. When this failed to chart on the Oricon, the label dropped her. Hamasaki then took up acting and starred in B-movies such as Ladys Ladys!! Soucho Saigo no Hi and television dorama like Miseinen, which were poorly received by the public. Dissatisfied with her job, Hamasaki soon quit acting and moved in with her mother, who had recently moved to Tokyo.
Although Hamasaki had earned good grades through junior high school, after taking up modeling, she decided that the subjects she was studying were of no use to her and her grades dropped drastically. After moving to Tokyo, she briefly entered Horikoshi Gakuen, a high school for the arts. After quitting her job and school, Hamasaki spent much of her time shopping at Shibuya boutiques and dancing at Velfarre, an Avex-owned disco club.
At Velfarre, Hamasaki was introduced to her future producer, Max Matsuura, through a friend. After hearing Hamasaki sing karaoke, Matsuura offered her a recording deal, but Hamasaki suspected ulterior motives and turned the offer down. He persisted until the following year, when she finally signed on to the Avex label and began vocal training. Finding the instructors too rigid and the classes dull, however, she skipped most of her classes. When she confessed this to Matsuura, he sent her to New York for training. He was impressed by Hamasaki's style of writing in their correspondences, prompting him to suggest that she try writing her own lyrics.

Ayumi Hamasaki

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Young Ayumi

Lots of Ayupans

Beautifull lyrics

Beautifull lyrics

More pictures

Saturday, 22 November 2008

Ayu profile

Awards and records of Ayumi Hamasaki

Filmography

Compilation Albums

New Years countdown concerts

Concert tours

Studio Albums

Other activities

Public image

Lyrics and themes

Style and influence

Image and artistry

2007–present: Foray into Asia

2003–2006: Decline in sales

2000–2002: Commercial peak

1998–1999 : Rising popularity

Childhood and early endeavors

Archive

About me