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.