Hamasaki Ayumi

Hamasaki Ayumi (浜崎あゆみ) is considered by many to be the currently reigning queen of J-pop and continues to top the charts with almost every release.

After a rough childhood and a brief stint as an aidoru, Hamasaki was discovered by avex producer and Velfarre founder Max Matsuura. She has worked with such J-pop greats as Kitagawa Jun (CUTEMEN), t-kimura (move), Igarashi Mitsuru (Every Little Thing), TSUNKU (Sharan Q, Hello! Project), and Komuro Tetsuya (globe, TRF, TM Network) among others. She's been remixed by the likes of Ferry Corsten, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Johnny Vicious, and Armin van Buuren.

Hamasaki Ayumi, 2002

Profile

• Name: 浜崎あゆみ (Hamasaki Ayumi)
• Birthdate: 2nd October 1978
• Birthplace: Fukuoka
• Zodiac (Western): Libra
• Zodiac (Chinese): Horse
• Blood type: A
• Height: 156 cm (5 feet 1 inch)
• Weight: 40 kg (88 lbs)

Biography

Hamasaki was born in Fukuoka in 1978. At a very young age, Hamasaki experienced her father leaving her and her mother. Hamasaki woke up in the night to see him packing up his things, and when she asked where he was going, he said it was a business trip. After wishing her father a safe journey and going back to bed, Hamasaki never saw him again. Afterwards, Hamasaki and her mother (who she has always called "Mommy") lived with her grandmother. Upon moving to Tokyo later, Hamasaki and her mother both worked to put food on the table. Hamasaki's mother worked most of the time, and thus it was her grandmother that did most of the caring for young Ayumi. Hamasaki would later say that her grandmother felt more like a mother to her than her "Mommy" did. Hamasaki, in the meantime, worked as a model & actress, doing many swimsuit photoshoots for magazines like BOMB, Young Teioh, Takarajima, and Up To Boy. She starred in several movies and TV series, including yami no PAAPURU AI and Miseinen on TV, and rediisu REDIISU -soucho saigo no hi-, Like Grains of Sand, and sumomo mo momo on the screen. In 1995 Ayu signed very briefly with Nippon Columbia under the name AYUMI featuring DOHZI-T and DJ BASS and released one single and one mini-album, both titled NOTHING FROM NOTHING. It sold dismally. Hamasaki found little success as an aidoru (being unwilling to play pretend for or sleep with managers, directors, & producers) and gave it up in favor of hanging out with friends.

One fateful night in 1997, at a Karaoke bar in Tokyo, Hamasaki was approached by a stranger after singing. He introduced himself as Max Matsuura and told her she had a nice voice, but couldn't sing well, and he wanted to send her to voice lessons and sign her to his label, avex. She found him shady, but he persisted and she finally said okay. He sent her to voice lessons in New York which she rarely attended, having always had a problem with authority. She never told him that she ditched the lessons and went shopping in New York instead. She exchanged letters with Matsuura while there, showing remarkable talent for expressing her feelings. Finally she returned to Japan to record her first single, poker face. Up until the day of recording, Hamasaki had been dissatisfied with the lyrics. Matsuura, remembering Hamasaki's letters, suggested she try writing new ones, and the result was the final recording of the song.

The day before that recording, Hamasaki's grandmother was sick in the hospital. Hamasaki visited her briefly, saying that she'd come again later, but tomorrow she had to record her first single. The day of recording, Hamasaki got a fax saying that her grandmother had died.

poker face was released April 8th, 1998, followed by several singles afterwards. None were hits, but her first album, A Song for XX, reached number one on the Oricon album chart. The ayu-mi-x remix album followed, featuring a remix disc as well as an acoustic disc. Her single WHATEVER, with 2 very different versions of the song (neither listed as the original version) showed her departure from relatively safe, unassuming rock-pop to dance-pop, a staple of her discography for years to come. Hamasaki finally got her first number one single in April 1999 with the TSUNKU composition LOVE ~Destiny~, theme for the TV drama SEMI-DABURU. Her August 1999 single A was meant as a goodbye single, and was more like a mini-album with four all-new tracks and remixes of all of them. The single was initially released in 5 different colors. It sold a million copies, and a gold colored disc was released to commemorate that. It kept selling, and at 1.5 million copies a special edition gold disc was released. The single sold over 1.6 million copies total, and is to this date her best-selling single.

Her second album, LOVEppears, solidified her title as a queen of Japanese pop. Most of the album consisted of hit singles, three of which were limited editions and are to this day highly sought-after by collectors. Her following remix series, ayu-mi-x II, consisted of no less than four albums: one of western remixers, one of Japanese remixers, one of acoustic versions, and a 2-disc set consisting of a 70 minute Non-Stop Mega Mix as well as all-new tracks. The summer of 2000 also gave us her first ever concert tour, which was a huge success and later released on DVD, VHS, and VCD. Her third album was released in late 2000, entitled Duty after her realization that as an idol to millions of girls, she had a duty to be a good role model to them. The singles that preceded it, vogue, Far away, and SEASONS, were released one-per-month and marketed as a trilogy. Hamasaki said the songs were looking at her life from the front, the back, and the side respectively, and were one of many attempts that Hamasaki made through music to deal with her past self.

In 2001, Matsuura told Hamasaki that it was time, after 3 albums, to release her Best album. Hamasaki was not happy with this, and did not want it released, but she hand-picked the songs (re-recording 4 and remixing one), and the A BEST album was released March 28th, 2001. That same week, Utada Hikaru's album Distance was released, starting an unofficial but much-watched competition between the two. Utada "won", but not by much. Both albums sold over 4 million copies.

The album included M, a turning point in Hamasaki's career. This was the first song whose melody she composed herself and it showed a definite gear-shift stylistically for the singer. Rock elements started to layer onto Hamasaki's tracks (and in copious amounts at times). Since this part of her career, nearly every single has been number one on the Oricon weekly charts, and her albums have all each shown their own character and sound. Her latest album, NEXT LEVEL, features a techno pop sound that, while popular, is thus far unexplored by Ayu. This will surely not be the last genre Hamasaki tackles.

Discography

Albums

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	1995.12.01	NOTHING FROM NOTHING	N/A
2	1999.01.01	A Song for XX	#1
3	1999.11.10	Loveppears	#1
4	2000.09.27	Duty	#1
5	2002.01.01	I am...	#1
6	2002.12.18	Rainbow	#1
7	2003.12.17	Memorial Address	#1
8	2004.12.15	My Story	#1
9	2006.01.01	(miss)understood	#1
10	2006.11.29	Secret	#1
11	2008.01.01	GUILTY	#2
12	2009.03.25	NEXT LEVEL	TBA

Compilation albums

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	2001.03.21	A BEST	#1
2	2003.03.12	A BALLADS	#1
3	2007.02.28	A BEST 2	#1
4	2008.09.210	A COMPLETE ~ALL SINGLES~	#1

Albums

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	1998.04.08	Poker Face	#20
2	1998.06.10	You	#20
3	1998.08.05	Trust	#9
4	1998.10.07	For My Dear...	#9
5	1998.12.09	Depend on you	#6
6	1999.02.10	WHATEVER	#5
7	1999.04.14	LOVE ~Destiny~	#1
8	1999.05.12	TO BE	#4
9	1999.07.14	Boys & Girls	#1
10	1999.08.11	A	#1
11	1999.11.10	appears	#2
12	1999.12.08	kanariya	#1
13	2000.12.09	Fly high	#3
14	2000.04.26	vogue	#3
15	2000.05.17	Far away	#2
16	2000.06.07	SEASONS	#1
17	2000.09.27	SURREAL	#1
18	2000.11.01	AUDIENCE	#2
19	2000.12.13	M	#1
20	2001.01.31	evolution	#1
21	2001.03.07	NEVER EVER	#1
22	2001.05.16	Endless sorrow	#1
23	2001.07.11	UNITE!	#1
24	2001.09.27	Dearest	#1
25	2002.03.06	Daybreak	#2
26	2002.04.24	Free & Easy	#1
27	2002.07.24	H	#1
28	2002.09.26	Voyage	#1
29	2003.07.09	&	#1
30	2003.08.20	forgiveness	#1
31	2003.11.06	No way to say	#1
32	2004.03.31	Moments	#1
33	2004.07.28	INSPIRE	#1
34	2004.09.29	CAROLS	#1
35	2005.04.20	STEP you/is this LOVE?	#1
36	2005.08.03	fairyland	#1
37	2005.09.14	HEAVEN	#1
38	2005.11.30	Bold & Delicious/Pride	#1
39	2006.03.08	Startin'/Born To Be...	#1
40	2006.06.21	BLUE BIRD	#1
41	2007.07.18	glitter/fated	#1
42	2007.09.19	talkin' 2 myself	#1
43	2008.04.08	Mirrorcle World	#1
44	2008.12.17	GREEN/Days	#1
45	2009.02.25	Rule/Sparkle	#1

Digital Singles

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	2007.12.05	Together When...	#1

Special Singles

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	1995.09.21	NOTHING FROM NOTHING	#200
1	2001.12.12	a song is born	#1

Remix Albums

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	1999.03.17	ayu-mi-x	#4
2	2000.02.16	SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro-mix	#2
3	2000.03.08	ayu-mi-x II version US/EU	#2
4	2000.03.08	ayu-mi-x II version JPN	#6
5	2000.03.08	ayu-mi-x II version Acoustic Orchestra	#3
6	2000.03.29	ayu-mi-x II version Non-Stop Mega Mix	#6
7	2001.02.28	ayu-mi-x III Non-Stop Mega Mix Version	#3
8	2001.02.28	ayu-mi-x III Acoustic Orchestra Version	#4
9	2001.09.27	SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro-mix 2	#1
10	2001.09.27	Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance	#3
11	2002.03.20	ayu-mi-x IV Non-Stop Mega Mix Version	#4
12	2002.03.20	ayu-mi-x IV Acoustic Orchestra Version	#9
13	2002.09.26	Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2	#3
14	2003.09.25	RMX works from ayu-mi-x V Non-Stop Mega Mix	#18
15	2003.09.25	RMX works from Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 3	#14
16	2003.09.25	RMX works from SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro-mix 3	#13
17	2008.03.26	ayu-mi-x 6 -GOLD-	#6
18	2008.03.26	ayu-mi-x 6 -SILVER-	#8

Remix Singles

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	2000.12.06	The Other Side One: Hex Hector	#33
2	2001.01.31	The Other Side Two: Junior Vasquez	#10
3	2001.01.31	The Other Side Three: Thunderpuss, Soul Solution	#12
4	2001.01.31	The Other Side Four: System F, Vincent De Moor	#11
5	2001.11.21	Excerpts from Ayu-mi-x III: 001	#44
6	2001.12.13	Excerpts from Ayu-mi-x III: 002	#34
7	2001.12.13	Excerpts from Ayu-mi-x III: 003	#36
8	2001.12.13	Excerpts from Ayu-mi-x III: 004	#35
9	2001.12.26	Excerpts from Ayu-mi-x III: 005	#32
10	2001.12.26	Excerpts from Ayu-mi-x III: 006	#30

Re-released Singles

#	Release	Title	Rank
1	2000.12.06	Poker Face	#31
2	2001.01.31	You	#25
3	2001.01.31	Trust	#29
4	2001.01.31	For My Dear...	#33
5	2001.11.21	Depend on you	#27
6	2001.12.13	WHATEVER	#28
7	2001.12.13	TO BE	#26

European Singles

#	Release	Record Company	Location	Title
1	2002.12.15	Lightning Records	Belgium	Connected
2	2003.04.07	Drizzly Records	Germany	Connected
3	2003.10.27	Drizzly Records	Germany	M
4	2004.03.08	Drizzly Records	Germany	Depend on You
5	2004.10.18	Drizzly Records	Germany	Naturally WIPPENBERG REMIXES
6	2005.04.18	Drizzly Records	Germany	appears
7	2005.11.17	Drizzly Records	Germany	UNITE!

Videography

#	Release	Title
1	1999.09.15	A Film for XX
2	2000.02.23	A Clips
3	2000.03.29	HAMASAKI AYUMI
4	2000.09.20	vogue Far away SEASONS
5	2000.09.13	concert tour 2000 dai1maku
6	2000.09.27	concert tour 2000 dai2maku
7	2000.12.13	SURREAL
8	2001.02.07	M
9	2001.06.13	evolution
10	2001.06.20	countdown live 2000-2001 A
11	2001.12.12	DOME TOUR 2001 A
12	2002.03.13	A Clips vol. 2
13	2002.11.13	tsuki ni shizumu
14	2003.01.29	STADIUM TOUR 2002 A
15	2003.01.29	ARENA TOUR 2002 A
16	2003.01.29	COMPLETE LIVE BOX A
17	2004.02.25	complete clip box
18	2004.02.25	A museum ~30th single collection live~E
19	2004.09.29	ARENA TOUR 2003-2004 A
20	2005.03.02	COUNT DOWN LIVE 2004-2005 A
21	2005.08.24	ARENA TOUR 2005 A ~MY STORY~
22	2006.03.23	COUNTDOWN LIVE 2005-2006 A
23	2006.11.01	ARENA TOUR 2006 A ~(miss)understood~
24	2008.03.12	ASIA TOUR 2007 ~Tour of Secret~ LIVE+DOCUMENTARY
25	2008.06.18	COUNTDOWN LIVE 2007-2008 Anniversary
26	2009.01.28	ASIA TOUR 2008 LIVE IN TAIPEI

Analogs (Japan)

• 1. Depend on you (5 June 1999)
• 2. A Song for XX (19 June 1999)
• 3. from your letter (19 June 1999)
• 4. poker face (19 June 1999)
• 5. SIGNAL (19 June 1999)
• 6. HANA (3 July 1999)
• 7. POWDER SNOW (3 July 1999)
• 8. Trust (3 July 1999)
• 9. Wishing (3 July 1999)
• 10. As if... (17 July 1999)
• 11. FRIEND II (17 July 1999)
• 12. Two of us (17 July 1999)
• 13. YOU (17 July 1999)
• 14. ayu-mi-x Box Set (11 August 1999)
• 15. Boys & Girls (1999)
• 16. A - NYC (6 October 1999)
• 17. A - TYO (6 October 1999)
• 18. Super Eurobeat J-EURO 1 (18 October 1999)
• 19. appears/WHATEVER (28 January 2000)
• 20. appears (22 March 2000)
• 21. ayu-mi-x II version JPN (31 May 2000)
• 22. Far away (10 October 2000)
• 23. SEASONS (10 October 2000)
• 23. vogue (10 October 2000)
• 24. AUDIENCE (27 December 2000)
• 25. SURREAL (27 December 2000)
• 26. ayu-mi-x III promo (February 2001)
• 27. evolution (14 July 2001)
• 28. M (14 July 2001)
• 29. Endless sorrow (11 August 2001)
• 30. NEVER EVER (11 August 2001)
• 31. UNITE! (11 August 2001)
• 32. excerpts from AD001 from ayu-mi-x III (26 September 2001)
• 33. excerpts from AD002 from Ayu-mi-x III (26 September 2001)
• 34. excerpts from AD003 from ayu-mi-x III (26 September 2001)
• 35. Super Eurobeat promo LP 1 (October 2001)
• 36. Super Eurobeat promo LP 2 (October 2001)
• 37. M (11 November 2001)
• 38. Daybreak (13 July 2002)
• 39. Dearest (13 July 2002)
• 40. Super J-Trance Promo (March 2005)
• 41. STEP you/About You (9 April 2008)
• 42. GAME/Together When... (9 April 2008)
• 43. Moments/ourselves (9 April 2008)
• 44. INSPIRE/CAROLS (9 April 2008)
• 45. No way to say/fated (9 April 2008)
• 46. Startin'/Greatful days (9 April 2008)
• 47. HEAVEN/talkin' 2 myself (9 April 2008)
• 48. walking proud/glitter (9 April 2008)
• 49. alterna/Beautiful Fighters (9 April 2008)
• 50. part of Me/decision (9 April 2008)

Analogs (Europe & USA)

• 1. Boys & Girls remixed by Hex Hector (USA) (30 March 2001)
• 2. kanariya (Canary) remixed by Jonathan Peters (USA) (12 June 2001)
• 3. monochrome (EU) (21 July 2001)
• 4. Trauma remixed by Thunderpuss (USA) (24 August 2001)
• 5. too late remixed by Soul Solution (USA) (29 September 2001)
• 6. monochrome remixed by Keith Litman (USA) (1 December 2001)
• 7. The M EP (UK version) (15 January 2002)
• 8. appears remixed by Junior Vasquez (USA) (16 May 2002)
• 9. Duty remixed by Eric Kupper (USA) (31 July 2002)
• 10. evolution remixed by Razor (USA) (31 July 2002)
• 11. Connected (Germany) (18 November 2002)
• 12. Connected (Belgium) (6 December 2002)
• 13. Boys & Girls remixed by Junior Vasquez (USA) (24 January 2003)
• 14. Connected Remix Edition (Germany) (28 February 2003)
• 15. M part 1 (Germany) (28 August 2003)
• 16. M part 2 (Germany) (18 September 2003)
• 17. M limited edition (Germany) (30 October 2003)
• 18. Depend on you Svenson & Gielen remixes (Germany) (15 January 2004)
• 19. Depend on you DJ SHOG remixes (Germany) (5 February 2004)
• 20. M (Spain) (5 May 2004)
• 21. Naturally Wippenberg Remixes 1 (Germany) (2 September 2004)
• 22. Naturally Wippenberg Remixes 2 (Germany) (16 September 2004)
• 23. appears (Germany) (10 March 2005)
• 24. appears Remixes (Germany) (31 March 2005)
• 25. UNITE! part 1 (Germany) (12 May 2005)
• 26. UNITE! part 2 (Germany) (2 June 2005)

Commercials & Promotional Campaigns

• Kao Sofina AUBE
• Fifth Season
• Fukuoka City Bank
• GemCEREY (Cancelled)
• Honda
• JT Momo no Tennensui
• Kasutadon
• Kirin
• Kose Visee
• Lycos
• Morinaga
• Duskin Mister Donut
• Panasonic
• Pentel Color Fude
• Suntory
• Takanoyuri Beauty Clinic
• Tower Records
• Tu-Ka
• UC Card
• Wacoal
• Diet Weider in Jelly

Other Releases

Relational CDs

• avex 10th anniversary presents avex THE ALBUM (26 November 1998)
• TSUNKU & 7HOUSE - LOVE ~dakiatte~ (24 April 1999)
• SEMI-DOUBLE OST (2 June 1999)
• SUPER EUROBEAT vol. 100 (4 August 1999)
• SUPER EUROBEAT vol. 101 (1 January 2000)
• TranceMatch: system F vs. Armin (5 April 2000)
• SUPER EUROBEAT vol. 110 (2 August 2000)
• Dub Master X - Dub's Music Box (27 September 2000)
• COUNTDOWN J-POP 2000
• J-Euro Best (11 January 2001)
• United States of avex Artists (7 March 2001)
• SUPER EUROBEAT vol. 116 (22 March 2001)
• Grow Sound Works (18 April 2001)
• Mukashi no Otoko OST (6 June 2001)
• AUBE Collection (8 August 2001)
• SUPER EUROBEAT vol. 120 (21 August 2001)
• J-Euro Non-Stop Best (27 September 2001)
• DRAMATIC (12 December 2001)
• VARIOUS ARTISTS FEATURING song+nation (23 January 2002)
• song+nation 2 trance (6 March 2002)
• Ferry Corsten - The Very Best of Ferry Corsten (6 March 2002)
• A Best AYUMI Piano Instrumental Collection
• I am AYUMI Piano Instrumental Collection
• My Little Chef OST (4 September 2002)
• Best of Jpop 2003
• HARMONY ~J-POP MEETS CLASSICS~ (4 June 2003)
• Cyber X #01 (30 July 2003)
• SPACE DRIVE ROUTE1 -Techno Remix Ver.- (6 August 2003)
• m.c.A.T. - Returns! (4 February 2004)
• Ayumi Hamasaki Songs meets Princess China Music Orchestra (29 September 2004)
• a box
• dream meets best hits avex
• TOKYO CLUB GANG

Relational DVDs

• Aggressive Mind - Progressive Wakeboarding
• a-nation '03
• a-nation '04 Best Hit Summer Live
• a-nation '05
• CNN English Express

Official Books

• Terima Kasih
• First Book "A"
• DOME TOUR 2001 A HISTORY BOOK
• uraayu
• uraayu Special Edition
• Leslie Kee Super Stars (appearance)
• 10th Anniversary DOCUMENT BOOK
• DEJIDEJI Nikki 100kai Kinen

JpopStop Links

• Official Forum Discussion Thread

External Links

• Official avex Site
• Offical Fan Club TeamAyu
• Divine Ayu (Fan Site)
• Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai Forum (Fan Site)