Hikaru Utada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hikaru Utada
宇多田ヒカル
Utada performing in 2006
Born	Hikaru Utada (宇多田光) (1983-01-19) January 19, 1983 (age 42) New York City, U.S.
Nationality	Japanese American
Other names	Utada Hikki Cubic U
Alma mater	Columbia University (dropped out)
Occupation	Singer songwriter producer
Spouse(s)	Kazuaki Kiriya ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2007)​ Francesco Calianno ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2018)​
Children	1
Musical career
Origin	Japan
Genres	J-pop R&B dance-pop alt pop pop rock
Years active	1996–present
Labels	EMI Music Japan Virgin Island Mercury Epic

Hikaru Utada (宇多田ヒカル, Utada Hikaru, born January 19, 1983), also known as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is one of the most famous and best-selling musicians in Japan.

Utada was born in New York City. Her parents were record producer Teruzane Utada and traditional Japanese singer Keiko Fuji. She started writing music and lyrics when she was young. She often traveled to Tokyo because of her father's job.

After signing with Toshiba-EMI, she released her first English album, Precious, in 1998. She used the name Cubic U for this album, but it didn't sell well. The next year, Utada released her first Japanese album, First Love. This album was a huge success.

With hit songs like "Automatic" and "Time Will Tell", First Love sold two million copies in its first week in Japan. It was number one on the Oricon charts for many weeks. The album went on to sell six million more copies in 1999. First Love became Japan's best-selling album of all time.

Utada's album Distance came out in 2001. It had popular songs like "Addicted to You" and "Can You Keep a Secret?" These songs sold over a million copies each. The album sold three million copies in its first week. This made it Japan's fastest-selling album.

In 2002, she released Deep River. This album included pop folk sounds and became one of Japan's top-selling records. Her albums Exodus, Ultra Blue, and Heart Station also sold millions of copies. After a long break, Utada released Fantôme (2016) and Hatsukoi (2018). Both reached number one on the Oricon albums chart. She topped the charts again with Bad Mode in 2022. This was her first album with both Japanese and English songs.

By the end of the 2000s, The Japan Times called Utada "the most important artist of the decade" in Japanese music. She is one of Japan's top-selling recording artists ever, with over 40 million records sold. Many of her songs and albums have reached number one on the charts. Six of her albums are among Japan's highest-selling, including First Love, Distance, and Deep River. She is famous around the world for writing and producing theme songs for the Kingdom Hearts video game series. These songs include "Simple and Clean", "Sanctuary", "Don't Think Twice", and "Face My Fears".

Biography

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Hikaru Utada was born on January 19, 1983, in New York City. Her mother, Keiko Fuji, was a traditional Japanese singer. Her father, Teruzane Utada, is a record producer. She grew up in Upper East Side, New York and moved to Tokyo, Japan at age 11. This move was due to her parents' work.

Utada started writing music and lyrics when she was 10 years old. In 2001, she attended Columbia University in New York City. However, she left after less than a year.

She made recordings with her mother under the band name "U3." In 1996, she began a solo project called Cubic U. Her first Cubic U song, "I'll Be Stronger," was released in Japan in 1996. The next year, she released "Close to You," a cover of the Carpenters' song. This song was on her first album, Precious, released the following year. Neither the album nor the song appeared on the Japanese music charts.

1998–2003: Japanese Debut and Big Success

Utada moved to Tokyo in the summer of 1998. She attended Seisen International School and later the American School in Japan. She continued to record music with Toshiba-EMI. She became a leader in a new wave of singer-songwriters in Japan. This was different from the popular idol singers of the time.

Before her Japanese debut album, First Love, she released two hit songs. These were "Movin' On Without You" and "Automatic/Time Will Tell". The latter sold over two million copies. With these popular songs, First Love sold over 7 million copies in Japan. It became the highest-selling album in Japan's recent history. The album also had the song "First Love", which reached number 2 on the charts.

After a two-year break, Utada released her next album, Distance. It sold 3 million copies in its first week. Songs like "Addicted to You" and "Can You Keep a Secret?" helped Distance become the best-selling album of the year. "Addicted to You" sold a million copies in its first week. This was the highest first-week sales for a female solo artist.

In 2001, Utada recorded "Blow My Whistle" for the movie Rush Hour 2. This song was a collaboration with American rapper Foxy Brown.

Before her third album, Deep River, Utada released "Traveling", "Hikari", and "Sakura Drops/Letters". All these songs reached the top of the charts. Deep River sold 2.35 million copies in its first week. Utada became the only singer in Japanese music history to have three albums sell over three million copies in a row. It was her third album in a row to reach number 1 on Oricon's Yearly Albums chart.

2004–2005: Trying the International Music Scene

Utada in 2004

Utada's first collection of hit songs, Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1, came out on March 31, 2004. It became the best-selling album of 2004 in Japan. This made her the only solo artist to reach number 1 four times on the yearly charts. The album sold 2.58 million copies in Japan.

In April 2004, she released a Japanese song called "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro". It was number one for two weeks. This song was also the main theme for the movie Casshern, directed by her husband at the time, Kazuaki Kiriya.

In mid-2004, Utada moved back to New York. She started working on a music contract with Island Def Jam Music Group. On October 5, 2004, she released her first English album in North America, Exodus. She used the stage name "Utada" for this album. Exodus became her fourth album in a row to debut at number 1 in Japan. It sold 500,000 copies in its first week there. However, it didn't sell as well in the U.S. "Devil Inside" became a popular club song in the U.S. and topped the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay charts.

2005–2008: Back to Japan and More Hits

A year after Exodus, Utada moved back to Tokyo. She returned to the Japanese music scene. Before her fourth album, Ultra Blue, she released several hit songs. These included "Colors" and "Be My Last", both reaching number 1. The digital song "This Is Love" was released to promote the album. It had 1,000,000 downloads.

Ultra Blue sold over 500,000 copies in its first week. It topped the Oricon Daily, Weekly, and Monthly charts. It was Utada's fifth album in a row to sell over 500,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified Million by RIAJ. It was also the highest-selling original album by a Japanese female artist in 2006. After Ultra Blue was released, she went on a tour called Utada United 2006.

Utada performing during her Utada United 2006 tour

The songs released before Utada's fifth album, Heart Station, reached the Top Five on the charts. This included the number 1 hit "Flavor of Life". This song became the best-selling digital song in Japan, with over 7,500,000 downloads.

In 2007, EMI Music Japan became a fully owned part of the EMI Group. Utada's first song under this new label was "Beautiful World"/"Kiss & Cry". It was a double A-side song and reached number 1 on the Oricon Daily Chart. "Beautiful World" was the theme song for the movie Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone. "Flavor of Life" became the best-selling song of 2007. Utada was voted "Number 1 Favorite Artist of 2007" by Oricon readers.

Utada's fifth album, Heart Station, was released on March 19, 2008. It became her fifth number-one Japanese album in a row. The album reached a million sales on the Oricon charts in January 2009. Heart Station was the best-selling digital album on iTunes Japan in 2008. The song "Prisoner of Love" was used as the theme song for the TV drama Last Friends. It reached number 1 on iTunes and other digital charts.

2009–2010: Back to the U.S. and a Break

Utada in 2009

On December 16, 2008, news came out that Utada's next English song, "Come Back to Me", would be released in the U.S. Her second English album, This Is the One, came out on March 14, 2009, in Japan and May 12, 2009, in the United States. This Is the One debuted at number 1 in Japan.

Utada sang the theme song for the second Evangelion film, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. The song was a remix of "Beautiful World".

On November 30, 2009, Utada sang a duet of Let It Snow with pop singer Mika. In December 2009, remixes of her song Dirty Desire were released. She then went on her first concert tour outside Japan, Utada: In the Flesh 2010. This tour included eight cities in the U.S. and two dates in London, UK.

In a blog post on August 9, 2010, Utada announced she would take a long break from music. She said she wanted to have more experiences and grow as a person. Before her break, she released a collection album, Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2, on November 24, 2010. This album included all her Japanese songs from 2004 to 2008. It also had five new songs.

Utada performed a concert series called Wild Life at Yokohama Arena. This was her first Japanese concert since 2006. The first-week sales for Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 were 231,000 copies. This made it Utada's seventh number 1 album in a row. On April 10, 2011, she won "Best Conceptual Video" for her song "Goodbye Happiness". This was also her first time directing a music video.

The two Wild Life concerts took place on December 8 and 9, 2010. The opening concert was shown in 64 cinemas in Japan. It was also streamed live on Ustream. The Ustream channels for the concert were accessed 925,000 times. This was a global record for the highest number of people watching a video at the same time.

A documentary about Utada, called Utada Hikaru: Ima no Watashi, premiered on Japanese TV on January 15, 2011. It showed her performing and clips from the Wild Life concerts. It also had an interview where she talked about wanting to travel and do volunteer work. The documentary was also shown in other countries.

On November 16, 2012, Utada released a video for her song "桜流し" ("Sakura Nagashi", meaning "Flowing Cherry Blossoms"). The song was released digitally on November 17, 2012. "Sakura Nagashi" is the theme song for the animated movie Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. In 2013, Utada's record company, EMI Music Japan, became part of Universal Music Japan.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of First Love, a special edition of the album was re-released. On December 8, 2014, Universal Music Japan released a tribute album called Utada Hikaru no Uta. This album featured other popular artists singing Utada's songs.

2015–2016: Becoming a Parent and New Album Fantôme

On July 3, 2015, Utada announced on her blog that she had given birth to a son. She also mentioned that she was working on a new album. In January 2016, it was reported that Utada would release a new song. "Hanataba o Kimi ni" ("Bouquet for You") became the theme for the TV show Toto Neechan. Another song, "Manatsu no Tōriame", was the theme for the news show News Zero. Both songs were released digitally on April 15.

On August 8, 2016, her new album's title, songs, and cover were revealed. The album was called Fantôme (French for 'ghost'). It had eight new songs and the three previous singles, making a total of eleven songs. When it was released on September 28, Fantôme was very successful. It was number one on the Oricon Albums Chart for four weeks in a row. It won Album of the Year at the Japan Record Awards. It was also the third-best-selling physical album of the year and the best-selling digital album.

2017–2019: New Record Label and Hatsukoi Tour

On February 9, 2017, it was announced that Utada would move to Sony Music Japan's Epic Records label. Her first digital song with the new label, "Ōzora de Dakishimete", was released worldwide on July 10, 2017. The second, "Forevermore", came out on July 28. A third digital song, "Anata", was released on December 8. This song was chosen as the theme for the movie Destiny: Kamakura Monogatari.

On February 10, 2018, it was announced that Utada would provide the theme song for the video game Kingdom Hearts III. The song is called "Chikai" ("Oath"), with an English version called "Don't Think Twice". "Chikai" was included in her seventh Japanese album.

On April 17, 2018, a new song by Utada, "Hatsukoi", was used in the drama Hana Nochi Hare ~Hanadan Next Season~. It was her second song for the Hana Yori Dango drama series. The song was released on May 30. On June 27, Utada's seventh Japanese album Hatsukoi was released. It had all six previous singles and a total of 12 songs. A concert tour, called Hikaru Utada Laughter in the Dark Tour 2018, was held from November 6 to December 9. The album debuted at number 1 on both physical and digital charts.

On September 28, it was reported that Utada would release a song called "Face My Fears" as the theme song for Kingdom Hearts III. She worked on this song with American musicians Skrillex and Poo Bear. "Face My Fears" was released as a CD single on January 18, 2019. It was her first CD single in eleven years. The song became her first to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

On June 26, 2019, Utada's Laughter in the Dark tour film was released worldwide on Netflix. On November 1, 2019, Utada released a song with singer-songwriter Sheena Ringo, called "Roman to Soroban LDN ver.".

2020–2022: Bad Mode

On May 8, 2020, Utada released "Time", the theme song for the NTV drama Bishoku Tantei Akechi Goro. The song "Darenimo Iwanai" was released on May 29 for a Suntory mineral water campaign. Utada also appeared in the commercial.

On December 3, 2020, it was announced that a Netflix show based on Utada's songs "First Love" and "Hatsukoi" would be made. The show, titled First Love Hatsukoi, was released in November 2022. On December 25, 2020, Utada's website announced a new song called "One Last Kiss". This song was the theme for the film Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. The song was released on March 8, 2021.

Utada sang the theme "Pink Blood" for the 2021 anime To Your Eternity. She released the song "Kimini Muchuu" for the TBS drama series Saiai in November. Bad Mode, Utada's eleventh album, was released on January 19, 2022. It was her first album with songs in both Japanese and English. The album reached number one on Japan's Oricon and Billboard charts.

On April 16, 2022, Utada performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States. She sang songs like "Simple and Clean", "Automatic", and "First Love". A studio version of a new song, T, with rapper Warren Hue, was released the same day. On June 9, 2022, the concert "Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios" was released on Netflix.

2023–present: Science Fiction and 25th Anniversary

To celebrate her 40th birthday on January 19, 2023, a live streaming event called 40 Dai-Wa-Iroiro was held. It included a question and answer session with fans and live performances. A song called "Gold -Mata Au Hi Made-" was announced as the theme song for the movie Kingdom 3: The Flame of Destiny. This song was co-produced by British producer A. G. Cook.

On December 9, Utada announced a greatest hits album, Science Fiction. This album celebrates her 25th anniversary since her debut in 1998. A tour with the same name will be held in Japan in July 2024. A new version of the song Simple and Clean was released on May 22, 2024.

On August 22, 2024, Utada was featured in a new version of the song Stay With Me with British singer-songwriter Sam Smith. This was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Smith's album In The Lonely Hour.

To celebrate her 25th anniversary, "HIKARU UTADA LIVE CHRONICLES in cinema" will be held. This event will show all 9 of Hikaru Utada's live performances in select theaters in Japan. The first three live performances will be shown in improved high-definition video. All 9 shows will also be released on Blu-ray on January 8, 2025.

Musical Style

Utada is an important part of the changing J-pop music style. She brings her American-influenced R&B vocal style to a mix of soulful ballads, energetic dance-pop, and regular pop songs.

Utada's official website lists many musicians as her favorites. These include Freddie Mercury, Prince, Björk, and Kate Bush. She has also mentioned growing up as a fan of Madonna and the Cure.

Personal Life

Utada speaks both English and Japanese very well. She currently lives in London, England.

Before her 2002 album Deep River, Utada had surgery for a health issue.

Family and Relationships

On September 7, 2002, she married Kazuaki Kiriya. He is a photographer and film director who directed many of her music videos. They announced their divorce on March 2, 2007. They said it was due to personal changes and not being able to communicate well because of their jobs.

On August 22, 2013, Utada's mother, Keiko Fuji, passed away in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

On February 3, 2014, Utada announced she planned to marry an Italian man. She asked for privacy for him because he was not in the entertainment industry. They were married on May 23, 2014. On July 3, 2015, she gave birth to her son. On April 6, 2018, it was announced that they had divorced.

Discography

Japanese Studio Albums

• First Love (1999)
• Distance (2001)
• Deep River (2002)
• Ultra Blue (2006)
• Heart Station (2008)
• Fantôme (2016)
• Hatsukoi (2018)
• Bad Mode (2022)

English Studio Albums

• Precious [as Cubic U] (1998)
• Exodus (2004)
• This Is the One (2009)

Tours

Concert Tours

• Bohemian Summer 2000 Tour (2000)
• Utada United 2006 Tour (2006)
• Utada: In the Flesh 2010 Tour (2010)
• Laughter in the Dark Tour (2018)
• Science Fiction Tour (2024)

One-Off Concerts

• Luv Live (1999)
• Utada Hikaru in Budokan 2004 (2004)
• One Night Magic (2006)
• Wild Life (2010)

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Hikaru Utada para niños

• Capitol Records
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart
• List of best-selling music artists in Japan
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)