Hikaru Utada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hikaru Utada
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| 宇多田ヒカル | |
Utada performing in 2006
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Hikaru Utada (宇多田光)
January 19, 1983 New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Columbia University (dropped out) |
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Works
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Kazuaki Kiriya
(m. 2002; div. 2007)Francesco Calianno
(m. 2014; div. 2018) |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
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. They are one of the most famous and best-selling music artists in Japan. Many international fans know them for creating four theme songs for the Kingdom Hearts video game series. These songs include "Simple and Clean", "Sanctuary", "Don't Think Twice", and "Face My Fears".
Utada was born in New York City. Their parents were Japanese: their father, Teruzane Utada, was a record producer, and their mother, Keiko Fuji, was an enka singer. Utada started writing music and lyrics when they were young. They often traveled to Tokyo because of their father's work.
In 1998, Utada released their first English album, Precious, under the name Cubic U. It did not sell well. The next year, they released their first Japanese album, First Love. This album was a huge success. It sold two million copies in its first week in Japan. First Love became Japan's best-selling album of all time.
Utada's album Distance came out in 2001. It included popular songs like "Addicted to You" and "Can You Keep a Secret?". This album sold three million copies in its first week. It became Japan's fastest-selling album at the time. In 2002, Deep River was released. It also became one of Japan's top-selling records. Later albums like Exodus, Ultra Blue, and Heart Station also sold millions. After a break, Utada released Fantôme (2016) and Hatsukoi (2018). Both reached number one in Japan. Their 2022 album, Bad Mode, also topped the charts.
By the end of the 2000s, Utada was called "the most influential artist of the decade" in Japanese music. They are one of Japan's top-selling recording artists. They have sold over 40 million records. Many of their songs and albums have reached number one on the charts.
Contents
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Hikaru Utada was born on January 19, 1983, in New York City. Their mother, Keiko Fuji, was a singer. Their father, Teruzane Utada, was a music producer. Utada grew up in New York and moved to Tokyo, Japan, at age 11. They started writing music and lyrics when they were 10. In 2001, Utada went to Columbia University but left after less than a year.
Utada made music with their mother in a group called "U3." In 1996, they started a solo project called Cubic U. Their first song as Cubic U was "I'll Be Stronger." In 1997, they released "Close to You," a cover song. This song was later on Cubic U's first album, Precious.
Rising to Stardom in Japan
Utada moved to Tokyo in 1998. They continued to record music. They became a leading artist in a new wave of Japanese singer-songwriters. Before their album First Love came out, they released two very popular songs: "Movin' On Without You" and "Automatic/Time Will Tell". "Automatic/Time Will Tell" sold over two million copies.
First Love sold over 7 million copies in Japan. It became the highest-selling album in Japan's recent history. The song "First Love" also became a hit. By the end of 1999, Utada was ranked among the top artists of the 20th century by a Japanese radio station.
After a two-year break, Utada released 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 2001. "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, a manga comic book about Utada's life was published. A song called "Final Distance" was released. It was written for a young girl who passed away. Utada also worked with American rapper Foxy Brown on the song "Blow My Whistle". This song was part of the soundtrack for the movie Rush Hour 2.
Before their third album, Deep River, Utada released "Traveling", "Hikari", and "Sakura Drops/Letters". Deep River came out in June 2002. It sold 2.35 million copies in its first week. Utada became the only artist in Japanese music history to have three albums sell over three million copies in a row. Deep River became the eighth best-selling album of all time in Japan. In 2003, Utada released "Colors".
Exploring the International Music Scene
Utada's first collection of hit songs, Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1, was released in March 2004. It became the best-selling album of 2004 in Japan. This made Utada the only solo artist to reach number one on the yearly charts four times. The album sold 2.58 million copies in Japan. In April 2004, they released "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro". This song was the main theme for the movie Casshern.
In mid-2004, Utada moved back to New York. They started working on an English album with Island Def Jam Music Group. On October 5, 2004, they released their first North American English album, Exodus. They used the stage name "Utada" for this album. Exodus became their fourth album to debut at number one in Japan. It sold 500,000 copies in its first week there. In the US, it reached number 160 on the Billboard 200 chart.
"Easy Breezy" was the first song released from Exodus in August 2004. "Devil Inside" followed six weeks later. "Devil Inside" became a popular club song in the U.S. It topped the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay charts.
Returning to Japanese Music
A year after Exodus, Utada moved back to Tokyo. They returned to the Japanese music scene. Before their fourth album, Ultra Blue, they released several successful songs. These included "Colors", "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro", "Be My Last", "Passion", and "Keep Tryin'" (which was a digital hit).
Ultra Blue sold over 500,000 copies in its first week. It topped the Japanese charts. It was Utada's fifth album in a row to sell over 500,000 copies in its first week. By July 2006, Ultra Blue had sold over one million copies worldwide. After the album's release, Utada went on a tour called Utada United 2006.
The songs released before Utada's fifth album, Heart Station, were also very popular. This included "Flavor of Life", which became the best-selling digital song in Japan. It was downloaded over 7.5 million times. This song was also used in the TV drama Hana yori Dango Returns.
In 2007, Utada's song "Beautiful World" was released. It was the theme song for the movie Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone. Heart Station was released in March 2008. It became their fifth number-one Japanese album. The song "Prisoner of Love" from this album was used for the TV drama Last Friends.
More International Work and a Break
In 2009, Utada released their second English album, This Is the One. It came out in Japan in March and in the United States in May. This Is the One debuted at number one in Japan. Utada also sang the theme song for the second Evangelion film, "Beautiful World -PLANiTb Acoustica Mix-".
In 2010, Utada announced they would take a long break from music. They wanted to have new experiences and grow as a person. Before their break, they released a collection album called Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2. This album included all their Japanese hit songs. It also had five new songs.
Utada performed a concert series called Wild Life in Yokohama, Japan. This was their first Japanese concert since 2006. The concert was broadcast live online and set a global record for the most simultaneous viewers. A documentary about Utada, "What I Am," was shown on Japanese TV in 2011. It featured performances and an interview.
In 2012, Utada released "Sakura Nagashi" (meaning "Flowing Cherry Blossoms"). This song was the theme for the movie Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. In 2013, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of First Love, the album was re-released. In 2014, a tribute album called Utada Hikaru no Uta was released. It featured other artists singing Utada's songs.
Parenthood and New Music
On July 3, 2015, Utada announced the birth of their son. They also said they were working on a new album. In 2016, Utada released two new songs: "Hanataba o Kimi ni" ("Bouquet for You") and "Manatsu no Tōriame". These songs were used for TV shows. Utada also started a project called "New-Turn." Fans could buy their music to help plant cherry blossom trees in areas of Japan damaged by a tsunami.
On August 8, 2016, Utada announced their new album, Fantôme. It had eight new songs and the three singles. Fantôme was very successful. It stayed at the top of the Japanese charts for four weeks. It won Album of the Year at the Japan Record Awards.
Recent Years and 25th Anniversary
In 2017, Utada joined a new record label, Epic Records Japan. They released new digital songs like "Ōzora de Dakishimete", "Forevermore", and "Anata". In December 2017, all of Utada's Japanese music became available on streaming services.
In 2018, Utada provided the theme song "Chikai"/"Don't Think Twice" for the video game Kingdom Hearts III. They also released the song "Hatsukoi" for a TV drama. Their seventh Japanese album, Hatsukoi, was released in June 2018. It debuted at number one in Japan. Utada then went on the Laughter in the Dark Tour.
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In September 2018, Utada announced the song "Face My Fears" for Kingdom Hearts III. They worked with Skrillex and Poo Bear on this song. "Face My Fears" was released in January 2019. It became their first song to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In June 2019, the Laughter in the Dark tour film was released worldwide on Netflix.
In 2020, Utada released "Time" and "Darenimo Iwanai". They also announced that a Netflix show based on their songs "First Love" and "Hatsukoi" would be released in November 2022. In December 2020, Utada announced "One Last Kiss" as the theme song for the film Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Utada sang "Pink Blood" for the 2021 anime To Your Eternity. Their eleventh album, Bad Mode, was released on January 19, 2022. It was their first album with songs in both Japanese and English. Bad Mode reached number one on the Japanese charts. In April 2022, Utada performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States. In June 2022, the concert Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios was released on Netflix.
To celebrate their 40th birthday in January 2023, Utada held a live-streaming event. A new song, "Gold: Mata Au Hi Made," was released in July 2023. It was the theme song for the movie Kingdom 3: The Flame of Destiny. In December 2023, Utada announced a greatest hits album, Science Fiction, for their 25th anniversary. A tour of the same name is planned for Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in 2024. In August 2024, Utada was featured in a new version of "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith.
From November 2024 to January 2025, "Hikaru Utada Live Chronicles in Cinema" showed all nine of Utada's live tours in Japanese theaters. These tours were also re-released on Blu-ray in January 2025. In March 2025, a new song called "Mine or Yours" was featured in a commercial. It was later released as a single in May 2025.
Musical Style
Utada's music is a key part of the changing J-pop genre. They bring their American-style R&B singing to a mix of emotional songs, lively dance-pop, and standard pop songs. Utada has mentioned many favorite artists, including Freddie Mercury, Prince, Björk, and Kate Bush. They have also said that Aaliyah, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige were inspirations.
Personal Life
Utada speaks both English and Japanese very well.
Before their 2002 album Deep River was released, Utada had surgery for a health issue.
Family and Relationships
On September 7, 2002, Utada married Kazuaki Kiriya. He is a photographer and film director who directed many of their music videos. They announced their separation on March 2, 2007.
On February 3, 2014, Utada announced their engagement to a private citizen. They were married on May 23, 2014, and separated in April 2018. On July 3, 2015, they welcomed their son.
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)
