Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayumi Hamasaki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki in Taiwan in March 2007
Native name 浜崎あゆみ
Born October 2, 1978 (age 39)
Fukuoka, Japan
 Ayu
Other names
 Crea
Occupation  Singer
 songwriter
 record producer
 actress
 model
 spokesperson
 entrepreneur
Spouse(s) Manuel Schwarz
(m. 2011; div. 2012)

Tyson Bodkin
(m. 2014; separated 2016)
Musical career
Genres  J-pop
 pop
 dance
 electronic
 rock
 classical
Years active  1995–present
Labels  Nippon Columbia
 Avex Trax
Website www.avex.jp/ayu
Signature
Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ Hamasaki Ayumi, born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese recording
artist, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson and entrepreneur. Through her entire
career, she has written all her lyrical content, produced her own music, and has sometimes co-
composed her music.
Born and raised in Fukuoka, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at fourteen in 1993 to pursue a career in
singing and acting. In 1998, under the tutelage of Avex CEO Max Matsuura, Hamasaki released
her debut single "Poker Face"[fn 1] and debut major-label album A Song for XX. The album
debuted at the top of the Oricon charts and remained there for four weeks, selling over a million
copies.[fn 1] Her next five albums shipped over a million copies in Japan, with her
third, Duty, selling nearly three million. A Best, her first compilation album, is her best-selling
album, with more than four million copies sold in Japan.[1][2] Since 2006, after her
album Secret was released, album and single sales have declined.[3][4]
Hamasaki has sold over 50 million records, making her the best-selling Japanese solo artist of all
time.[5][6][7] Hamasaki has several domestic record achievements for her singles, such as the most
number-one hits by a female artist (38); the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist
(twenty-five),[8] and the most million-sellers.[9][fn 2] From 1999 to 2010, Hamasaki had at least two
singles each year topping the charts.[10] Hamasaki is the first female recording artist to have ten
studio albums since her debut to top the Oricon and the first artist to have a number-one album
for 13 consecutive years since her debut.[11][12] Hamasaki's second remix album, Super Eurobeat
Presents Ayu-ro Mix, is recognized as one of the best selling remix albums of all time and
remains her only album to be recognized in a worldwide accreditation.[13]
Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of J-pop" because of her popularity in Japan and
throughout Asia.[14][15] Following an ear infection in 2000, she has suffered worsening hearing loss
and is completely deaf in one ear.
Contents
[hide]
 1Life and music career

o 1.1Childhood and early endeavors
o 1.21998–99: Musical beginnings, A Song for xx and Loveppears
o 1.32000–02: Duty, compilation releases, I Am... and Rainbow
o 1.42003–06: Decline in sales, My Story, (Miss)Understood and Secret
o 1.52007–08: Compilation releases and Guilty
o 1.62009–11: Next Level, Rock n Roll Circus and Five
o 1.72012–13: 15th anniversary, Love Again and compilation releases
o 1.82014–2015: Colours, A One, Sixxxxxx
o 1.92016: Made in Japan
 2Image and artistry
o 2.1Musical style
o 2.2Public image
 3Other activities
o 3.1MTRLG
o 3.2Ayupan
o 3.3Ayuready?
 4Philanthropy
 5Personal life
o 5.1Hearing loss
 6Discography
 7Concerts
o 7.1Concert tours
o 7.2New Years countdown concerts
 8Filmography
 9See also
 10Footnotes
 11References
 12Further reading
 13External links
Life and music career[edit]

Childhood and early endeavors[edit]
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Hamasaki was raised as an only child by her mother and
grandmother. Her father had left the family when she was three and never again came into
contact with her.[16][17] Hamasaki's mother worked to support the family, so Hamasaki was
primarily taken care of by her grandmother.[16] She described herself as a "tomboy" when she
was a teenager, and as a “strange kid” who “liked to be alone”.[18]
At age seven, Hamasaki began modeling for local institutions, such as banks, in order to
supplement the family's income. She continued this career path by leaving her family at fourteen
and moving to Tokyo as a model under SOS, a talent agency.[16] Her modeling career did not last
long; SOS eventually deemed her too short for a model and transferred her to Sun Music, a
musicians' agency. Under the name of "Ayumi", Hamasaki released a rap EP, Nothing from
Nothing, on the Nippon Columbia label in 1995. She was dismissed from the label when the
album failed to chart on the Oricon.[19] After this failure, Hamasaki took up acting and starred in B-
movies such as Ladys Ladys!! Sōcho Saigo no Hi and television dramas such as Miseinen,
which were poorly received by the public.[17][20] From August 1995 to March 1996, Hamasaki also
co-hosted the SoundLink "magazine" Hōkago no Ōsama (After-school King) for the Nintendo
Satellaview once a week with Shigeru Izumiya.[21][22] Growing dissatisfied with her job, Hamasaki
quit acting and moved in with her mother, who had recently moved to Tokyo.[16]
Hamasaki was initially a good student, earning good grades in junior high school. Eventually, she
lost faith in the curriculum, thinking that the subjects taught were of no use to her. Her grades
worsened as she refused to put her mind to her studies. While living in Tokyo, she attempted to
further her studies at Horikoshi Gakuen, a high school for the arts, but dropped out in the first
year. Hamasaki did not attend school or have a job, so she spent much of her time shopping
at Shibuya boutiques and dancing at Velfarre, an Avex-owned disco club.[16][17]
At Velfarre, she 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.[17] He persisted and succeeded in recruiting her for the
Avex label in the following year.[17][23] Hamasaki started vocal training, but skipped most of her
classes after finding her instructors to be too rigid and the classes dull.[17] When she confessed
this to Matsuura, he sent her to New York to train her vocals under another method. During her
foreign sojourn, Hamasaki frequently corresponded with Matsuura and impressed him with her
style of writing. On her return to Japan, he suggested that she try writing her own lyrics.[17]
1998–99: Musical beginnings, A Song for xx and Loveppears[edit]
Hamasaki made her debut under Avex at 19 on April 8, 1998 with the single "Poker Face". It—
and the following four singles—were not major hits, however each release was better than the
last, thus gradually increasing her exposure and presence on the market. Hamasaki's debut
album, A Song for ×× (1999), was likewise "unassuming":[24] the tracks, composed by Yasuhiko
Hoshino, Akio Togashi (of Da Pump), and Mitsuru Igarashi (of Every Little Thing), were
"cautious" pop-rock songs.[17][24] However, Hamasaki's lyrics, introspective observations about her
feelings and experiences that focused on loneliness and individualism, resonated with the
Japanese public.[25] 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.[19][26][27] For her achievements, she earned a Japan Gold Disc Award for "Best New Artist of
the Year".[28]
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 ×× and began to incorporate different styles
including trance, dance, and orchestra.[24] Hamasaki began to experiment with different musical
styles in her singles as well, releasing dance tunes and ballads as well as remixes on the singles
which spanned reggae and house. The singles were milestones: Hamasaki earned her first
number-one single ("Love: Destiny") and first million-selling single ("A").[10][29] Her second studio
album, Loveppears (November 1999), not only topped the Oricon charts, it sold nearly 3 million
copies.[26] 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.[30] In support of Loveppears, she held her first tour, Ayumi Hamasaki Concert
Tour 2000 A.
A Film for XX is the first video clip collection by Ayumi Hamasaki, it was released on September
15, 1999.
2000–02: Duty, compilation releases, I Am... and Rainbow[edit]
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.[31] 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. She described her feelings after the
writing as "unnatural" and "nervous".[16][32] The musical style was darker as well; in contrast
with Loveppears, Duty was a rock-influenced album with only one dance song,
"Audience".[16][33] Duty resonated with fans: the "Trilogy" were "hit singles" ("Seasons" was a
million-seller), and the album became Hamasaki's best-selling studio album.[34][35] 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,
putting the album in "competition" with Hikaru Utada's second studio album, Distance. The
"competition" between the two singers (which both claimed was merely a creation of their record
companies and the media) was supposedly the reason for the success of the albums; both sold
over 5 million copies.[36] In support of Duty and A Best, Hamasaki held a tour of Japan's domes,
making her one of few "top-drawer" Japanese artists to hold a concert at the Tokyo Dome.[37]
I Am... (January 2002) marked several milestones for Hamasaki. Hamasaki increased her control
over her music by composing all of the songs on the album under the pseudonym "Crea", of
which the 2000 single "M" was the first. "Connected" (November 2002) and "A Song Is Born"
(December 2001) were the exceptions.[38] I Am... also showed evolution in Hamasaki's lyrical
style: it was a retreat from the themes of "loneliness and confusion" of some of her earlier
songs.[39] Moved by the September 11 attacks, Hamasaki revised her vision of I Am..., focusing
on issues such as faith and world peace. "A Song Is Born", in particular, was directly influenced
by the events.[39][40] The single, a duet with Keiko Yamada, was released as part of Avex's non-
profit Song Nation project, which raised money for charity.[41][42][fn 3] She also dropped the planned
cover and opted instead to be portrayed as a "peace muse", explaining,
I had a completely different idea for the cover at first. We'd already reserved the space, decided
the hair and makeup and everything. But after the incident, as is typical of me, I suddenly
changed my mind. I knew it wasn't the time for gaudiness, for elaborate sets and costumes. It
sounds odd coming from me, but I realize what I say and how I look has a great impact.[40]
The outlook inspired by the September 11 attacks extended beyond I Am.... In 2002, Hamasaki
held her first concert outside Japan, at the MTV Asia music awards ceremony in
Singapore,[40][43] a move interpreted as the beginning of a campaign prompted by a sluggish
Japanese market.[44][45] At the ceremony, she received the award for "Most Influential Japanese
Singer in Asia".[43] In support of I Am..., Hamasaki held two tours, Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour
2002 A and Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A.[46][47] 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.[48]Hamasaki continued to
release singles (all of them remixes of previously released songs) in Germany on Drizzly until
2005.[49]
In April 2002, Hamasaki released the single "Free & Easy". In collaboration with the
magazine Free&Easy, Hamasaki also released Hamasaki Republic, a photobook that was
actually a special issue of Free&Easy, in conjunction with the single. "H", Hamasaki's next single,
became the best-selling single of 2002.[fn 4][50] Hamasaki released her last single of 2002,
"Voyage", on September 26. In lieu of a regular-length music video, the short film Tsuki ni
Shizumu, starring Hamasaki, was created for "Voyage" and was released at a select theater
in Shibuya.[51] Hamasaki's next studio album, Rainbow (December 2002) was her first to use
English lyrics. After performing at the 2002 MTV Asia music awards, Hamasaki felt that by writing
only Japanese lyrics, she was not able to bring her "message" to other countries. Realizing that
English was a "common global language", she included English lyrics in three songs.[52][fn 5][fn 6] The
album was stylistically diverse; Hamasaki included rock- and trip hop-influenced tracks as well as
"summery", "up-tempo" and "grand gothic" songs and experimented with new techniques such
as gospel choruses and the yells of an audience. The lyrics were also varied: themes in the
album included freedom, the struggles of women, and "a summer that ends in sadness".[53]
2003–06: Decline in sales, My Story, (Miss)Understood and Secret[edit]
Hamasaki performing in her (Miss)understood tour
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.[54] 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, a decision that came from her increased interest in the direction of
her music videos.[55] Like her previous albums, Memorial Address topped the Oricon chart and
sold over a million copies.[56][57] Sales of Hamasaki's singles began to wane. Although all three of
the album's singles topped the Oricon charts, "&" was Hamasaki's last single to sell over 500,000
copies.[58]
By the end of her Arena Tour 2003–2004, Hamasaki had grown dissatisfied with her position in
Avex: she felt that the company was treating her as a product instead of a person.[59] Along with
her dissatisfaction over 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.[59][fn 7] As a result, the
album contained mostly autobiographical lyrics about her emotions and reminiscences of her
career. She approached the composition of the music with the same freedom as the lyrics, with
the album's notable rock overtones expressing her liking for rock music.[60] She was so pleased
with the result that she declared My Story the first album she felt satisfied with.[60] My Story and
its singles, "Moments", "Inspire", and "Carols", all topped the weekly Oricon charts; moreover,
with sales of over 1,100,000 units, My Story became Hamasaki's last million-selling studio album
according to Oricon.[fn 8][61][62] From January to April 2005, Hamasaki held the nationwide My
Story arena tour, her first album-based tour.[59] Also in January, she began working
with Lamoureux Orchestra to create My Story Classical, a classicalversion of My Story; the
album served as an "alter-ego" of the mostly aggressive My Story. The orchestra also created a
classical version of "A Song Is Born", which was included on My Story Classical and which
Hamasaki performed at the opening of the Expo 2005.[63]
Hamasaki performing the song "Part of Me" in her Tour of Secret
(Miss)understood (January 2006), Hamasaki's seventh studio album, showed new musical
directions.[64] Wanting to sing a tune like those of the group 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.[64]The result was more musically diverse than the
previous album; (Miss)understood included ballads, funk, dance-pop, R&B, and rock
songs.[65][66] All of (Miss)understood's singles reached the top of the Oricon; "Bold & Delicious"
became Hamasaki's twenty-fifth number-one single, tying her with Seiko Matsuda for the record
of most number-one singles by a solo female artist.[67] Though (Miss)understood also reached the
top of the charts, Oricon stated that it sold fewer than a million copies—Hamasaki's first studio
album to do so.[3][fn 9][fn 8] In support of the album, Hamasaki held the (Miss)understood arena tour,
which spanned three months with thirty concerts, from Saitama on March 11, 2006, to Yoyogi on
June 11, 2006.[69]
Hamasaki's first single of 2006, "Startin'", became Hamasaki's twenty-sixth number-one single,
setting a new record for most number-one singles held by a solo female artist.[70] The subsequent
studio album, Secret, was released in November 2006.[71] "Secrets" was, appropriately, the theme
of the album; the album also explored strong female figures, love, and sadness; songs depicted
the artist's struggles and were written to encourage women.[72][fn 10] Although Secret was originally
intended to be a mini-album, Hamasaki "began brimming with things to say" while producing the
album and wrote five more songs.[72][fn 11] The album consisted mostly of rock songs and ballads;
to complement these, Hamasaki experimented with new vocal techniques.[71] The album also
topped the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the only artist to have eight consecutive
number-one studio albums.[73] Her sales, however, continued to decline: according to both Oricon
and the RIAJ, Secret failed to sell a million copies.[3][4]
2007–08: Compilation releases and Guilty[edit]
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.[74] At the end of 2007, the
pair became Japan's fifth and seventh best-selling albums of the year respectively.[75] In support
of A Best 2 and Secret, Hamasaki held the four-month-long Tour of Secret from March to the end
of June. It was her first international tour, and aside from Japan, she performed in Taipei,
Shanghai, and Hong Kong.[76] Her foreign fanbase highly anticipated the concerts, and tickets for
the Taipei and Hong Kong performances sold out in less than three hours.[77][78]
Hamasaki in Paris for the filming of the music video for "Mirrorcle World"
In July 2007, Hamasaki released her first single in over a year, "Glitter/Fated". A short
film, Distance Love, was used as the music video for "Glitter" and "Fated". The film, shot in Hong
Kong, co-starred Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue as Hamasaki's romantic interest.[79]"Glitter/Fated"
and the following single "Talkin' 2 Myself" reached the top of their respective charts, continuing
Hamasaki's streak of number-one singles.[80] In December, Hamasaki released her first digital-
only single, "Together When...", which topped the RIAJ's monthly download chart.[81][82] Unlike its
predecessors, 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.[32] Most of the songs were dark; the album had a notable
rock tinge.[32][33] It contained some upbeat dance tracks and ballads, though the latter also had
rock overtones.[83][84] Guilty peaked at the number-two position on the weekly Oricon charts,
making it Hamasaki's first studio album not to reach the top and ended Hamasaki's streak of 8
consecutive number-one albums.[fn 12][87] 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 The Young Punx, Coldcut, Para One and 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 the global market.[88]
Hamasaki (bottom center) in London with a group of European fans
In April 2008, to commemorate her tenth anniversary in Avex, Hamasaki released the single
"Mirrorcle World"; it topped the Oricon, making Hamasaki the only female solo artist to have a
number-one single every year for ten consecutive years.[10] Hamasaki also held her second tour
of Asia, Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary, to celebrate her tenth anniversary. From April until
June, she toured Japan, holding seventeen concerts. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai were
again the foreign stops after the domestic performances.[89] 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 which is the 8th best selling
album of 2008.[90]
2009–11: Next Level, Rock n Roll Circus and Five[edit]
Hamasaki's next two singles, "Days/Green" (December 2008) and "Rule/Sparkle" (February
2009), continued Hamasaki's streak of number-one singles. "Rule" is used as the international
theme song for the film Dragonball Evolution.[91] The subsequent studio album, Next Level, was
released on March 25, 2009 in several formats: CD, CD+DVD, 2CD+DVD and a two-
gigabyte USB flash drive.[92][93] Sonically, Next Level was mainly an electronic
dance album.[94] Next Level reached the top of the Oricon charts, making Hamasaki the only artist
to have a number-one album every year for eleven years in a row since her debut.[12] However,
the album was only certified double platinum, making it Hamasaki's lowest-selling studio album
to that date.[95] On August 12, 2009, Hamasaki released her forty-sixth single, "Sunrise/Sunset
(Love Is All)". "Sunrise (Love Is All)", one of the A-sides, is being used as the opening theme
song for the Japanese television drama Dandy Daddy?.[96] The single reached the top of the
weekly charts, making it her twenty-first consecutive (thirty-third total) number-one single.
"Sunrise/Sunset" is also her forty-fourth single to enter the Top 10, making Hamasaki the artist
with the most Top 10 singles ever.[97] Hamasaki's third single of the year, "You Were.../Ballad",
was released on December 29, 2009. Hamasaki's eleventh studio album Rock 'n' Roll
Circus was released on April 14, 2010. Though the album contained a few "powerful and
melodramatic gothic rock" tracks, it was mainly "pure and classic J-pop", with pop-rock songs
and ballads.[98] The album topped the charts, making Hamasaki the first female solo artist in
twenty years to have ten number-one original studio albums.[99] Hamasaki also began expanding
her online presence, setting up accounts on MySpace, Ustream, and Twitter.[100][101] In July,
entertainment company Livespire announced that Hamasaki's 2009 Next Level tour would
be shown in 3D at Toho cinemas nationwide beginning on August 28.[102][103][104]
On July 14, Hamasaki released her forty-eighth single, "Moon/Blossom". The single was
released as the first of a three-part project to celebrate her yet-unreleased fiftieth single.[105]The
two other singles in the project (her forty-ninth and fiftieth singles respectively), "Crossroad" and
"L", were released within a week of each other, "Crossroad" on September 22 and "L" on
September 29.[106] "Crossroad" was composed by Tetsuya Komuro and its coupling was her cover
version of Komuro's band TM Network's 1988 song "Seven Days War", which was her first cover
of a male song.[107] The three singles all topped the Oricon, becoming Hamasaki's twenty-third,
twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth consecutive number-one singles and setting a new record for the
most consecutive number-one singles by any female artist (solo or group) as well as by any solo
artist.[8] On December 22, Hamasaki released her twelfth original studio album, Love Songs. On
the same day, Naoya Urata of AAA released his debut solo single "Dream On". The song, which
featured Hamasaki, was written and produced by her as well, marking the first record she
produced for another singer.[108] Love Songs and "Dream On" both reached the top spots on their
respective Oricon charts. Love Songs became Hamasaki's fourth consecutive and seventeenth
total number-one album. The album also marked Hamasaki's thirteenth consecutive year with a
number-one album, breaking her old record.[109]
In February 2011, it was announced that her arena tour of the year, Hotel Love Songs, would
start in April. Shortly after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit, it was announced that
the tour was rescheduled to start in late May and the tour was renamed to Power of
Music.[110] Deeply affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami devastation, Hamasaki
decided to collaborate with fashion magazine, Vivi, with the sale of charity shirts and the profits
going to help the victims in the devastation. On April 20, 2011, Hamasaki simultaneously
released four new remix albums, Ayu-mi-x 7:House, Acoustic Orchestra, Trance 4, Ayu-ro Mix 4,
and a Limited Complete Box Set, which were also released internationally on iTunes.[111] On that
same day, Hamasaki also released 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour and A 50 Singles: Live
Selection which topped the weekly chart at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. The simultaneous
releases made Hamasaki the first artist ever to have 4 albums in Oricon's top 10 and also the
first artist to hold 2 top positions in the Oricon DVD chart.[112] Their original release date of March
30 was postponed due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and was pushed back to
April 20 instead.[113] On April 21, 2011, it was announced that she would perform in a-nation 10th
Anniversary for Life Charge & Go! [114] On May 4, it was announced that she broke another record
– the female artist with the highest DVD sales with 2,313,000.[115]
On August 31, Hamasaki released her second mini album Five, her first since Memorial
Address in 2003. This is her first album to have no singles released. Five topped the Oricon
Charts for 2 consecutive weeks, her first to do so since (Miss)understood. The lead song,
"Progress", was used as a theme song for the videogame, Tales of Xillia.[116] The album also
features collaborations, with singers Juno and Naoya Urata from AAA. This album managed to
be certified Gold by RIAJ, making Hamasaki's first album not to be certified
Platinum.[117] Complete Clip Box 1998–2011, consisting all her music videos from her first single,
"Poker Face" till her latest mini-album, Five, was released on January 1, 2012.[118]"How Beautiful
You Are" will be the theme song for a drama Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi, and also Hamasaki's
second digital single (55th single overall), which is released fully on February 8.[119] Hamasaki
describe the song as a mid-tempo ballad and a feeling of gratitude towards someone.[120]
2012–13: 15th anniversary, Love Again and compilation releases[edit]
In 2012, The International 3D Society announced the winners of its 2012 3D Creative Arts
Awards with Hamasaki receiving an award for "Electronic Broadcast Media (Television) – Live
Event" for her A3D ayumi hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A (Next Level) tour.[121][122] On March 21,
Hamasaki released her thirteenth studio album, Party Queen. The album peaked at number two
on the Oricon charts, becoming her second studio album to do so after 2007's Guilty. On August
6, 2012, Hamasaki released her sixth compilation album A Summer Best. It included two new
songs which were digitally released for the promotion of the album: the TRF cover, Happening
Here, and You & Me.
In September 2012, it was announced that, to commemorate Hamasaki's 15th anniversary in the
music industry on April 8, 2013, she would be releasing new material for five consecutive months
starting on the 8th day of November, 2012, until the 8th of March, 2013.[123] The first releases
were two mini albums, Love and Again, which were put on sale on the 8th of November and
December, respectively. The third release for the 8th of January was her compilation album A
Classical, which included classical arrangements of previously released songs. The fourth
release was Hamasaki's 14th studio album, Love Again, which compiled the songs included in
the two previous mini albums. And finally the fifth was the DVD/Blu-ray of her Arena Tour 2012:
Hotel Love Songs, released in March.[124] In April 2013 Hamasaki began her 15th Anniversary
Tour: A Best Live, which lasted for four months until the end of July. Its setlist was chosen by
fans through online voting, and was later released as her first live album CD on September
18.[125] The DVD and Blu-ray versions were released on October 30, 2013.[126] On December 25,
2013, Hamasaki released "Feel the Love/Merry-go-round", her first physical single in three years.
"Feel the Love" was composed by Tetsuya Komuro and produced by Dj Hello Kitty, while "Merry-
go-round" was produced by M-Flo's Taku Takahashi and features rapper Verbal.[127] Both songs
are heavily influenced by Western dance-pop music.
2014–2015: Colours, A One, Sixxxxxx[edit]
In January 2014, it was announced that a new song entitled "Pray" was chosen to be the theme
song for the anime film Osamu Tezuka's Budda 2—Owarinaki Tabi, which premiered on
February 8, 2014 in Japan.[128] The song was released digitally on January 27, 2014.[129] Another
new song, entitled "Hello New Me", was presented as theme song for a new season of Fuji TV
drama Zoku—Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi. which started broadcasting in April, 2014. The song
was released digitally on May 14, 2014.[130] From May 30 to July 6, 2014, Hamasaki held
her Premium Showcase: Feel the love tour, on which she offered 11 concerts at 3 locations:
Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.[131] On this tour Hamasaki abandoned for the first time the traditional
format of her previous concerts and presented a uninterrupted, shorter show, on which she also
debuted as an aerial acrobat.[132] Hamasaki's fifteenth studio album, entitled Colours, was
released on July 2, 2014. The album featured internationally renowned producers, such
as RedOne, Rodney Jerkins, Armin van Buuren and Fedde le Grand, making the first time in
Hamasaki's career in which primarily Western producers were appointed to produce one of her
studio albums.[133] Colours peaked at number five on its first week on the Oricon charts, becoming
Hamasaki's first studio album to debut out of the Top 3. However, it also marked a new record for
her, as with this achievement she became the second artist in Japan's history—after Yumi
Matsutoya—to have 47 of her albums within the Top 10 of the charts.[134] In September 2014,
Hamasaki released two recut singles from Colours: "Terminal" and "XOXO" on
the PlugAir platform. The single was released under Linkin Park's Machine Shop Records for the
American release.[135]
On October 18, 2014, Hamasaki performed as the closing act in the A-Nation premium concert
held at the Marina Bay Sands’ MasterCard Theatres in Singapore.[136] This was the second time
performing in Singapore after her MTV Asia Awards performance 12 years ago. On November 2,
2014, Hamasaki announced through her official Facebook page that she had started recording
new material composed by Tetsuya Komuro, Kunio Tago and Tetsuya Yukumi for a "winter
ballad trilogy" single.[137] On November 6, 2014, the title of the single was revealed to be
"Zutto.../Last Minute/Walk", and its release date was set for December 24, 2014.[138] On
November 10, 2014, it was announced that Hamasaki would be collaborating in a tribute cover
album for Hikaru Utada, entitled Utada Hikaru no Uta, to be released on December 9,
2014.[139][140] For the album she contributed with a cover of Utada's 1998 single "Movin' on Without
You", which was arranged by the RedOne production team.[141] The winter ballad trilogy single,
"Zutto.../Last Minute/Walk", was released on December 24, 2014, and peaked at number five on
the Oricon charts. With this achievement, Hamasaki became the first solo artist in Japan's history
to have 50 singles within the Top 10 of the Oricon charts. As for artists in general, Hamasaki
became the third artist with more Top ten singles since Oricon's foundation in 1968—being
surpassed by groups Morning Musume and SMAP, with 57 and 53 Top ten singles
respectively[142][143] In December 2014 Hamasaki announced that she would be not attending the
New Year show Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time in 15 years. She explained her decision
stating that she wanted to lower her responsibilities and things she felt pressured to do, in order
to focus on the projects she had for her career, mainly regarding her plans to expand her
influence throughout Asia.[144]
On February 15, 2015, Hamasaki made a surprise guest appearance during Singaporean
singer JJ Lin's concert in Taipei, Taiwan. They performed a duet version of Hamasaki's 2000
single "Seasons", and announced that JJ Lin would be producing a song for Hamasaki's next
studio album, A One.[145] The album was released on April 8, 2015, including singles "Zutto...",
"Last Minute", "Walk", Utada's cover "Movin' on Without You", and JJ Lin-produced song "The
Gift", for which a promotional music video was also made. Between April and July 2015,
Hamasaki embarked on her Arena Tour 2015 A Cirque de Minuit tour throughout Japan, which
was planned as an expanded version of her previous Countdown Live concerts held in late 2014.
The tour consisted of a 34-song setlist show with a duration of 3 hours and 45 minutes, her
longest concert held to date.[146] At the final show of the aforementioned tour, Hamasaki
announced that she would start another tour in September, this time exclusively for members of
her official fan club, TeamAyu. The TA Limited Live Tour, Hamasaki's first fan club exclusive tour
in twelve years after 2003, began on September 29, 2015 and included a total of 16 concerts at 7
venues.[147]
In April 2015, a new song entitled "Step by Step" began to be broadcast as the theme song of
NHK TV drama Bijo to Danshi, and was subsequently released as a digital single on July
1.[148] On August 5, 2015, Hamasaki released her sixth extended play, entitled Sixxxxxx. The mini
album featured six new songs, including drama theme song "Step by Step", and "Sayonara", a
new song featuring Taiwanese boyband SpeXial.[149] "Sayonara" became #1 on digital downloads
charts in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, according to KK BOX, Asia’s largest
digital distribution site.[150] In addition, Hamasaki participated as one of the headliners of the A-
Nation Stadium Fes 2015 held on August 30 at the Ajinomoto Stadium, where she also
performed a cover of Globe's hit ballad song "Departures", joined by Tetsuya Komuro and Naoya
Urata onstage.[151] She also recorded a cover of Globe's "Many Classic Moments", which was
included in the group's tribute album released on December 16, 2015.[152] On December 23,
2015, Hamasaki released a winter-themed concept album entitled Winter Diary: A7 Classical,
which included songs from her previous two albums -A One and -Sixxxxxx- remixed
with Classical arrangements, and also new song "Winter Diary", which was produced by Tetsuya
Komuro.[153] Hamasaki promoted the album by starting an Instagram account that would be active
for only a month until the end of January 2016.[154] She shared pictures of the music video
shooting of "Winter Diary" recorded in Taiwan, and also the preparations for her 2015-2016
countdown live concerts.[155]
2016: Made in Japan[edit]
On her last Instagram post, Hamasaki confirmed that she has been working on her seventeenth
studio album for 2016.[156] A 15th anniversary edition of Hamasaki's 2001 greatest hits album A
Best was released on March 28, 2016.[157] In May 2016, Hamasaki started her nationwide
tour Arena Tour 2016 A: Made in Japan, which will be an expanded version of her 2015-2016
Countdown Live Made in Tokyo.[158] On May 11, Hamasaki made a surprise release of her 17th
studio album, entitled Made in Japan, through music streaming website AWA, where it reached 1
million legal streams after 5 days of release.[159][160] The album is set to be released on physical
formats on June 29, 2016. With the album peaking at number two on the weekly Oricon chart,
Hamasaki became the solo-artist with the most top-ten albums (50).[161]
On September 30, 2016, Hamasaki released digital single "We are the Queens", which was used
as theme song of smartphone game Clash of Queens developed by Elex Wireless. Hamasaki
herself starred in the TV commercial for the game, which started broadcast on September 17.[162]
On September 6, 2017, Hamasaki released a new song entitled "Words" as a free download for
attenders to her Just the Beginning: Sacrifice tour, available until November 30 through
website mu-mo.[163]
During 2017 Hamasaki embarked on her Just the Beginning -20- Tour 2017, whose first leg
started on May 13, 2017 at Yokohama Arena through July 17 at the Osaka-jō Hall, Osaka. The
second leg of the tour, entitled Just the beginning Part 2: Sacrifice, commenced on September 6
at the Pacifico Yokohama National Convention Hall, Yokohama, and is scheduled to end on
November 28 at the Shunanshi Bunka Hall, Yamaguchi. A third leg of the tour has also been
scheduled, starting on December 2, 2017 at the Wakayama Prefectural Cultural Hall, through
February 20, 2018, at the Okinawa Convention Center.[164]
Image and artistry[edit]

Time magazine has noted that Hamasaki lacked talents such as the dance moves of Namie
Amuro, the "supermodel allure" of Hitomi, and the "vocal pyrotechnics" of Hikaru Utada. Her own
fans even considered her high-pitched voice screechy.[45][165] However, her music is sometimes
considered one of the major forces in shaping Japan's current music trends; this has been
attributed to her constantly changing image as well as her self-penned lyrics,[45] though critics
credit clever marketing strategies.[20][45][165] Hamasaki is also noted for the visual aspects of her
artistry: she is considered a fashion trendsetter, with her influence extending beyond
Japan.[166][167][168] The Guardian says that Hamasaki has "married accessible, mainstream hits with
over-the-top costumes and high-concept videos".[169] The widespread influence of her music and
her constantly changing image has meant that Hamasaki has often been compared
to Madonna.[170][171]
Hamasaki's lyrics and image have gained a following predominantly among the Generation X of
Asia, mainly because of the "conflicting or inharmonious beauty" of her fashion and lyrics;
Hamasaki's fashions combine Eastern and Western elements, and her songs, unlike those of
many of her contemporaries, mostly all have English titles but contained no English lyrics
(until Rainbow).[45] Music critic Tetsu Misaki believed that the juxtaposition of her fashionable
appearance and her personal lyrics was one of her most important selling points.[172] The
popularity of her music extends beyond Japan;[173] 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.[174][175] In 2002, however, Hamasaki's domestic sales began declining due to a sluggish
Japanese market and increasing piracy in Japan.[176] As a result, she began moving toward the
Asian market in 2002, performing at the 2002 MTV Asia awards in Singapore, at South Korea's
"Asia Song Festival", and at a concert in Beijing to celebrate Sino-Japanese relations.[177][178] With
her popularity declining (due in part to the rising popularity of other singers), she made a foray
into the Asian market, starting with her first tour of Asia in 2007.[179]
Musical style[edit]
In the beginning, I was searching for myself in my music. My music was for me. I didn't have the mental room to
be conscious of the listener; I wrote to save myself. I didn't understand what it was to write songs. But over time I
began to see many things, my influence, the responsibilities that gave me.
— Hamasaki on the new lyrical directions in I Am....[40]
Hamasaki's lyrics, all her own,[fn 5] have resonated among her fans, who praise them as being
honest and heartfelt and "expressing determination"; in two surveys conducted by Oricon,
respondents voted Hamasaki's lyrics as their favorite aspect of her artistry.[180][181] Steve McClure
of The Japan Times noted that Hamasaki has "developed a reputation as a thoughtful,
introspective lyricist"; Barry Walters of The Village Voice comments that Hamasaki's lyrics "pack
unlikely insights".[24][182] Having "trouble voicing her thoughts", Hamasaki uses her lyrics as an
outlet; she draws inspiration from her own (and occasionally her friends') experiences and
emotions and tries to put them "honestly into words".[183] 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."[183] This meant that she did not use English lyrics until her
album Rainbow, as she felt that she could best express herself in Japanese.[fn 5] As with her
musical style, the themes of her lyrics have varied. Her debut album A Song for ×× dealt mostly
with themes of "loneliness and confusion", as did her second album Loveppears. Duty likewise
expressed feelings of disappointment and confusion. Hamasaki began to take on a more global
outlook with her following albums I Am... and Rainbow, branching out to wider themes such as
faith and peace.[39] Music critic Tetsu Misaki noted a large change in her lyrics style between her
debut album A Song for ×× (1999), which mostly dealt with personal problems, and her following
albums Loveppears and Duty. Misaki believed Hamasaki had begun thinking about her influence
on society more, and began writing songs with important messages she wanted to express to her
listeners. This was signalled by her not using first person pronouns as much, and instead using
the words bokura (僕ら, "we") and tsutaeru (伝える, "convey") more often.[172] As Hamasaki
matured, her lyrics began to express more confidence; themes in her later albums included love
and the struggles of women.[53][65][72] With Guilty, Hamasaki began to compose her lyrics not only
as an exposition of her personal feelings but as encouragements for her listeners, an outlook she
applied in Next Level as well. In songs such as "Talkin' 2 Myself" and "Mirrorcle World",
Hamasaki deals with the "awareness and fighting spirit of surviving in a high-risk age" to
encourage listeners; in "Rollin'" (from Next Level), Hamasaki writes, "The age is rolling around/At
the speed of heading toward the end/Beyond the border/Disappointment and hope fight with
each other".[184] In addition to personal experiences and feelings, Hamasaki bases lyrics on
sources such as historical events. The life of Joan of Arc was the inspiration for "Free & Easy",
while a story told to her by her friend about a saint named Mary served as the basis for "M";
the September 11 attacks inspired "A Song Is Born".[185][186]
"Evolution" (2001)
MENU
0:00
Many of Hamasaki's songs
are dance tunes, such as
"Evolution" (2001), a self-
composed single that also
has rock elements.
"M" (2000)
MENU
0:00
"M", the first song
composed by Hamasaki
under the pseudonym
"Crea", shifts to a relative
key, like most of her self-
composed songs.[187]
"Bold & Delicious" (2005)
MENU
0:00
Hamasaki took new
directions
on (Miss)understood, as
epitomized by the single
"Bold & Delicious", a funk-
influenced song that used a
gospel-style chorus.
Problems playing these files? See media

help.
In addition to writing her own lyrics, Hamasaki has also involved herself in other aspects of
production such as artistic direction. Though Max Matsuura is officially credited as the producer
of her records, he said of Hamasaki, "Ayu is a very meticulous worker behind the scenes. A lot of
the work she does by herself is more in the producer's arena. I think really we should say
'Produced by [A]yumi [H]amasaki'."[188] Until her single "M", however, Hamasaki left the task of
composing to her staff; as she has explained, "I'm not a professional; I lack even basic
knowledge about writing music."[38] However, she started to compose her own melodies after her
staff had failed to compose a tune for "M" that appealed to her.[16] Wanting to produce works
faithful to her visions, Hamasaki took control of most aspects of her artistry.[39][40] I Am... is
representative of this stage in Hamasaki's career; she directed the production of its songs,
videos, and artwork. She began to compose less after I Am...: whereas nearly all of I Am... was
her work, only nine of Rainbow's fifteen tracks were composed by her. She was even less
involved in the composition of subsequent albums, composing two tracks on Memorial Address,
three on My Story, and one on (Miss)understood; since Secret, none of the songs on her studio
albums have listed her as a composer. With later albums, Hamasaki also began to delegate to
her staff tasks she had once handled herself.[189] Hamasaki cites
Madonna, soul musicians Babyface and En Vogue, and rock bands Led Zeppelin and Deep
Purple as her influences and states that she admires Michelle Branch, Kid Rock, Joan
Osborne, Seiko Matsuda, Rie Miyazawa, and Keiko Yamada;[38][183] these diverse influences have
led to the variety of her own music. Hamasaki began commissioning remixes of her songs early
in her career, and this practice also influenced the diversity of her music.[24] Found on many of her
records, these remixes span different genres of electronic dance
music including Eurobeat, house, and trance, as well as acoustic genres such as classical
and traditional Chinese music. She has employed Western as well as Japanese musicians;
among those she has worked with are Above & Beyond, the Lamoureux Orchestra of France,[fn
13]
and traditional Chinese music ensemble Princess China Music Orchestra.[190] Hamasaki has
released more than a hundred original songs; through them, she has covered a wide range of
musical styles, such as dance, metal, R&B, progressive rock, pop, and classical.[24] 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.[24][53]
Hamasaki's live performances are often lavish productions that use "grand-scale props".[191] Performances
of "Mirrorcle World" in her 2008 tour of Asia used a floating ship.
Hamasaki is often involved in the artistic direction of her music videos. They are often artistic
productions through which Hamasaki tries to convey the meaning or feeling of their respective
songs.[71] 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"),
surreal or "scary" videos ("1 Love", "Marionette"), and humorous videos ("Evolution", "Angel's
Song", "Beautiful Fighters").[180][52] Additionally, many of the videos contain short storylines, some
of which use symbolism to convey their respective messages.[180] The video of "Voyage" depicts
Hamasaki as a woman in a mental hospital whose previous incarnation was a woman in feudal
Japan who was sacrificed to the moon; the video of "Endless Sorrow" features a young boy living
in a society where speaking is forbidden by law. In the video for "Free & Easy", Hamasaki
portrayed a "twenty-first-century Joan of Arc" to convey her message "freedom cannot be easily
obtained; there is a price to pay for it" and to express her opposition to her marrying at the
time;[192] the video for "Ourselves" featured masked people destroying "effigies of [Hamasaki's]
past" such as photographs and album covers to symbolize destruction and
rebirth.[193][194] Additionally, the videos of "Fairyland", "My Name's Women", "Jewel", "Green", and
"Virgin Road" are among the top twenty or so most expensive music videos, making Hamasaki
the only non-American artist to hold such a distinction.[195][196][197] Hamasaki is also involved in the
production and artistic direction of her live performances; they, like her videos, are often lavish
productions and 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.[191]
Public image[edit]
Hamasaki's influence goes beyond music; she is often considered a fashion icon and trend-
setter,[189][198][199] a status attributed to her tight control over her image.[15][200][201][202]Besides her
frequent appearances in fashion magazines, such as Vivi, Popteen, and Cawaii!, Hamasaki has
often been lauded for her trendy choices in apparels and accessories; Oricon has repeatedly
named her the "Most Fashionable Female Artist".[165][203] Many aspects of Japan's fashions—
including clothing, hair, nails, and accessories—have in some way been influenced by
her.[165][204] As with her music, trends Hamasaki started have spread to Asian countries as Taiwan,
China, and Singapore.[166][167][168] Among the trends Hamasaki has started is hime-kei (a look
inspired by the fashions of 18th century French aristocracy); she has also heavily influenced
the kogal subculture.[205][206][207] Hamasaki's constantly changing image is apparent not only in her
fashion photo shoots and commercial endorsements but also in her record covers, an element
she considers essential in conveying her message.[39] She has portrayed herself as a vine-clad
"peace muse" or "Greek goddess" (on her album I Am...), as a "twenty-first-century Joan of Arc"
(for her single "Free & Easy"), and as a "funky Lolita".[186][208] Though Hamasaki has portrayed
herself in earlier releases as a "girl next door", she has adopted a more sexualized image since
the release of Loveppears. The covers for records including Loveppears, I Am..., Rainbow,
and Party Queen feature Hamasaki in states of partial nudity, for which she has generated
controversy.[209] Hamasaki also garnered criticism after she modeled bra for lingerie
manufacturer Wacoal, though most of the criticism alleged that Hamasaki was only trying to "play
catch-up" with Kumi Koda, who gained popularity for her overtly sexual image.[210]
Hamasaki has accepted offers by numerous brands to endorse their products. Throughout her
career under Avex, she has promoted products that ranged from electronics (Tu-Kacell phones
and Panasonic)[20] to various snack foods.[165] Among the products she has advertised on
television are the Honda Crea scooter,[211] KOSÉ cosmetics,[165] Mister
Donutdonuts,[212] and Boss coffee.[213] 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,[fn 14] such as Onimusha: Dawn of
Dreams, InuYasha, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade and Tales of Xillia.[214][215][216][217] Although
Hamasaki initially supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, saying
that it was "necessary that [she is] viewed as a product",[38] she eventually opposed Avex's
decision to market her as a "product rather than a person".[218]
Other activities[edit]
MTRLG[edit]
Hamasaki launched her own fashion brand, MTRLG (Material Girl), in 2001; the clothes were
sold at MTRLG boutiques and at Mise S*clusive stores.[219]
Ayupan[edit]
In 2002, Hamasaki created Ayupan, a cartoon version of herself that appeared in a line of
merchandise (mainly figurines) and in a 2003 cartoon. For her 2007 tour Tour of Secret,
Hamasaki collaborated with Sanrio to create a line of merchandise, "Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello
Kitty/", that features Ayupan and Hello Kitty together.[220] The merchandise included cell phone
straps and Lumix cameras decorated with a picture of Hello Kitty behind Hamasaki's "A" logo;[fn
15]
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.[221]
Ayuready?[edit]
From October 2002 to March 2004 she was also the host of her own talk and variety TV
show, Ayuready?, on Fuji Television. The talk show, aired on Saturday nights from 11:30 to
midnight, often featured 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 on July 1, 2003, which was open through August
31, 2003.[219] After less than two years, the last episode of Ayuready?aired in March 2004.[222]
Philanthropy[edit]
In March 2011, Hamasaki donated 30 million yen to relief efforts for the Tōhoku earthquake and
tsunami. She also collaborated with fashion magazine ViVi to sell charity T-shirts.[223]
Personal life[edit]
On January 1, 2011, Hamasaki announced her engagement to Austrian actor and model Manuel
Schwarz, whom Hamasaki met in August 2010 on the set of her music video for "Virgin
Road".[224] On January 2, her office announced that she and Schwarz had married in the United
States the day before.[225] However, on January 16, 2012, Hamasaki announced on her website
that she would divorce Schwarz. The reason for the divorce was that, initially, Hamasaki wanted
to move in with Schwarz in the United States but due to the earthquake and tsunami that hit her
home country in March, 2011, she strongly desired not to leave Japan.[226][227]
On December 13, 2013, it was announced on her official TeamAyu site that Hamasaki had
become engaged to an American medical student 10 years her junior, whom she had been with
since the spring of that year, adding: "As my partner is an ordinary student, I would be very
happy if you could watch over us quietly."[228][229]
On March 3, 2014, the singer announced on her fan club site "Team Ayu" that she was officially
married. According to her agency, the couple already finished their marriage procedure in the
United States near the end of February. On the 3rd, Hamasaki's mother, as a deputy, submitted
the marriage registration to Japan.[230]
On September 11, 2016, Hamasaki announced that she and her husband had separated.[231] On
September 30, 2016, she announced that her divorce had been finalized;[232]however, a motion
for dissolution of the marriage was not filed until April, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. As of
September, 2017 their marital status remains legally unresolved.[233]
Hearing loss[edit]
In January 2008, Hamasaki announced on her blog that an inoperable condition,
possibly tinnitus or Ménière's disease, had caused complete deafness in her left ear.[5][87] She had
been diagnosed with the condition in 2006 and that the problem dated to 2000, when she
developed an ear infection but continued to perform against the advice of doctors.[234][235]Despite
the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that "as a professional",
she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone".[234][236] On May 20, 2017, she wrote
that she is also losing hearing in her right ear, and had experienced dizziness and nausea. She
vowed to continue performing, writing: "The stage is where I belong. It's the only place I really,
truly exist. I don't know anything else."[235]
Discography[edit]
Main articles: Ayumi Hamasaki discography and Ayumi Hamasaki videography
Studio albums
 A Song for ×× (1999)

 Loveppears (1999)
 Duty (2000)
 I Am... (2002)
 Rainbow (2002)
 My Story (2004)
 (Miss)understood (2006)
 Secret (2006)
 Guilty (2008)
 Next Level (2009)
 Rock 'n' Roll Circus (2010)
 Love Songs (2010)
 Party Queen (2012)
 Love Again (2013)
 Colours (2014)
 A One (2015)
 Made in Japan (2016)
Concerts[edit]
Main article: List of Ayumi Hamasaki concerts
Concert tours[edit]
 Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1 (2000)

 Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.2 (2000)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Dome Tour 2001 A (2001)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A (2002)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A (2002)
 Limited Team Ayu Live Tour (2003)
 A Museum (2003)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2003–2004 A (2003–2004)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2005 A: My Story (2005)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006 A: (Miss)understood (2006)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2007 A: Tour of Secret (2007)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary (2008)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A: Next Level (2009)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour Final: 7 Days Special (2010)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Power of Music 2011 A (2011)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2012 A: Hotel Love Songs (2012)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 15th anniversary: A best live (2013)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Showcase: Feel the love (2014)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2015: Cirque De Minuit (2015)
 Team Ayu Limited Live Tour 2015 (2015)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2016: Made in Japan (2016)
 Team Ayu Limited Live Tour 2016 (2016)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Just the beginning -20- Tour 2017 (2017-2018)
New Years countdown concerts[edit]
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2000–2001 A (2000–2001)

 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007–2008 Anniversary (2007–2008)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Countdown Live 2008–2009 A (2008–2009)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2009-2010 A: Future Classics (2009–2010)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2010-2011 A: Do It Again (2010–2011)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2011-2012 A: Hotel Love Songs (2011–2012)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2012-2013 A: Wake Up (2012–2013)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2013-2014 A (2013–2014)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2014-2015 A: Cirque de Minuit (2014–2015)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2015-2016 A: Made In Tokyo (2015–2016)
 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2016-2017 A: Just the beginning -20- (2016-2017)
Filmography[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
Momo
Twins Teacher
Tachibana
1993
Battle Spirits Ryūko no Ken Yuri Sakazaki Voice role
Sumomo mo Momo Kuriko
Miseinen Hitomi Tabata
1995
Ladys Ladys!! Soucho
Misaki
Saigo no Hi
Like Grains of Sand Kasane Aihara
1996 Gakko II
Hamasaki's song "Voyage" was the theme song

2002 Tsuki ni Shizumu Minamo
for this movie.
Short film based on her songs "Glitter" and

2007 Distance Love Herself
"Fated".
See also[edit]
 Japan portal
 Biography portal
 List of awards received by Ayumi Hamasaki
 List of best-selling music artists
 List of best-selling music artists in Japan
 List of J-pop artists
Footnotes[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Oricon does not count Nothing from Nothing, released by Nippon Columbia,
among Hamasaki's albums.
2. Jump up^ This last record is shared with Pink Lady, Namie Amuro, and Hikaru Utada.
3. Jump up^ Original text: "このシングルは2001年9月11に米国で発生した同時多発テロを追悼する
ために企画され、リリースと同時に日本で話題を集めたチャリティーシングル『song+nation』
の3枚だ。"
"まず、浜崎あゆみとKEIKOがデュエットした『a song is born』が2001年12月12日にリリースさ
れた。"
4. Jump up^ All sales and charting positions in this article apply only to Japan or Japan's Oricon
charts unless otherwise stated.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c Two of Hamasaki's songs released prior to Rainbow, "Love: Since 1999" and
"Audience" used English. However, the lyrics of "Love (Since 1999)" were not written by
Hamasaki, and the only English in "Audience" is the word "yes"; therefore these songs are usually
not counted among her songs using English.[176]
6. Jump up^ Original text from Cawaii: "英語を解禁にしようと思ったのは、アルバムの「Rainbow
」からなんだけど、あのころMTVなどで賞をいただいてアジアでパフォーマンスするっていうよ
うをことか何回か続いたの。そのときに、日本語だとやっぱけ傳れってをいかもっていう気がし
ちゃって、単純な少女はやっぱけ世界共通語だよな~っで思ったんだよね。"
7. Jump up^ Original text from Oricon Style: "今回、正直にとか自由にっていうことはずっと頭の中
にありましたね。だから、いいことを書こうとか感動してもらおうとか、希望を持ってもらおう
っていうようをことは一切意誠していなくて。単純に、ただ正直に書いていこうというだけでし
た。"
8. ^ Jump up to:a b (Miss)understood is listed as a million-seller by the RIAJ, but the RIAJ's
certification is based on the number of albums shipped to retailers; Oricon gathers its tallies from
the retailers themselves.
9. Jump up^ I Am... sold over 2 million copies;[27] Rainbow sold a little over 1.8 million copies.[68]
10. Jump up^ Literally "cheer songs for girls". Original text from Vivi: "'Secret'。その中には、女のコ
のチアソングとも言える"
11. Jump up^ Original text from Vivi: "今回のアルバムは、はじめはミニアルバムのはずだったのを急
フルアルバムに變更したもの。傳えたいにことか、ある日を境にふねーっと溢れてきて、これは
歌にして傳えなきゃ思って、詞は1日に3曲、きた1日に2曲つてハイペスで書き上げたの。"
12. Jump up^ Hamasaki's first-week sales were the highest for that week (the first week of January).
However, Oricon's year only has fifty-one "weeks"—the first two of the year are
combined. Kobukuro's sales for the combined two weeks were slightly higher than Hamasaki's,
giving them the number-one position.[85][86]
13. Jump up^ For a comprehensive list of Hamasaki's Avex-sanctioned remixes released in Japan,
see Hamasaki's discography at mu-mo.net. Archived January 16, 2009, at Archive.is
14. Jump up^ For a complete list of the commercial tie-ins of Hamasaki's songs, see her
discography.
15. Jump up^ This is the symbol: . It is used either as a substitute for the letter a or to represent
Hamasaki's name. The titles of six albums, Rainbow, A Best, A Ballads, A Best 2 -White-, A Best
2 -Black-, and A Complete use this symbol; the titles of these albums appearing as R
INBOW, Best, Ballads, Best 2 -White-, Best 2 -Black-, and Complete. (Dashes
are commonly used in Japanese script to enclose subtitles.)
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Oricon (9 April 2001). "Japan's Top Selling Albums" (in Japanese). Retrieved 25
October 2012.
2. Jump up^ Oricon. 歴代アルバム初動ランキング (in Japanese). Music TV. Retrieved 2
November2012.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Yearly Album Rankings for 2006" (in Japanese). Oricon. December 21,
2006. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b "Gold-Certified Records of November 2006" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Archived from
the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b "Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki deaf in left ear". BBC News Agency.
January 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
6. Jump up^ 【オリコン】浜崎あゆみ、ソロ初の総売上5000万枚超え「ファンのみんなの記録」
. Oricon (in Japanese). 15 August 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
7. Jump up^ http://www.oricon.co.jp/pressrelease/98448/
8. ^ Jump up to:a b 浜崎あゆみ、シングル25作連続首位で歴代単独1位松田聖子の記録22年ぶり更
新(in Japanese). Oricon. October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
9. Jump up^ "A Great Achievement — Hamasaki Ayumi Ties with Akina Nakamori for the
Achievement of Five Crowns" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 24, 2007. Archived from the original on
March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
10. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Ayu, Controlling a Fierce Battle, Is the First Female Singer to Have a Number-
One Single for Ten Consecutive Years" (in Japanese). Oricon. April 15, 2008. Archived from the
original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
11. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki's Feat! First to Have Eight Consecutive Original Albums" (in
Japanese). Oricon. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008.
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12. ^ Jump up to:a b "Unprecedented！Hamasaki Ayumi Has Attained a Number-One for Eleven Years
Straight Since Her Debut!". Oricon (in Japanese). March 31, 2009. Archived from the original on
April 2, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
13. Jump up^ (in Japanese) 浜崎あゆみ-ORICON STYLE ミュージック Archived April 14, 2010, at
the Wayback Machine.
14. Jump up^ Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "Empress of Pop". Time. pp. Splash. Archived
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Hamasaki". Rockin'on Japan (in Japanese).
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alone". Singapore: xinmsn. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved 20
October2014.
19. ^ Jump up to:a b True, Chris. "Ayumi Hamasaki". Allmusic. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
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21. Jump up^ スーパーファミコンアワー番組表8/1～8/31 ～スーパーファミコンアワー番組ガイド
～. サテラビュー通信 (in Japanese). Vol. 2. September 1995. pp. 33–66.
22. Jump up^ スーパーファミコンアワー音声連動番組ガイド3/1→3/30. サテラビュー通信 (in
Japanese). Vol. 10. April 1996. pp. 40–73.
23. Jump up^ Belfiore, Michael. "Ayumi Hamasaki Biography". Musicianguide.com. Retrieved June
5,2008.
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Voice. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
25. Jump up^ "A Song for XX". Beatfreak (in Japanese). Vol. 132. January 1999.
26. ^ Jump up to:a b "You Can't Top This". The Straits Times. Singapore: Singapore Press
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27. ^ Jump up to:a b "Siege Mentality". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong, China: SCMP Group.
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29. Jump up^ "Million-Selling Singles of 1999" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Archived from the original on
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32. ^ Jump up to:a b c Tsuriya, Takako (May 2008). "Ayu 10th Year Career Anniversary". Cawaii (in
Japanese). pp. 15, 18.
33. ^ Jump up to:a b Tsuriya, Takako (November 2007). "Side Face Story". Cawaii (in Japanese).
34. Jump up^ "Ranking of Ayumi Hamasaki's Albums by Sales" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archivedfrom
the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
36. Jump up^ "J-pop Divas Fight It Out". Straits Times. Singapore: Singapore Press
Holdings. Reuters. April 20, 2001.
37. Jump up^ "Rain to Perform at Prestigious Tokyo Dome". Chosun Ilbo. Chosun Ilbo Co. April 19,
2007. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
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want". Time. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2008.
39. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "Empress of Pop". Time.
p. 5. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
40. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "I have very clear ideas of what I
want". Time. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2008.
41. Jump up^ "Song+Nation" (in Japanese). Avex Trax. Archived from the original on January 20,
2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
42. Jump up^ "BoA and Hamasaki Ayumi Join Song+Nation's South Korean
Release". Chosunonline.com (in Japanese). Chosun Ilbo Co. Archived from the original on
December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008. (Paid access required to view article)
43. ^ Jump up to:a b Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "The Many Faces of Ayu". Time.
p. 7. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
44. Jump up^ Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "The Many Faces of Ayu". Time.
p. 4. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
45. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e (in Chinese) Sin Chew Interactive (星洲互動). "Ayumi's Legend and
Leadership of the Young". Sin Chew Daily. Malaysia: May 21, 2002. 2nd section.
46. Jump up^ (in Taiwanese Mandarin) "Ayumi Hamasaki Tour". The Epoch Times. June 19,
2002. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
47. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. February
25, 2002. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
48. Jump up^ "Japanische Pop-Diva meets Trance" (in German). Raveline. Archived from the
original on June 18, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
49. Jump up^ "Neue Single mit Remixen von Armin van Buuren & Kyau vs Albert" (in German).
Raveline. Retrieved July 25, 2010.[dead link]
January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
51. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki's Long-form Film "Sinking into the Moon": Modeling
Exposure". Epoch Times. November 21, 2002. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
52. ^ Jump up to:a b Tsuriya, Takako (March 1, 2007). "Honey Trap". Cawaii (in Japanese). Vol. 8
no. 75. pp. 19, 21.
53. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Ayumi Hamasaki's director's notes on Rainbow". Avex Marketing
Inc. Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
54. Jump up^ "Interview With Ayumi Hamasaki". Casa Brutus (in Japanese). Vol. 54. September
2004. pp. 24–28.
55. Jump up^ 浜崎あゆみ. Beat Freak (Avex) (in Japanese). No. 192. January 5, 2004.
56. Jump up^ "Million-Selling Albums of 2003". RIAJ. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008.
Retrieved January 25, 2008.
57. Jump up^ "Yearly Album Rankings for 2004" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on
December 14, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
58. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki: Newly Released Details of Her Singles" (in
Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
59. ^ Jump up to:a b c "The First-Time Stench of Being a Human". Oricon Style (in Japanese). No. 49–
1275. December 27, 2004. pp. 17–19.
60. ^ Jump up to:a b Tsuriya, Takako (January 1, 2005). "Ayumi Hamasaki: Always our
Princess". Cawaii (in Japanese). pp. 10–15.
61. Jump up^ "Million-Selling Albums of 2004" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Archived from the original on
62. Jump up^ "Yearly Album Rankings for 2005" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on
December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
63. Jump up^ Igeta, Satoru (March 23, 2005). "A Classical Version of Hamasaki Ayumi's My Story Is
Released!". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
64. ^ Jump up to:a b (in Japanese) Fuji, Miho (藤井美保) (January 5, 2006). "Ayumi Hamasaki: Bold &
Delicious/Pride". Girlpop. Vol. 76 no. 462. pp. 16–18.
65. ^ Jump up to:a b Hayakawa, Kanako (January 2006). "Ayumi Hamasaki". Sweet (in Japanese).
pp. 18–20.
66. Jump up^ Garcia, Cathy A (February 7, 2006). "Ayumi Hamasaki '(miss)understood'". The Korea
Times.
67. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki, the First Female Artist in Generations to Acquire a Twenty-Fifth
Number-One Single!" (in Japanese). Oricon. December 6, 2005. Archived from the original on
February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
68. Jump up^ This is according to its sales while in the Top 30 (from the fifth week of December
2002 to the fourth week of February 2003). "Ranks". Oricon. (Use the drop-down boxes under
"Find Past Album Rankings" ("アルバム過去ランキング検索")
69. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006" (in Japanese). Avex Marketing Inc. Archived
from the original on March 13, 2006. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
70. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Completely Dominates in Three Major Areas" (in Japanese). Oricon.
March 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 22,2008.
71. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Secret Special Interview" (in Japanese). Avex Trax. Archived from the original
on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
72. ^ Jump up to:a b c Nabeshima, Himiko (January 2007). "Ayu's 14 Secrets". Vivi (in Japanese).
Vol. 76. pp. 24–29.
73. Jump up^ "BoA Independently Achieves the Number-Two Rank; The Jackson Siblings Enter the
Top 10 Chart" (in Japanese). Oricon. March 5, 2008. Archived from the original on March 11,
2008. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
74. Jump up^ "Ayu Holds the Top Two Ranks! A Feat Unaccomplished in 36 Years!". Sponichi
Annex(in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on March 12,
75. Jump up^ "Annual Ranking Special Edition: 2007 Annual Album Ranking!" (in Japanese). Oricon.
December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
76. Jump up^ (in Taiwanese Mandarin) "Ayumi Hamasaki Visits The Night Market". The Epoch
Times. March 22, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved November
17, 2008.
77. Jump up^ "Amazing Charm! Nine Thousand Seats at Hamasaki Ayumi's Taipei Concert Sold out
in Less Than Two Hours". Nownews (in Chinese). Chunghwa United Telecom Group. February
13, 2007. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
78. Jump up^ "Tickets to Hamasaki Ayumi's Show at the Red Hall Sold Out in Three
Hours". EastDay(in Chinese). Eastday. February 9, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
79. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki's First Kiss!" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on
July 22, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
80. Jump up^ "Chart Ranking for This Week！" (in Japanese). Oricon. September 25,
2007. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
81. Jump up^ "Record Association Monthly Download Charts for December" (in Japanese).
RIAJ. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
82. Jump up^ "Ayu's New Song Is a Digital-Limited Release". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Nikkan
Sports Newspaper. November 20, 2007. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008.
83. Jump up^ Bang, Wei-Tin (April 2008). "Review of Guilty". Teenage Magazine. Singapore: Key
Edition.
84. Jump up^ Toh, Christopher (January 24, 2008). "Review — Guilty". Today. Singapore:
MediaCorp Press.
85. Jump up^ "Ayu Gets the Number-Two Spot By a Small Difference...So Her Record Is 8
Consecutive Albums?". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. January 8, 2008.
Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
86. Jump up^ "Ayu Reveals That She Has Gone Deaf in Her Left Ear". Sponichi Annex (in
Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. January 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008.
Retrieved June 24, 2008.)
87. ^ Jump up to:a b Connell, Ryan (January 27, 2008). "Pushing 30, rivals circling, and now deaf in
one ear: it's tough at the top for Ayu". Sunday Mainichi. Archived from the original on February 6,
2008. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
88. Jump up^ "Ayu: Global Sales of Her Remix Albums". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Mainichi
Shimbun. March 7, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
89. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki finishes 10th anniversary tour". Japan Today. June 30, 2008.
Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
 (in Taiwanese Mandarin) "Ayumi Hamasaki Holds a Concert in Taipei". NowNews. Chunghwa
United Telecom Group. November 2, 2008. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009.
Retrieved November 19, 2008.
 (in Taiwanese Mandarin) "Ayumi Hamasaki Holds a Shanghai Concert in
October". Sina.com. Sina Corporation. August 14, 2008. Archived from the original on
December 8, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
 (in Taiwanese Mandarin) "After Her Concert, Ayumi Hamasaki Is Seen off by Only 5
Fans". The Epoch Times. September 23, 2008. Archived from the original on December 8,
2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
90. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki to release best-of album to mark 10th anniversary of debut". Japan
Today. July 26, 2008. Archived from the original on November 18, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
91. Jump up^ "Ayu to Sing the International Theme Song of Dragonball". Sankei Sports (in
Japanese). Sankei Digital Inc. December 10, 2008. p. 2. Archived from the original on December
10, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
92. Jump up^ "Ayu's USB album" (in Japanese). Sponichi Annex. Archived from the original on
93. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki official website news and information" (in
Japanese). Avex. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
94. Jump up^ Greenberg, Adam. "Next Level". Allmusic. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
95. Jump up^ "Gold-Certified Works of March 2009" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Archived from the original
on May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
96. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki, to sing first drama theme song in six years". Oricon. Retrieved July
2,2009.
97. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Has the Most Top 10 Singles in History, with 44 Titles" (in
Japanese). Oricon. August 18, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
98. Jump up^ Eremenko, Alexey. "Rock'n'Roll Circus". Allmusic. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
99. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi's Tenth Number-One Original Album" (in Japanese). Oricon.
Retrieved April 20, 2010.
100. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi, One New Web Experiment After Another" (in Japanese).
MSN. April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
101. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi Tries an Experiment on the Internet". Sina.com (in
Chinese). SINA Corporation. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011.
Retrieved April 20, 2010.
102. Jump up^ "2010 News". Livespire.jp. Sony Corporation. Archived from the original on
August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
103. Jump up^ "Release Information: A3D ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2009 A ～NEXT
LEVEL～". Livespire.jp. Sony Corporation. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010.
104. Jump up^ "Screening Information Schedule & Theater: A3D ayumi hamasaki ARENA
TOUR 2009 A ～NEXT LEVEL～". Livespire.jp. Sony Corporation. Archived from the original on
August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
105. Jump up^ "July 14 (Wednesday) New Single 'Moon/Blossom' [and]
'Blossom/Moon'". Ayumi Hamasaki Official Website (in Japanese). Avex. Retrieved August
18, 2010.
106. Jump up^ "Two-Week Consecutive Release of 49th, 50th Singles Set！". Ayumi
Hamasaki Official Website (in Japanese). Avex. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010.
Retrieved August 6, 2010.
107. Jump up^ "Ayu Covers a Male Song for the First Time on Her New Work" (in
Japanese). Oricon. August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
108. Jump up^ (in Taiwanese Mandarin) "Hamasaki [Assists] in Pupil Urata Naoya's
Debut" (in Chinese). UDN Group. December 10, 2010. Archived from the original on December
11, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
109. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki, the First [Person] to Have a Number-One Album for 13
Consecutive Years". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. December 28, 2010. Retrieved February
22,2011.
110. Jump up^ "SCHEDULE – ayumi hamasaki(浜崎あゆみ) official website". Avexnet.or.jp.
111. Jump up^ "NEWS&INFORMATION – ayumi hamasaki(浜崎あゆみ) official website".
Avexnet.or.jp. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
112. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ、史上初のアルバム4作同時TOP10入り" (in Japanese). Oricon.
April 27, 2011. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011.
115. Jump up^ 2011年05月04日 04時00分. "浜崎あゆみ、音楽DVD総売上で女性アーティス
ト首位にニュース-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
116. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki to sing theme song for "Tales of Xillia"!". Tokyohive.com.
2010-12-30. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
117. Jump up^ "Recording Industry Association of Japan". Recording Industry Association of
Japan.
118. Jump up^ "2012年1月1日(日)発売DVD ＆ Blu-ray BOX『 CLIP BOX 1998–2011(仮)』の
TeamAyu＆mu-moショップオリジナル特典付き販売決定".
119. Jump up^ "Theme Song 「最後から二番目の恋」released as a single on 2/8!".
120. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Sings Theme Song for Upcoming Drama".
121. Jump up^ Giardina, Carolyn (November 17, 2011). "'Hugo' Tops International 3D Society
Awards With Three Trophies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
122. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Wins Award At International 3D Awards". Jpopasia.com.
123. Jump up^ 浜崎あゆみ、「毎月8日」に5ヶ月連続新作発表 (in Japanese). Oricon Style.
Retrieved 15 June 2014.
124. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ 5ヶ月連続リリース記念特集". mu-mo Shop. Retrieved 15
June 2014.
125. Jump up^ "アルバム連続TOP10歴代1位を獲得した浜崎あゆみ" (in Japanese).
Yomerumo News. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
126. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ、大好評開催中の15周年記念アリーナツアーが早くもLIVE CD＆
LIVE DVD/Blu-rayで発売決定！さらに、ライヴ会場にてご予約頂くと"当日のLIVE音源"を終演後
にダウンロードプレゼント！！" (in Japanese). Ayumi Hamasaki Official website. Retrieved 15
June 2014.
127. Jump up^ "DJ Hello Kitty and Ayumi Hamasaki United at Last!". Anime News Network.
25 December 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
128. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ、新曲「Pray」がアニメ映画『BUDDHA2』主題歌に決定" (in
Japanese). Excite News. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
129. Jump up^ "新曲「Pray」配信スタート!!". Ayumi Hamasaki Official website (in
Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2014.
130. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ、ドラマ主題歌の新曲「Hello new me」iTunesで配信開始
". Ameba News(in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved 15
June 2014.
131. Jump up^ "LIVE - "ayumi hamasaki PREMIUM SHOWCASE ～Feel the love～"". Ayumi
Hamasaki Official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 June 2014.
132. Jump up^ "【ライブレポート】浜崎あゆみ、ショーケースライブで魅せる。危険と隣り
合わせのフライング - 浜崎あゆみ - BARKS音楽ニュース". Barks Ongaku News (in Japanese). 3
July 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
133. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki's New Challenge, the "Premium Showcase"". Barks. 17 April
2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
134. Jump up^ 浜崎あゆみ、松任谷由実と並び歴代1位に「アルバムトップ10獲得数」記録で
. Yahoo Japan News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved 14
July2014.
135. Jump up^ Hamasaki Ayumi releases her two singles "Terminal" and "XOXO" on the
PlugAir platform. Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Barks Japan September 18,
2014.
136. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki brings the house down at a-nation Singapore". MSN
Philippines News. MSN. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved 19
October 2014.
137. Jump up^ "(no title)". Ayumi Hamasaki official Facebook page. Facebook. 2 November
2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
138. Jump up^ "クリスマス・イヴに贈るayuのバラード3部作、12月24日リリース！ NEW
SINGLE「Zutto... / Last minute / Walk」". Ayumi Hamasaki Official website. 6 November 2014.
Retrieved 7 November 2014.
139. Jump up^ "ayumi hamasaki will be a part of a Hikaru Utada cover album Utada Hikaru
No Uta -13kumino Ongakukaniyoru 13nokaisyakunitsuite- which will be released on December
9th!!". Ayumi Hamasaki official Facebook page. Facebook. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 14
November 2014.
140. Jump up^ "林檎、陽水、靖幸、ayu、ミリヤら宇多田ヒカル楽曲カバー" (in Japanese).
Natalie.mu. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
141. Jump up^ 宇多田ヒカルのうた』全貌明らかに。井上陽水、椎名林檎、浜崎あゆみ、吉
井和哉ら参加アーティストコメント. Barks Ongaku News (in Japanese). Retrieved 2
December 2014.
142. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ、ソロ史上初のシングル50作TOP10入り" (in Japanese). Oricon.
30 December 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
143. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ、史上初のシングル50作TOP10入り。クラシック・アルバム『
LOVE CLASSICS』詳細も". Barks (in Japanese). 30 December 2014. Retrieved 2 January2015.
144. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki to skip 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' for first time in 15
years". Japan Today. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
145. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki's first Taiwan visit in seven years. Surprise appearance at JJ
Lin's Taipei Arena concert". Barks.
146. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ史上最長3時間45分、徹底演出で魅せた"真夜中のサーカス
"". Natalie.mu(in Japanese). Retrieved 2 January 2016.
147. Jump up^ "2015年秋、TA LIMITED LIVE TOUR 開催決定！！". Ayumi Hamasaki
Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 January 2016.
148. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki will release new song, "Step by step", as digital
single". Barks. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
149. Jump up^ "Amazon.co.jp: 浜崎あゆみ : sixxxxxx【CD＋Blu-ray】 - 音楽". Amazon.co.jp.
Retrieved 2 January 2016.
150. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki x SpeXial Collab Dominates Weekly Charts in Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Singapore and Malaysia". MTV 81. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
151. Jump up^ "ayu、TRF、EXOら熱演で「a-nation stadium fes.」大団円". Natalie.mu.
152. Jump up^ "globeカバー盤にHYDE、浜崎あゆみ、NMB梅田ら追加＆曲目判明
". Natalie.mu. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
153. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ冬のクラシック盤、小室哲哉と美人すぎるバイオリニスト参加
". Natalie.mu. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
154. Jump up^ Hamasaki, Ayumi. "Ayumi Hamasaki's Official Instagram". Instagram.
155. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi launches Instagram account for a limited time". Tokyo Hive.
156. Jump up^ Hamasaki, Ayumi. "Heard that today n tmrw will b snowy days so I changed
my plans and just started working on my new album at home". Instagram. Retrieved January
27, 2016.
157. Jump up^ "『A(ロゴ) BEST -15th Anniversary Edition-』". Ayumi Hamasaki official
website. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
158. Jump up^ "『"ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2016 A(ロゴ) ～MADE IN JAPAN～"』開
催大決定！！". Ayumi Hamasaki official website. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
159. Jump up^ "BIG NEWS!! 「AWA」にて、6月29日発売のニューアルバム「M(A)DE IN
JAPAN」が、CD発売の1ヶ月半前の5月11日(水)より全曲独占先行配信決定!!". Ayumi Hamasaki
official website (in Japanese). 11 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
160. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ再生100万回、新アルバム先行配信". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese).
Retrieved 28 May 2016.
161. Jump up^ http://music-book.jp/music/news/news/120810
162. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Assumes Rightful Role as Queen in new CMs; new song
"We are the QUEENS"". Arama Japan. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
163. Jump up^ "ayumi hamasaki 来場者限定｢WORDS｣ダウンロードサイト". mu-mo.
Retrieved 17 September 2017.
164. Jump up^ "ayumi hamasaki Just the beginning -20- TOUR 2017". Ayumi Hamasaki
official website. Avex. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
165. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "Empress of Pop". Time.
p. 2. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
p. 2. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
p. 3. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
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From Tokyo". Washington Post.
169. Jump up^ Nieman, Teresa (March 25, 2010). "Why Japanese Pop Matters". The
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[Ayumi Hamasaki: How far can empathy go?]. Jポップの日本語―歌詞論 [J-Pop Japanese:
Lyricism] (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Sairyuusha. pp. 23–40. ISBN 4-88202-752-6.
173. Jump up^ "Viacom's MTV Networks Announces Landmark Content and Advertising
Alliance with China's No. 1 Search Engine Baidu". PR Newswire. October 17, 2006. Archived from
the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
174. Jump up^ "Discovering Fujita". The Star. January 9, 2006. Archived from the original on
January 9, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
175. Jump up^ Bremner, Brian (May 7, 2007). "Raising Japan's Cool
Quotient". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved February
5, 2009.
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p. 4. Archivedfrom the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
177. Jump up^ "Asian Stars to Shine in Seoul". Yonhap. November 26, 2004. Archived
from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2008. (Registration needed to view
article)
178. Jump up^ Kanda, Sachie (October 10, 2002). "Japan, China celebrate 30 years with gala
concert". Japan Today. Archived from the original on August 6, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
179. Jump up^ Kang, James (June 12, 2007). "She goes all out to charm Hong Kong". The
New Paper. Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007.
Retrieved February 4, 2009.
180. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Ayumi Hamasaki 10th Anniversary Commemoration: Different Aspects
of Her Charm!" (in Japanese). Oricon. September 10, 2008. Archived from the original on October
4, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
181. Jump up^ Yuuki, Tai (February 28, 2007). "A Thorough Analysis! Her Best-of Albums and
Approaching Her Charm!". Oricon Style. Oricon. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
182. Jump up^ McClure, Steve (December 19, 2001). "2001 – A Sound Odyssey". The Japan
Times. The Japan Times Ltd. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
183. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Ayumi Hamasaki's Profile (Avex)". Avex Network. Archived from the
original on December 17, 2005. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
184. Jump up^ Fuji, Miho. "Ayumi Hamasaki 『NEXT LEVEL』". Tokyo Headline. Archived
from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
185. Jump up^ J-Point. December 22, 2000. Volume 75.
186. ^ Jump up to:a b "Ayumi Hamasaki Most Recently Models as Joan of Arc". The Epoch
Times (in Chinese). April 19, 2002. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009.
187. Jump up^ Ayumi Hamasaki — Piano Solo — New Piano Sounds Top 25. Volume
7. ISBN 978-4-89638-944-9
188. Jump up^ Kazuki, Okabe. "Loveppears". Beat Freak Online. Avex. Archived from the
original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
189. ^ Jump up to:a b Shubert, Atika (Interviewer) (2006). TalkAsia (TV-series). Japan: CNN.
190. Jump up^ "Artist profile of Princess China Music Orchestra" (in Chinese). Avex Taiwan.
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191. ^ Jump up to:a b Tsuriya, Takako (August 2006). "Relaxed Smile". Cawaii (in Japanese).
pp. 15–16.
192. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi's New MV Expresses Her Opposition to
Marriage". 21cn.com (in Chinese). China Telecom. June 4, 2002. Archived from the original on
November 11, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
193. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi's New Album, With a Grueling Performance and a
Crocodile". XinhuaNet (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. July 9, 2003. Retrieved August
25, 2009.
194. Jump up^ "J-pop Guru Hamasaki Ayumi's Subversive, Avant-Garde Sense of
Variety". QQ.com (in Chinese). Tencent. December 26, 2003. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
195. Jump up^ "The Most Expensive Music Videos of All Time". Die Welt (in German). Axel
Springer AG. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
196. Jump up^ Hurley, James. "Ayumi Hamasaki – "fairyland"". MSN. Archived from the
original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
197. Jump up^ Hurley, James. "The Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made". MSN.
Archived from the original on August 22, 2008.
198. Jump up^ Betros, Chris (April 3, 2005). "Japan's wacky world of celebrities". Japan
Today. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
199. Jump up^ "What's Cool in Japan — Ayumi Hamasaki". Web Japan. Archived from the
original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
200. Jump up^ Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "Empress of Pop". Time.
p. 1. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
201. Jump up^ Lewis, Leo (March 18, 2003). "Pop star bails out troubled bank". The Times.
London. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
202. Jump up^ Caffrey, Rori (July 17, 2003). "Popcetera? / A-nation under a
groove". Financial Times(originally from the Daily Yomiuri). Archived from the original on
December 8, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
203. Jump up^ "Readers Choose the Most Fashionable Artist！" (in Japanese). Oricon. April
19, 2006. Archived from the original on January 25, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
204. Jump up^ Magnier, Mark (August 25, 2000). "Tokyo Robe". Los Angeles Times.
205. Jump up^ Toyama, Michiko (February 3, 2009). "Princesses Preen in a Pauper
Economy". Time. Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
206. Jump up^ Lloyd, Richard Parry (January 10, 2004). "Why Japan Is Struggling to Stay in
the Black". The Times. London: News Corporation. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
207. Jump up^ "Anything But Black". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media. April 2,
2004. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
208. Jump up^ Loh, Noelle (Jan 3, 2008). "Second Chances". AsiaOne. Singapore Press
Holdings. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
209. Jump up^ Chang, Miharu (February 25, 2003). "Keep Away Unless You've Got a Stuffy
Nose!". The New Paper. Singapore Press Holdings.
210. Jump up^ Chua, Charlene (January 24, 2009). "Ayumi bumps it up". The New
Paper. Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009.
Retrieved January 24,2009.
211. Jump up^ "A" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
212. Jump up^ Lytle, J. Mark (May 2003). "Ayumi Inc". Wired. No. Issue 11.05.
213. Jump up^ "Boss CM" (in Japanese). Suntory Limited. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
214. Jump up^ Gantayat, Anoop. "Big Star Talent for Onimusha". IGN. Archived from the
original on January 3, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
215. Jump up^ "Dearest" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 7,
216. Jump up^ "Heaven" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 7,
217. Jump up^ Spencer (July 4, 2011). "Ayumi Hamasaki Album Includes Tales Of Xilla
Costume Code For Milla". Siliconera. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
218. Jump up^ Ayumi Hamasaki (interviewee) (2004). Hamasaki Ayumi: The Heartbreak and
Decision in Light and Shadow (Television). Japan: NTV.
219. ^ Jump up to:a b Chang, Miharu (October 3, 2003). "Ayumi Spells Big Bucks". The Electric
New Paper. Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on October 3, 2003.
Retrieved February 5, 2009.
220. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty Collaboration: The Dream Is Realized!" (in
Japanese). Oricon. March 9, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008.
221. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Collaboration is a Dream!". Barks.jp (in Japanese). ITmedia.
Retrieved July 23, 2008.
222. Jump up^ "Ayu ready?" (in Japanese). Fuji TV. Archived from the original on April 23,
223. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki donates 35 million yen to relief efforts in Japan". Asia Pacific
Arts. March 22, 2011.
224. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki's Marriage Announcement". Sponichi Annex. December 31,
2010. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
225. Jump up^ "Pop music idol Hamasaki gets married in U.S". The Japan Times. January 3,
226. Jump up^ "Japan's 'Empress of Pop' Ayumi Hamasaki to divorce Austrian actor
husband". January 18, 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved January
18, 2012.
227. Jump up^ "Japan's pop queen to divorce Austrian hubby". January 17, 2012.
228. Jump up^ "浜崎あゆみ米国人医学生と婚約". Nikkan Sports. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-
12-16.
229. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki engaged to UCLA medical student 10 years her junior".
Japan Today. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
230. Jump up^ "Hamasaki Ayumi is now officially married". Tokyohive. 2014-03-03.
Retrieved 2014-03-03.
231. Jump up^ TeamAyu (2016-09-11). "2016-09-11 13:21(JST) | ayu 伝えたいこと。|
TeamAyu". TeamAyu. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
232. Jump up^ JpopAsia. "Ayumi Hamasaki Finalizes 2nd Divorce". JpopAsia.
Retrieved 2016-10-11.
233. Jump up^ "Ayumi Hamasaki Vs Tyson Bodkin - UniCourt". unicourt.com. Retrieved 2017-
09-03.
234. ^ Jump up to:a b "Singer Ayumi Hamasaki says she has lost hearing in her left ear". Japan
Today. January 8, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved January
8, 2008.(Archived version)
235. ^ Jump up to:a b Bengero, Jepoy (2017-05-21). "Ayumi Hamasaki is Going Completely
Deaf". JpopNews. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
236. Jump up^ "Japan's pop princess 'Ayu' goes half deaf". AFP. January 6, 2008. Archived
from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
Further reading[edit]
 Ayu Press Crew (あゆ報道班) (2005). Secrets of Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみの秘密). Data House (
データハウス). ISBN 978-4-88718-851-8.
 富坂剛 (2005). Ayumi Hamasaki Pure Stories (浜崎あゆみPure Stories). R's Publishing (アールズ出版
). ISBN 978-4-901226-99-8.
 本郷陽二 (2003). Ayumi Hamasaki Stories (今輝く歌姫たち浜崎あゆみ物語). Chobun (汐文社
). ISBN 978-4-8113-7623-3.
External links[edit]
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Hamasaki
 Media related to Ayumi Hamasaki at Wikimedia Commons

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Ayumi Hamasaki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ayumi Hamasaki in Taiwan in March 2007

Native name 浜崎 あゆみ

Born October 2, 1978 (age 39)

Spouse(s) Manuel Schwarz

(m. 2011; div. 2012)

Years active  1995–present

Labels  Nippon Columbia

 1Life and music career

Life and music career[edit]

Hamasaki performing the song "Part of Me" in her Tour of Secret

Hamasaki (bottom center) in London with a group of European fans

Image and artistry[edit]

— Hamasaki on the new lyrical directions in I Am....[40]

"Bold & Delicious" (2005)

Problems playing these files? See media

 A Song for ×× (1999)

 Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1 (2000)

 Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2000–2001 A (2000–2001)

Year Title Role Notes

Battle Spirits Ryūko no Ken Yuri Sakazaki Voice role

Sumomo mo Momo Kuriko

Miseinen Hitomi Tabata

Like Grains of Sand Kasane Aihara

Hamasaki's song "Voyage" was the theme song

Short film based on her songs "Glitter" and

 Media related to Ayumi Hamasaki at Wikimedia Commons

Ayumi Hamasaki songs

RIAJ's Japan Gold Disc Award for Artist of the Year

0003 7531 1973

 This page was last edited on 18 January 2018, at 18:03.

Anda mungkin juga menyukai

Native name 浜崎あゆみ