Utada Hikaru Profile
Name: Utada Hikaru (Hikaru Utada)
Japanese name: 宇多田光, 宇多田ヒカル
Nickname: Hikki ヒッキー, Cubic U
Birth date: January 19th, 1983
Birthplace: New York, USA
Height: 158cm
Blood type: A
Husband: Kazuaki Kiriya
Language spoken: English and Japanese
Profession: Singer and song writer
Dreams: Become a writer, open a small bookshop and become a clerk there, work part-time at a cafe
Hobbies: Literature, spicy stuffs, photography and web-surfing
Specialties: Touch typing, Tetris, biting the bullet, reading minds, moving just the smallest toe of my left foot, full leg splits and other instances of flexibility
Favourite places: Mexico, Machu Picchu and the Sahara Desert
Favourite artists: Nine Inch Nails, Mozart, Jimi Hendrix, Bela Bartok, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Edith Piaf, Cocteau Twins, Jeff Buckley, Chick Corea, The Blue Nile, Freddie Mercury, Bjork, Yutaka Ozaki, and Hibari Misora
Favourite movies: Amadeus, Crash, Munich, Brazil, Tasogare Seibei, Lost Highway, The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather Part II, The Jerk, Orlando, and works by Hayao Miyazaki
[Join Asia Entertainment Forum for more Utada Hikaru discussions]
Utada Hikaru Biography
Utada Hikaru was born in a family with both Japanese parents involved in music industry; Utada’s music talent was nurtured in an early age and she showed her potential by recording her first English album “Precious” at the age of 12.
Precious was not actually released in US, but later discovered by a Japanese producer and released it in Japan in 1998. The album received some good reviews and Utada Hikaru, at age of 15 back then, was gradually gaining fame.
Seeing Utada’s potential, the Japan recording company (Toshiba-EMI) convinced her to release her Japanese album instead.
Utada Hikaru released her first Japanese single “Automatic” in 1999 and was an instant hit. Shortly after that Utada released her first Japanese album, “First Love” that sold over 10 million copies across Asia. “First Love” is still until today the best selling music album in Japan.
In 2000 Utada went back to US for further study in Columbia University; her university life was interrupted when she released her 2nd and 3rd Japanese album “Distance” (2001) and “Deep River” (2002) which both sold for multi million copies.
Utada Hikaru didn’t finish her university studies due to health issues and a busy successful singing career.
Utada Hikaru then surprised many when she married Kazuaki Kiriya, a photographer she worked with numerous times, shortly after the released of Deep River in 2002.
In 2004 Utada Hikaru released her ambitious English album “Exodus” that was not very successful in US market. Her single “Devil Inside” however managed to become a disco club hit and claimed #1 spot at Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay charts.
Utada Hikaru has just released her 4th Japanese album, “Ultra Blue” in June 2006.
Utada’s musical success is often compared to another Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki, especially in the early 2000s. Their rivalry is not as fierce now with the rising of other Japanese pop stars.
Why I like Utada Hikaru
I like Utada Hikaru’s music. I first listened to Automatic and thought that it’s a good song; then with First Love, which is still one of my favorite Japanese songs.
I admire Hikki’s talent as a complete artist in singing, songwriting and album producing… which is not often in Asian music industry.
Utada Hikaru Websites and Contacts
August 27th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
She’s so ugly,like old lady and fat
August 29th, 2007 at 10:37 am
lol i like her songs shes a really good singer
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:58 pm
She is not ugly .
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:37 pm
john, are u blind? how can u say that she is so ugly, like old lady and fat? i mean have u look yourself in a mirror? she is not ugly! and she is a goddamn good singer!
September 3rd, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Agree ,she is not ugly but not as pretty as Hyori.
September 15th, 2007 at 10:41 am
john, i bet you were looking at a picture of yourself when you thought that. She’s lovely, youthful, and thin and probably can sing better than you.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
I like her song “first love”!!!
September 25th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
yeah, she’s not, John… i like the way Utada sing…she has something that other don’t have…First love the best….
September 27th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
hikaru just like light, it shining everywhere.. once you see her, you will give her your heart~ ^^ right?
October 9th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
what happened to her belly button oO
i heard once that model in a magazine didnt have a belly button cuz they airbrushed her… and forgot to add it on -_________-
wawo…
October 10th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
she’s a good artist…very down to earth…she may not pretty, but she’s getting cuter nowadays
October 12th, 2007 at 3:52 am
who says that she’s an old lady?// huh!!! hehe.,, I like Utada Hikaru.,. I like the way she sings her compositions.,. She’s different from other jpop singers,.. and she’s not ugly,.. I really really like her,,., I can easily know if she is the singer of a song that i have just heard because of her extraordinary voice and the way she emphasizes the song and the feelings,.,., The way she vocalizes the language is different from others.,,And her English compositions, it’s different from others,., and also the way she speaks English,. She’s like a professional English grammarian.,,. heheheh,.,. I hope that she will launch a concert here in the Philippines,., I will be the first to buy a ticket! hehehe.,,. jokes!
October 12th, 2007 at 3:53 am
mark from Philippines!!!!
October 12th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
if someone say Hikki is ugly, please visit these web photo:
Pic 1 l Pic 2 l Pic 3
October 14th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
how can u say im ugly?
then if you believe im ugly why did you search my name and browse this site just to see me?
Thx for all who supports me..
October 14th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
gosh! is that utada?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?
October 14th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
i really like her!!! SHE’S NOT UGLY!!!
October 14th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
im not utada…
just clearing tht she is not ugly, im her no.1 fan
October 14th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
clearing for john statement or who ever saying that utada hikaru is ugly!!!,…go to (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv_ugWser2g),,and watch her mtv of first!,..remember john just see her, without a makeup!!,.and i’ll bet you, how pretty and sexy is she in this mtv,,..like you said that utada hikaru is ugly,.old woman and fat! and naga emes you are wrong!!,,..she is not a light but actually her name “hikaru” means “light or ray” ok!!!,..hehehe,..actually utada hikaru explain the meaning of her name in her concert!!!i’m just kiding naga emas that youre wrong, coz all people here is so serious!!!,..just a commercial hehehe,…i wish for a concert of utada hikaru,.here in philippines!,…if anyone like to have utada hikaru song’s i have it but not all!!!,..like first love, final distance,passion and etc.,.. goodbye 4 now 4 all of u!,..just email me, if only u want her song’s,and note sorry if anyone message me, and i didnt reply as quickly, coz sometimes i’m bc ok! kyo_va888@yahoo.com arigato gozaimas!
October 15th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
well, i like mika nakashima…hehe.. but i like utada too..and i agree with you guys.. shes beautiful and not ugly.. kerei to koe sugoi.. mina shiteru, utada ga koe ga ii.. utada itsumo ganbatte ne.. nihonjin hito suki kara