Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi; born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and producer. Nicknamed the "Empress of Pop" on account of her influence throughout Asia, she is widely recognized for her versatile music production, songwriting, and live performances. Hamasaki is the best-selling solo artist in Japan, and a cultural icon of the Heisei era.
Born and raised in Fukuoka, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo in 1993 to pursue a career in modeling and acting. In 1998, Hamasaki released her debut single "Poker Face" and debut major-label album A Song for ××. The album debuted at the top of the Oricon charts and remained there for five weeks, selling over a million copies. This rapid rise to fame was attributed to her lyrics, listeners praising her insight and relatability. Her next ten albums shipped over a million copies in Japan, with her third, Duty, selling nearly three million. A Best, her first compilation album, further established her position as a crowning artist with more than four million copies sold in Japan. It was at this time that she represented more than 40% of her record label's income.
After A Best, Hamasaki went on to experiment with her music style and lyricism, incorporating English into her work from Rainbow onwards. Later albums would range from electronic dream-pop to rock genres, the singer commenting that she focuses on what she wants to create "whether it is trendy or not". Hamasaki currently holds the record for the most albums to place in the top ten by a female artist in Japan.
Hamasaki has sold over fifty million units in Japan, and has several domestic record achievements for her singles: the most number-one hits by a female artist (38); the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist (25), and the most million-sellers. From 1999 to 2010, Hamasaki had at least two singles each year topping the charts. Hamasaki is also 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 thirteen consecutive years since debut. Hamasaki's remix albums Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix and Ayu-mi-x II Version Non-Stop Mega Mix, are also recognized as two of the best selling remix albums of all time worldwide.
1978–1997: Childhood and early endeavors
Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Hamasaki was raised as an only child by her mother and grandmother. At age seven, while in elementary school, Hamasaki began modeling for local institutions to supplement the family's income. She continued this career path by moving to Tokyo alone at fourteen, signing as a model under the SOS talent agency. Under the name "Ayumi", Hamasaki released a rap EP, Nothing from Nothing, on the Nippon Columbia label in 1995. After her mother moved to Tokyo, Hamasaki began attending Horikoshi Gakuen, as well as taking on acting work in movies and television dramas. From August 1995 to March 1996, Hamasaki co-hosted the SoundLink show Hōkago no Ōsama (After-School King) for Nintendo Satellaview with Shigeru Izumiya.
Hamasaki struggled to adjust to student life, and described living aimlessly after dropping out in tenth grade. It was during this time that she was introduced to Max Matsuura through an acquaintance, who offered her a record deal after hearing her sing at the Velfarre nightclub. Hamasaki suspected ulterior motives and turned the offer down, saying later "I'd never heard of Avex. When he asked if I wanted to pursue a singing career, I said, 'No way.' He was this older guy, and I thought the whole thing sounded fishy."
Matsuura persisted, and Hamasaki eventually agreed to take voice lessons in 1996, most of which she would end up skipping due to reminding her of school. When Matsuura found out, he offered to send her abroad for one-to-one training instead. "I thought he was kidding," Ayu said later of this time. "I mean, I was seventeen." Hamasaki stayed in New York for three months, corresponding frequently with Matsuura. Due to difficulties voicing her thoughts, that correspondence was usually through letter; impressed by her writing style, the producer asked her to try her hand at lyrics while they prepared for her debut through 1997. "No one had ever asked anything of me before, or expected anything," the singer said later. "He's the one who found me and drew me out."
1998–1999: Musical beginnings, A Song for xx, and Loveppears
Hamasaki made her debut on April 8, 1998 with the single "Poker Face". Almost a year later, the singer released her debut studio album A Song for ××; it was an unprecedented success, topping the Oricon charts for five weeks and selling over a million copies. Later in 1999, she received the Japan Gold Disc Award for "Best New Artist of the Year".
Ayu-mi-x (March 1999), the first of a series of remix albums, signaled Hamasaki moving beyond the pop-rock sound of A Song for ××. She began to experiment with musical style in her singles, releasing remixes which spanned reggae and house. Later singles became milestones: Hamasaki earned her first number-one single ("Love: Destiny") and first million-selling single ("A"). Her second studio album, Loveppears (November 1999), topped the Oricon charts and sold nearly 3 million copies. In support of Loveppears, she held her first tour: Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 A. Two DVDs of the tour were released: Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol. 1 on September 13, and Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol. 2 on September 27, 2000.
2000–2002: Duty, A Best, I Am..., and Rainbow
From April to June 2000, Hamasaki released the "despair trilogy": "Vogue", "Far Away", and "Seasons". Her subsequent studio album, Duty, reflected on the artist's feelings of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of responsibility; it resonated with fans, and became Hamasaki's best-selling studio album. At the end of 2000, Hamasaki held her first New Year countdown concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.
In 2001, Hamasaki released her first compilation album, A Best. In support of Duty and A Best, Hamasaki held a tour of Japan's domes.
In 2002, the singer released her fourth studio album, I Am..., which featured her own compositions under the pseudonym "Crea". In light of the September 11 attacks, Hamasaki revised her vision of the album, focusing on issues such as faith and world peace. "A Song Is Born", a duet with Keiko Yamada, was released as part of Avex's Song Nation project. She also changed her idea for the album cover, opting instead to be portrayed as a "peace muse": 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. In support of I Am..., Hamasaki held two tours: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A, and Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A. Live albums of both tours were released in 2003. Later that year, Hamasaki performed at the MTV Asia music awards ceremony in Singapore, and received the award for "Most Influential Japanese Singer in Asia". In November she released her first European single, "Connected", under the name "Ayu". It was released in Germany on the Drizzly label. Hamasaki continued to release singles in Germany until 2005.
The singles "Free & Easy". "H", and "Voyage" were released ahead of Hamasaki's next studio album, Rainbow (December 2002).
2003–2006: My Story, (Miss)Understood, and Secret
In 2003, Hamasaki released three singles, "&", "Forgiveness", and "No Way to Say". The singer then held the A Museum concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. The singer's next release, the EP Memorial Address, topped the Oricon chart and sold over a million copies. Despite this, 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. By the end of Arena Tour 2003–2004, Hamasaki had grown disillusioned with her position in Avex. This period of reassessment led her to begin work on her next studio album, My Story, ahead of schedule.