Archive for the ‘Utada (US)’ Category

Oricon has released their yearly Favorite Artist Ranking, and Utada remains a perennial favorite despite her complete lack of Japanese releases, coming in at #7 for 2010. The top spot goes to Johnny’s Entertainment boy band Arashi, followed by Ikimonogakari and Mr. Children at #2 and #3, respectively. Congratulations to Utada!

A little bit of sad news: Satoshi Kon, renowned Japanese filmmaker and animator (Millenium Actress, Paprika) as well as younger brother to Utada’s longtime guitarist Tsuyoshi Kon (Be My Last, Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version-, Utada United 2006), passed away on Tuesday in Tokyo at the age of 46. Read a full obituary written by [...]

Utada’s blog and official website have both been updated with some big news: Utada will be releasing “Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL. 2″ this fall, which will include all singles since “Dareka no negai ga kanau koro” plus an additional 4-5 new tracks. No release date has been set.
Additionally, Utada mentions on her blog that, [...]

According to several Japanese fans, Utada was spotted in Shibuya (Tokyo) filming something outside on Thursday, May 20th. Some fans waved from their office windows, and Utada is said to have smiled and waved back. While there’s no word on whether this was a photoshoot (cover shoot/artist photos) or some sort of video shoot, it [...]

Though nothing has been officially announced, Utada has mentioned on several occasions that she’d love to record a cover album in the near future. This begs the question: What would you like to hear on a Utada cover album? Any guesses for what might actually end up on such an album?

Utada played her final show on the “In The Flesh” 2010 Tour tonight at O2 Academy Islington in London, England. This marked the end of the 9 city, 10 show tour, her first since 2006. Shows in both New York City and London were videotaped, so hopefully a concert DVD will be forthcoming. Congratulations again [...]

The Japan Times has published an interesting article reflecting on the past 10 years of Japanese music. Author Philip Brasor calls Utada “the most influential artist of the decade,” citing her authenticity as a musician and songwriter as crucial in changing the Japanese pop music landscape. Check out the full article here.

Utada made a surprise appearance tonight at Mika’s live show in Tokyo, joining him onstage to perform an impromptu duet version of the Christmas standard, “Let It Snow.” A picture can be seen here.
UPDATE: Here is video footage of Mika and Utada performing “Let It Snow”