Archive for the ‘Utada (US)’ Category

Big news today: Utada’s contract with Island Def Jam/Universal Music Group is officially over. Going forward, any and all music by Utada will be released through EMI Music, under the name “Hikaru Utada.” EMI Music and U3Music have signed a new global recording contract which will see her musical activities “in all countries and languages” [...]

Utada took to Twitter today to inform fans that the upcoming Universal Japan release, “Utada The Best,” was conceived entirely against her will. She says, “I understand that if it doesn’t sell I’m the one who will take the hit, but to be honest, I don’t want my fans putting down money for something that [...]

According to Tower Records Japan, a compilation album of Utada’s English language tracks will be released on November 24th, the same day as her forthcoming Japanese best album, “Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2.” It appears that the Universal Music release will feature tracks from both her “EXODUS” and “This Is The One” albums, in [...]

According to both Utada and Teruzane Utada’s Twitter accounts, footage from this year’s “In The Flesh” Tour will be released in the coming months. It appears that a physical release may be eschewed in favor of a digital-only package, possibly through Apple’s iTunes Store. Mr. Utada notes that there are some technical difficulties with Apple, [...]

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.