^ My thoughts exactly. XP I mean, Hikki is very sweet and likable, and she has some really good music (well, at least she used to :X), but THE most influential artist..? And of the entire decade?? I don't see her as being influential at all, really, actually. Lovable, cool, fun, whatever...but not influential. :\

^maybe musically...but as far as stuff that average people care about...like fashion and trends...no, I dont think so.

^^Well, considering she was the first big r&b singer on Japan, and that now there are tons of r&b and hip hop mainstream acts (she is kinda said to be the responsable for this music genre being famous in Japan) and considering also her sales, I can see why she is pointed to be the most influential

^ She definitely has been a big influence; I just don't like how the author trashes everyone who isn't Hikki in order to make her seem great.

No, its not written by Japanese (and not really read by them either). It's more a resource for foreigners living in Japan or who used to live there, to get news in English. I've noticed with their articles about music, that people like Utada, who are much more American style in her vocals and everything get praise, but those that are much more Japanese (such as the entire idol institution) get trashed. Like in this article where they praise Hikki singing from her diaphragm which is a much more common technique in the west as opposed to many asian singers who don't. Really though, one isn't necessarily better than the other, it all comes down to personal taste.

^As I said, imo most of the singers that came after 2000 seens to be a strange mix between Hikki and Ayu imo and the article make it sounds like Ayu is some pretty one hit wonder... while if u consider this decade, if Utada is the most influential nobody besides her was more influential than Ayumi. They bash Namie for her 90s career, something that doesn't really add anything to the text...

Based on what I read on the site, they are those stupid kind of people that find that "true artists" can't use agressive marketing and focus on gaining money, and this is stupid cuz Hikki is a huge marketing force and makes LOTS of money every year... even if her focus is not the same as Ayu's

They weren't just talking about her, they were talking about Namie and Ayu too! D:

Um no, no one hates Utada, just this bias article about her.

I agree babe. :yes

Not to mention, Utada is American which is why she sings like that and is more accepted to western ears. I don't dislike Utada and I don't want to discredit her, but it's her Western singing style that irritates me the most. If I want to listen to an American singing in Japanese, I'll listen to her. But I tend to gravitate toward the native Japanese singers. Like you said it's about taste.

@Andrenekoi: was she the first? oh..the first big...

I dont know about that...honestly...

I mean, what about someone like Namie? And then like...I mean, if hikki had never been there, all of those acts would have followed anyway due to how popular hip hop is all over the place, and how it's established itself in western music, and not only as its own genre...I mean, R&B and hip hop has seriously rooted itself in our music in a way, that I dont think has ever really been realised.

I dont know...a little of it seems more like, she was in the right place at the right time...but hey, she's brilliant...so...i mean, I would be happy if she was the most influential artist ...but I think it needs to be a little more specific...I don't really know if there is only one.

Then again...I never really looking into the Japanese music scene before I started coming here...which...yeah 2005.

Perhaps hikki is like...the one who really transitioned Japan from all that 90's pop into the more urban scene.

^I don't believe in trend setting when it's something big like changing the whole sound of a country... she is said to be all that, I don't really agree, but it's how it is seen in Japan^^

Imo yeah... she was at the right place at the right time and she was cute...So, why not? It's better than giving credit to those ugly non-charismatic people who done that before her... it's more marketable^^

I loled so hard @ biggest mouth

i love how the article says all those awesome things bout hikki, but the stuff about other artists like Namie, Kuu, & Ayu was kinda mean ;P

I hate this article :headache Too much love for Utada, she isn't the greatest thing in the japanese industry

wait, it's how what is seen in Japan?

but yeah, I think she does deserve credit...I mean, it's been all this time, and people are still talking about her, and she is an actual musician.
that's not really the problem with the article...believe it or not.

she is seen as the one that made r&b big in Japan

oh okay lol

I see.

I mean..... is R&B that important in Japan? Sure this new style worked to sell a lot of copies between 2000-2004 but that was just the start of the decade

^ That's what I mean. She was the first to bring Western styled R&B into the J-Pop scene, but her success for that only lasted a few years--she isn't even like that anymore, and she hasn't been since Distance, pretty much. (All albums after Distance were much more regular J-Pop, mainstream stuff, until TITO [which is for obvious reasons, since it's not even technically a Japanese album].) And to this day, Western styled R&B/hip-hop/rap doesn't do very well in Japan, so it's not like she completely changed the Japanese music culture. So I don't think she should be considered the most influential of the DECADE, just for bringing in a different style for a few years, because even then, it was just her that was doing it, pretty much. To this day, the most Western styled stuff in that genre that you'll see is people like Crystal Kay - that poppy, girly type of R&B that's kind of the same worldwide.

^I dont think thats necessarily true...honestly, imo it's really hard to see what is or isnt popular in Japan, and we dont really see that much here at this forum, since most people here only follow the same artists, ayu, kuu, namie, and hikki.

There is a HUGE R&B industry in Japan, and not only that, but american albums dont do badly in Japan either.

And it hasnt been just a few years, and it wont be. Japan has been moving toward the western music industry for a long time, and I think it's only going to continue.

Besides, Hikki has a success with the people of Japan that somehow, goes beyond just releasing stuff and having it sell.

I know XD but someone else mentioned Ayu and Namie before me :P

and to me it seems they were trashing Kumi more. they were even calling her "the biggest mouth" because of that dumb scandal lol :x


anyway, even though I don't really like her music, she sure is one of the most influential artists of this decade. along with some other artists.

I do like some songs on her Heart Station album though :D

I don't think its really fair to call out the journalist on having too much bias....even we here at AHS are biased...if this was posted as "Ayumi Hamasaki named the most influential artist of the decade" surely everyone would be nodding their heads in agreement.

^ I think she's more influential than Hikki, at least.... Hell, even I can admit that Namie Amuro is, in my opinion, more influential than Hikki. :\ But either way, this article did seem biased, whether you agree with the headline or not.

Well, actually, all you have to do is look at ORICON charts to get a very good idea about what's most popular in Japan, music-wise. And as you'll see, what makes it to the top thirty has never been and still isn't Western styled R&B and such, with a very few exceptions (such as Hikaru). In general, you see your alternative rock and your Johnny's and, of course, your traditional J-Pop.

And it's not that Japan is moving towards Western music, it's just that Japan is much more accepting of other types of music, unlike, for example, the US. So you'll see some Western music every so often. But even then, it's only either the biggest of the biggest, or it's people like Greenday, who have music that is much more accepted in Japan than, say, the music of Usher or Little John...or whatever.
So yes, Japan now has a big R&B/hip-hop industry, but not as big as all the others. And even more important to point out, the biggest R&B and hip-hop acts in Japan are those that are "Japanese"-like R&B or hip-hop, and not Western styled.

Also, your last sentence helped point out what I was saying: she's very well liked, but that doesn't make her the most influential artist of this decade.