[Utada Hikaru] ☆ Utada Hikaru: The 46th Thread ☆

***koumori*** · #1 20th April 2012, 08:53 AM

Welcome to Utada Hikaru's 46th thread at AHS ♡

Biography ღ

Hikaru Utada was born in Manhattan as the only child of Teruzane Utada, a Japanese record producer, and his wife Junko Utada, an enka singer, performing under the stage name Keiko Fuji.
She did her recordings with her mother, releasing songs under a band named “U3” (also known as Utada 3). until 1996 when she started her first solo project, "I'll be Stronger."

The "Cookin' With Moses Vocal" from this project was called the "Cookin' With Gas Vocal" on the promotional release.
I'll Be Stronger was the first song Utada wrote.
It was released under the artist name "Cubic U", a mathematical reference to her being the third Utada 'power', which was Hikaru's pseudonym before becoming a superstar in Japan.
The song was not released in the United States, and in 1997, she started her next project, though at first she was hesitant.
Cubic U released her debut single Close to You, which was a cover of The Carpenters' song. She then released her debut album Precious.

2011 update

The Japanese TV station NHK premiered a documentary about Utada on January 15, 2011. Titled Utada Hikaru ~今のわたし~ (Utada Hikaru: Ima no Watashi, Utada Hikaru: What I Am), the documentary featured new studio performances by Utada (Show Me Love (Not a Dream) and Goodbye Happiness), as well as some of her Wild Life performances from December. It also featured a post-Wild Life interview with J-Wave host Chris Peppler about her decision to go on hiatus as well as what she plans to do, in which she said she wanted to do volunteer work overseas, and also travel. Utada also stated that she would continue writing music during her hiatus.
- Wikipedia

Discography ღ (Japan)

Spoiler:

First Love - 1999

Tracklist

1. Automatic -Album Edit-
2. Movin' On Without You
3. In My Room
4. First Love
5. Amai Wana: Paint It, Black (甘いワナ～Paint It, Black; Sweet Trap: Paint It, Black?)
5. Time Will Tell
6. Never Let Go
7. B&C: Album Version
8. Another Chance
9. Interlude
10. Give Me a Reason
11. Automatic: Johnny Vicious Remix

Chart Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 2,026,870
Total Sales (Japan): 7,650,215
Total Sales (Worldwide): 10,056,000

Distance - 2001

Tracklist

1. Wait & See (Risk)
2. Can You Keep a Secret?
3. Distance
4. Sunglasses
5. Drama
6. Eternally
7. Addicted to You (Up-in-Heaven Mix)
8. For You
9. Kettobase!
10. Parody
11. Time Limit
12. Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi (Translation: "Indescribable Feelings")
13. Hayatochi-Remix (bonus track)

Chart Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 3,002,720
Sales Total (Japan): 4,472,343

DEEP RIVER - 2002

Tracklist

1. Sakura Drops
2. Traveling
3. Shiawase ni Narō (Translation: "Let's be Happy")
4. Deep River
5. Letters
6. Play Ball
7. Tokyo Nights
8. A.S.A.P
9. Uso Mitai na I Love You (Translation: The Dubious I Love You)
10. Final Distance
11. Bridge (Interlude)
12. Hikari (Translation: Light)

Sales Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #1

Debut Sales: 2,350,170
Total Sales (Japan): 3,605,000

ULTRA BLUE - 2006

Tracklist

1. This Is Love
2. Keep Tryin'
3. Blue
4. Nichiyō no Asa (Translation: Sunday Morning)
5. Making Love
6. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro (Translation: When Someone's Wish Comes True)
7. Colors
8. One Night Magic ft. Masashi Yamada
9. Kairo (Translation: Sea Route)
10. Wings
11. Be My Last
12. Eclipse (Interlude)
13. Passion

Sales Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #7

Debut Sales: 500,317
Total Sales (Japan): 900,343

HEART STATION - 2008

Tracklist

1. Fight the Blues
2. Heart Station
3. Beautiful World
4. Flavor of Life ~Ballad Version~
5. Stay Gold
6. Kiss & Cry
7. Gentle Beast Interlude
8. Celebrate
9. Prisoner of Love
10. Teiku 5 (Translation: Take 5)
11. Boku wa Kuma (Translation: I am a Bear)
12. Niji-iro Basu (Translation: Rainbow-Coloured Bus)
13. Flavor of Life (bonus track)

Sales Positions and Sales

Oricon Daily Album Chart: #1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart: #1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart: #5

Debut Sales: 480,081
Total Sales (Japan): 1,011,373

Discography ღ (English)

Spoiler:

Best of Albums ღ

Spoiler:

We miss you Hikki~! ☆

Andrenekoi · #2 20th April 2012, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegie

Hikki was never the best live singer since the beginning. I remember I heard First Love on music station and thought it wasn't as good as the studio recording

(and I wasn't really a hikki fan until 3 months after - the release of ATY). I think the last 5 songs she made tho (single collection vol. 2) were in her range, so actually she did really good on those songs. And after hearing Wild Life, I think her voice was getting better actually. (Yeah I repeated my post again and again lol. Forgive me).

So do we want less attractive songs from hikki but she could comfortably sing them, or should she go for wild songs, like BLUE?

I find SC2 songs to be pretty attractive

And she can rearrange older songs to suit her voice better, what wouldn't be a big problem considering she always changes the arrangments anyway

Polyrhythm · #3 20th April 2012, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emi♡

Personally, my first concert was UU...and her vocals never really seemed that bad to me. I know I didn't pay as much attention back then though

but meh. I always say, if I can handle Ayu, I can handle anything.

This

isthisLOL? · #4 20th April 2012, 05:22 PM

Right now(as in latest Utada recordings/lives and latest Ayumi recordings/lives) Ayumi is easily a better vocalist than Utada, she doesn't destroy her own vocals the way she is singing. However for the longest time Utada definitely was better.

Evolution7/4 · #5 20th April 2012, 05:42 PM

For me that only time where Ayu was destroying her vocals was concert 2000. then she got better and better, and after some adjustment due to her conditions has vastly improved. But for me, 2002-2006 was ayus bets vocals. I mean that I am performance from 2002 is such a powerhouse

Maemi · #6 20th April 2012, 05:42 PM

^ LOL no matter what people say, Utada will ALWAYS have better vocals than Ayu. It's the fact.

isthisLOL? · #7 20th April 2012, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maemi

^ LOL no matter what people say, Utada will ALWAYS have better vocals than Ayu. It's the fact.

What exactly does Utada have on Ayumi?
Pitch? Both are off half of the time.
Range? Utada's useable chestvoice range is tiny and everybody can go high(and off) with headvoice.
Strenght? Ayumi has a more powerful voice now.
Control? Equally mediocre.
Technique? Ayumi wins here(she lost before 2011) since she uses correct support and doesn't sing out of her range.

Maemi · #8 20th April 2012, 06:48 PM

Well we won't agree on that, but to me, Hikki has always had more powerful voice than Ayu, and no matter how much I love Ayu, I've never loved her for her voice

When you listen to Hikki and Ayu, it's obvious which voice is more powerful and which is more annoying.

isthisLOL? · #9 20th April 2012, 09:22 PM

I love how you state your opinion as fact without any reasoning aside you liking it while completely ignoring what I said. Priceless. Both are rather mediocre singers, the difference is that Ayumi improved like crazy while Utada has been around the same place, possibly getting worse.

***koumori*** · #10 20th April 2012, 10:09 PM

Let's not turn a reasonable discussion about Utada's voice into a flame war between Utada and Ayu fans please.

Polyrhythm · #11 20th April 2012, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isthisLOL?

I love how you state your opinion as fact without any reasoning aside you liking it while completely ignoring what I said. Priceless. Both are rather mediocre singers, the difference is that Ayumi improved like crazy while Utada has been around the same place, possibly getting worse.

wut the fack have you been listening to?

emi♡ · #12 20th April 2012, 10:52 PM

um I can see where he's coming from with Ayu's improvement...

but...with all her screaming, and the tone of her voice now...I think hikki is a little more pleasant to listen to than her because even if she's progressively getting worse...she still sounds like her and okay.

idk I saw her at In The Flesh, and I listened to the recordings later...I can see how her voice has deteriorated...but I think her songs help keep her afloat.

I never want to say this in the Ayu section...but she kind of reminds me of Koda now. Just in the way that, Koda has the power, and is on key....but her tone is always so low and just not as ~pleasant~.

I think it has to do with that anyway. Why people think hikki is still better. Ayu's tone is so obviously different...but hikki's isn't. Even though she's off key and whatever...a lot of people can't really tell those differences. They go by the sound...and hikki still has her same sound.

isthisLOL? · #13 20th April 2012, 11:05 PM

I can understand not liking her tone now. Ayumi's tone is something quite unusual and has changed a lot over the course of her career, but it's really not something making her vocals objectively bad so it's not something to use when calling one of them superior or inferior. When looking at the actual objective aspects of singing, control, pitch, range...Ayumi and Utada have been on a rather similar level for a long time but are going into opposite directions now, with Ayumi's vocals having constantly improved since 2008(after having gotten worse for a few years) and Utada's having been on the same level and/or gotten worse.

For Ayumi having improved like crazy...it's really no rocket science. If you know anything about vocals you will realize for the last year she has employed proper vocal technique, something she has never done before. Her range has been growing back to her old 2 octave chestvoice(it was around 1.6-1.8 octaves for a long time before lately, she had to stick to "safe" songs or transpose them to lower pitches), her pitch and control have improved greatly.

emi♡ · #14 20th April 2012, 11:20 PM

I agree~ But, we both know people...and...they go by their opinions all the time. They'll be like "This song is better because I don't like that other song." All the time.

I also think, it's difficult to have everyone understand those technical things, especially if they're tone deaf lol

what else can they go on? Oh well.

Minttulatte · #15 21st April 2012, 12:38 AM

Why can't Maemi think Hikki is better if she feels that way? It's okay not to agree to anything Ayu fans say. This is a Hikki thread so you should expect Hikki fans to defend their queen. It's a matter of taste anyway. You can argue but it doesn't change it anyway.

Oh, me? I have no opinion on their live vocals because I like both a lot (but Kuu will always be the best for me and that's not going to change) and they both has had their ups and downs but it's not a crime imo.

Maemi · #16 21st April 2012, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdolce

Why can't Maemi think Hikki is better if she feels that way? It's okay not to agree to anything Ayu fans say. This is a Hikki thread so you should expect Hikki fans to defend their queen. It's a matter of taste anyway. You can argue but it doesn't change it anyway.

Oh, me? I have no opinion on their live vocals because I like both a lot (but Kuu will always be the best for me and that's not going to change) and they both has had their ups and downs but it's not a crime imo.

His problem is that I stated it as a fact. I guess I should correct myself, but that doesn't change anything. I honestly can't see how Ayu improved and I listened to a couple of Hikki's latest lives and can't see how she deteriorated. I love both of them and both of their voices in a different way, but when someone asks me whose voice is better, my answer will always be the same. I know what I hear and I know what is pleasant to my ear. No technical proof will change that.

Andrenekoi · #17 21st April 2012, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emi♡

um I can see where he's coming from with Ayu's improvement...

but...with all her screaming, and the tone of her voice now...I think hikki is a little more pleasant to listen to than her because even if she's progressively getting worse...she still sounds like her and okay.

idk I saw her at In The Flesh, and I listened to the recordings later...I can see how her voice has deteriorated...but I think her songs help keep her afloat.

I never want to say this in the Ayu section...but she kind of reminds me of Koda now. Just in the way that, Koda has the power, and is on key....but her tone is always so low and just not as ~pleasant~.

I think it has to do with that anyway. Why people think hikki is still better. Ayu's tone is so obviously different...but hikki's isn't. Even though she's off key and whatever...a lot of people can't really tell those differences. They go by the sound...and hikki still has her same sound.

Well, Utada also has her scream queen moments... I got surprised everytime anyone praise the UU Kremlin Dusk performance cuz she was basically screaming off key there... It's among the worst live performances I ever saw for a professional singer (Ayu also has one of those).

I agree with ThisisLOL through... both are mediocre live singer with some good moments, and since Ayu started taking proper singing lessons, she got better than Hikki (but she still is mediocre). Hikki need proper singing lessons...

Anyway, it's not like I think any of the 00s big female singers is amazing... most of them are mediocre, with one of them being just plain bad (Mika Nakashima). If u go for good jpop vocalists, the top of the charts is not the best of the places...

edit: Tomiko Van was also a disaster on the golden age of DAI...

emi♡ · #18 21st April 2012, 01:05 AM

@dolce: it's not that she can't...it's just that, at least I think, isthisLoL prefers to look at it from a more objective point of view in terms of vocal technique...which is not really a matter of taste.

Personally, I prefer hikki's voice over Ayu's...but does she have better technique? ouch, I don't think so.

We're all hikki fans in here. No one said people have to agree with Ayu fans, it's not even about that. And no one said it was a crime to not have perfect vocals.

But if people want to say that hikki has a better whatever...you just need some more proof.

I personally can see where isthislol is coming from, cause I've seen what he means with Ayu, and I see what he means with hikki.

As far as what Maemi said...I'm not so sure it's obvious that hikki has more power, but I think it is obvious that ayu is more "annoying" cause what I said about the ~pleasantness~ of her voice.

@vini: poor mika! lol

relmy · #19 21st April 2012, 01:32 AM

I've always (subjectively) liked Ayu's vocals more than Hikki's, but in some cases - like Sakura Drops or something, nothing but Hikki's voice would work. Which is... how it's meant to work.

This may sound really bizarre, but Hikki's vocals sound significantly worse to me in English. I guess it's because I know what the words are meant to sound like, I can understand how they fit together and work to create the song, how the structures of the words work for the song... and how her voice just doesn't work at times.

Until I listened to her English work, I thought she was REALLY good (the typical opinion of her, basically), but then when I heard her in English I was just like...wow, she's kinda average, she just makes good songs and sounds interesting.

It's odd :/

AyuBlackwind · #20 21st April 2012, 02:02 AM

?? They are both great vocalists. They have completely different styles though, apples and oranges here. lol.