[article with many factual errors] Japan pop icon: Ayumi Hamasaki

[nmskalmn]

Just sharing in case this wasn't posted yet:

Chinese fans have too long been deprived of Ayumi Hamasaki's company. But this began to be remedied last Saturday when the Japanese pop star fired up the atmosphere for a wild night in Taipei.

The Taipei Concert is the first leg of Ayumi Hamasaki's Asian Tour. Later she'll be appearing in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. But to protect the super star's privacy and safety no further information has been released.

Ayumi Hamasaki has been a hit with Chinese fans since her album "A Song For XX" in the late 90's. At that time her unique musical sensibility and attitude to work took her to the very top of Japan's music scene. The busy schedule meant fans were gorged with songs, photos, and promo material.

Ayumi began her career in the spotlight when she was just 7 years old. Starting as a child model for commercial advertising, she later got parts on TV shows like "Twin Teachers". After graduating from University she moved to Tokyo and joined "Sun Mucis".

In Japan at that time wannabe starlets all had treat the same road -- it involved a lot of posing in bikinis for endless magazine shoots. Ayumi went through this but soon had enough. In September 1995 she released her first hip pop album simply titled Ayumi. It was a storming success, starting a J-RAP craze that swept the nation and set a new chart record with 5 weeks at No.1

In 1998, Ayumi released her first more intimate album "A Song For XX". She wrote all the lyrics herself, reflecting her worries about life and her work. They struck a strongly resonant chord with her young audience. She went on in 1999 to release 7 singles and two further albums. The same year saw her singing on stage for "NHK Red White".

2000 was also AYUMI's year. Nine singles, two albums and thirty-three national concerts. And she never let the heavy load affect the quality of her work, winning prizes for best song and best album.

2001 more than 300 thousand people saw her in concert. And album sales over the two years from 1999 reached 5 billion yen.

In 2002's "MTV Asia Awards" she was awarded the title of "Most Influential Japanese Artist in Asia". And in that years Sino-Japanese friendship celebrations, she represented Japan.

Ayumi is famous for her songs but she is more than just a singer. She's the icon of Japanese pop culture. Her style is always a model for young girls. With her leopard, butterfly and cat looks she started a series of new trends. Her popularity has made her a magnet for the advertising industry.

In 2004 Madame Tussauds immortalized Ayumi in wax in its who's who gallery.

Edward Fuller of Madame Tussauds, Hong Kong, said, "I think she looks fantastic, absolutely fantastic. We spent a good six months making this particular figure. And the attention to the detail for a wax figure is absolutely hundred per cent."

Last year Ayumi released two new albums "Secret" and "A Best 2", the latter following on from 2001's "A Best". So who knows 2007 might just be Ayumi's year.

Where are they getting this info from?

Looks like there's a video version also, but it didn't work for me,

http://www.cctv.com/program/culturee...103614_1.shtml