[News] Utada Hikaru named the most influencial artist of the decade by Japan Times

[Enfluerage]

This article was really quite funny and not particularly accurate.

If you look at the trend in music in the world today, there is a general shift towards New York style R&B and Hip Hop. Good examples would be Beyonce, Shaffer Chimere Smith, Rihanna. Two important names in music production today are: Timbaland (Timothy Zachery Mosley) and Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer Eriksen). If you looked all the songs produced by these two, you'd be shocked to see how many famous songs are done by them. For example, hits by them include: So sick, Irreplacable, Tattoo, Take a Bow, Closer, Miss Independent, Pony, Try Again, 4 Minutes, Cry me a river, Promiscuous, Apologize (and countless other hits).

For example, Hikaru Utada songs with Timbaland or Stargate's influences in the credits:

Come Back to Me, Me Muero, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Apple and Cinnamon, This One, Poppin, Exodus 04, Wonder Bout, Let me Give you my Love.

Hikaru Utada grew up with this kind of musical influences, and there is no doubt she was heavily influeced by New York music producers. Note that Stargate are not new to New York (having immigrated from Norway). Timbaland has been around for a long time.

In my opinion, Hikaru Utada is one of the world's most talented music artists. She is a child prodigy who is also a brilliant music writer, composer and arranger. I especially like her trademark of layering of songs and expression in her songs.

However, the article is very inaccurate in the way that it suggests that Hikaru Utada should get all the credit for bringing this New York style of music to Japan. It's even worse when the journalist doesn't seem to understand what this style is either - and just thinks it's "Mariah Carey style". The point is that everywhere in the West and Asia is listening to this kind of music (eg: Taiwan has Zhou Jie Lun, Korea has Rain). The New York style of R&B and Hip Hop took over the world (imo simply because it's great!). If not Hikaru Utada, then Kuraki Mai, Kuu (or any other talented singer backed by a company wanting to make a profit) who would have *introduced* this.

Thus, I think the key point that the article is missing is as follows. Hikaru Utada can be considered one of Japan's most influencial artists for being the top representative (definitely in sales, and probably also in terms of respect) of the New York style of music.

On the other hand, I would say Hamasaki Ayumi was Japan's most influencial artist, for not letting this style of music completely take over. New York didn't dominate Japan because its highest selling artist of the last decade didn't sing that style.

And if you look outside of just music, Hamasaki Ayumi also heavily influenced fashion, commercialisation of products, the writing of lyrics and the spectacle of concerts. And most importantly, told Japan that one doesn't need to be a supremely talented person and born from a rich family to be successful ... you could even be poor, not particularly talented and half-deaf and still make it in the world.