Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎 あゆみ Hamasaki Ayumi, natural October 2, 1978) is a Japanese pop singer and Japanese idol originally from Fukuoka. Within Japan, she is unremarkably known as by her nickname Ayu. To this date, she has freed sixer good-length studio albums, a single mini-album, ii compilation albums, & 37 singles. She officially debuted inside 1998 by using her individual poker face. She is a number 1 Japanese creative person to keep around her number one original 6 studio albums top the stock and index charts.

Biography

Early Life
Ayu accept her mother, however was primarily raised by her gran. She has undefined recollections of her father, allowing a personal at a super early instance, about the period she was ii, & has non seen him since so. She grew higher withwithin a super liberal personal in which she was required to clean what was perfect for her forgoing her mother intervening in her affairs, since her mother was universally retired working to trend lines the family.

Within her youth, Hamasaki began her short lived modelling career as the model for a local bank. She was considered the juvenile delinquent because she liked to have on short skirts & to dye her hair, which was pleasantly improper inside Japan at that instance, & she likewise seldom come to school. Finally she dropped away from senior high too & moved to Tokyo to pursue the fulltime modeling career.

Idol Career
Hamasaki utilized a pseudonym Kurumi Hamazaki, acting in on line budget dramas prefer Miseinen & b-movies like Sumomomomomo; however, she did non call for profits. She was as well short to get the office model. Following, she spent her times mobile wall street of Tokyo, camping, & terpsichore at clubs in the Shibuya district. She was "discovered" by her producer Max Matsuura, an avex trax producer when she was singing karaoke. Once he asked her whenever she wanted to pursue the cantabile career, she said she agreed, "only because I had nothing to do." Hamasaki wwhen contracted voice lessons around Tokyo, which she did non attend, as it were as well rigid. For the further relaxed atmosphere, Matsuura sent Hamasaki to Just released York, an event she would late say was exactly what she required. Impressed per genre inside her letters to him, Matsuura suggested that she try her hand at writing her have lyrics for her songs. Hamasaki has never got any formal instructiin inside lyric writing, & eventually may draw swell on her emotions to write her lyrics. Matsuurthe has stated repeatedly that such the gift comes along just by using great deal practice & that these are extremely unusual for such a immature creative person to become therefore articulate & mature inside her writings, although more immature Japanese creative person prefer Bonnie Pink and Hikaru Utada have also shown this trait.

As an Artist
A Song for XX to LOVEppears
Within 1998, Hamasaki freed her debut only poker face, which sold 43,000 copies. However by using a trend lines of her producer Max Matsuura, she freed quaternity extra singles, by owning Depend in professional people sooner or later breaking top Ten sustaining its tie-higher when a theme song for Thousand Arms video game for Sony PlayStation, before she freed her number one album The Song for XX on January 1, 1999. Her album quickly became qualified pt.

LOVE~Destiny~, her seventh only, was her number 1 #1 lone. the title track was specially comissioned for her to exist as the subtheme for a drama series SemiDouble, & its b-side featured the duet by using Tsunku, the vocaliser of the hit band Sharan Q and the producer of Morning Musume, called LOVE~since1999~, which was a theme song for the drama series. Starting using a release of Boys & Girls, her singles changed format dramatically. Hamasaki's production team, as a result a music industry trend, moved out of a 8cm individual format to 12cm maxi-singles; her newly releases contained numbers of remixes. Following, Boys & Girls became the first of her singles to be certified platinum. Inside August, A was discharged. Around an unprecedented move by avex trax, A featured Quaternity the-sides & Ten remixes. A lone sold above 1,600,000 copies & remains her right-selling lone. Within November, she freed her 2nd album, LOVEppears, to a lesser degree a year fallowing her number 1. A album sold all over both million copies. She brought out the caring reactiin from either her fans after she appeared on her album handle sitting braless & covering her breasts using her hair. A individual appears was discharged on the equivalent day limited to 300,000 prints. Charted a release of LOVEppears, 2 recut singles from either a album were freed in the equivalent manner when appears, kanariya within December & Fly high inside March of the charted month.

Duty
Inside 2000, she became the interpreter for KOSE Visee, the cosmetics company around Japan. Once she appeared within commercial message & promoted Kose's lip rouge, the record of 500,000 lip rouge were sold within simply ii years. Vogue, which was utilized as a background music, likewise benefitted from either this commercial message, selling all over 700,000 copies. She too became the representative for Tu-ka & promoted their cell phones. Her fans, world health organization were mostly teen girls & young women, loved her Barbie-like fashion. She was constantly featured in front covers of fashion magazines, which feature just about her successful life & her style. From either April to June of 2000, she released 1 lone by the year, vogue, Far away, & SEASONS, which would exist as late referred to as A Trilogy because of a similar themes within lyrics & the attached music video cds. September saw a release of her third good-length album Duty. Duty, rather her last studio albums, topped a stock & index charts and went in to sell assibilate 4 million copies. On a equivalent day, the lone SURREAL was freed, which was an initial pressings merely lone, & it likewise peaked a stock and index charts rather Duty, making Hamasaki a quaternary creative person ensuing Seiko Matsuda, KinKi Kids, and WANDS to have a single & album top a stock & index charts on a equivalent week, and sustaining the release of Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 The 第One幕 topping a DVD stock and index stock and index charts, it gave her a record of existence a 1st creative person to top triad charts on the equivalent week. Since a release of vogue, her voice began to vary around how else that it was darker & heavily, & starting by owning a release of SURREAL, her songs began to choose in the rock-feeling edge, which would late email its climax.

A BEST to I am...
To at close range a millenium, her only M was freed, & became a vast hit, making the lone her quaternary atomic number 78 lone. A song M saw Hamasaki require extra originative control of her music. Before M, she experienced universally written lyrics for her songs (using a favorite exception of LOVE~since1999~), however by owning M, Hamasaki began composing her have songs under a nom de guerre "CREA". That season, a bit contention was began whenever her compilation album The Better's release date was changed to put her into directly competition by using Utada Hikaru's second album Few feet away. Though The Better topped a stock and index charts foremost week, Few feet away topped a as a result week, so staggering a sales of two albums. Late within 2001, her 2nd eurobeat remix album became a 2nd remix album inside Japanese history to top the stock and index charts, below MISIA's LITTLE TOKYO. Whilst her Quaternary album's release was delayed, futures numbers for avex trax decreased, which shows how else great deal power she wielded. It was calculated in that instance that she was responsible 40% of the avex trax's benefit. Around December, her duet sustaining KEIKO of Globe was released as a lone for avex's non-profit-making plan, SongNation, which raised money for the people of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On the foremost day of 2002, her fourth album We are... was discharged, & comparable its predecessors LOVEppears & Duty, it was qualified double pt.

RAINBOW to A BALLADS
A release of Loose & easy in April saw a complete change in the trend of Ayumi Hamasaki's singles. A l1 single featured 2 remixes & merely one original song. A song besides well-nigh saw a record of with #1 singles broken because one that was freed on the equivalent day, Kuraki Mai's Feel mulct!, briefly topped a day-after-day stock and index charts. Yet, Free & easy eventually claimed the top spot and gave Hamasaki the top spot on the weekly charts. Her fifth pt lone H was freed within July. Rather The, this lone featured multiple the-sides, but, unlike The, this only did non contain any remixes. Her next individual Voyage got the long music streaming to promote it - a short film highborn Tsuki ni Shizumu (or even Sinking into a Moon), featured Ayumi Hamasaki's acting first since her idol times. A very much-hyped release of RAINBOW inside December was a number 1 of Hamasaki's albums since The Song for xx to non email double-platinum status. A album featured further of CREA songwriting rather a former album & saw her applying English first within her releases. the album got the massive promotion, which the purchaser of the other-expensive initial pressings may access a password-sole web site that featured a a portion of the subservient version of the title track "RAINBOW" that was non on a album, & the accessers may submit their have lyrics for the song. On top 100,000 population accessed a internet site. The song was late featured in her ballad compilation album A BALLADS, which was freed in March 2003. Though promoted pleasantly swell, The BALLADS was considered the flop because it didn't potentially achieve atomic number 78 status. Virtually all of the tracks in The BALLADS were already involved around her number one compilation album The Right. Besides, merely deuce years got passed since her foremost compilation album was freed whilst The BALLADS was discharged.

Memorial address to MY STORY
&, like the single H, saw three a-sides. Yet, unlike H, it contained an additional track that wasn't considered the-side, ''theme of the-united states '03, & cd were filmed for tons trio the-sides of the only. When a releases of the forgiveness & There are no way to say singles, she freed the mini-album, Memorial location, which sole featured triad freshly songs. Memorial location was unique inside how else that all the songs except for even the title track (which was the bonus track) got the music Video & it was available within CD simply or CD+DVD formats. Memorial location gave her the record for the single female solo creative person to releas a pt status mini-album. A below season was a year of internal strife within her recording company, avex trax. The feud between Max Matsuura & Yoda, an executive at avex trax, caused chaos & as well began hearsay that Hamasaki and more popular creative person within avex trax prefer hiro, Every Little Thing, hitomi, and Do As Infinity were leaving a record company, inducing a equity cost for avex trax to plunge. Nevertheless, whilst Hamasaki sided by using Matsuura, Yoda ended higher resigning, profits ending a feud.

Her singles since Moments were freed at least around both formats - Video simply or even CD+DVD. Moments was utilized as a background music for her endure KOSE Visee commericial. INSPIRE'' likewise saw something she hasn't done since a release of vogue within 2000, the b-side track. CAROLS was discharged inside quartet formats - Video exclusively, CD+DVD, SACD, and DVD-Audio. Since a release of &, she has also experimented with various composers to arrange her songs. Inside December of 2004, she released her sixth album Our STORY which was qualified pt. The STORY, comparable its singles wwhen too available within Video+DVD pack too as a CD exclusively pack.

Recent News
Her 35th individual, STEP you/is this LOVE?, her number 1 double a-side individual debuted at the first spot for the daily, weekly & each month Japanese stock and index charts.

Her 36th lone, fairyland, was freed in August 3 2005 & again, claimed a first spot on the ORICON, & sold above 310,000 copies, and is however on the stock and index charts.

Her 37th only is HEAVEN, a theme song for the picture Shinobi & was discharged in 14 September 2005. It debuted at #2 to Kanjani 8's single, so in day 2 it fell to #3. Starting day trine, it has been #1 in every day stock & index charts, and snatched a #1 position for a week selling 170,000 copies, lone 6,000 copies to a higher degree the #2 individual. This is '''Ayumi Hamasaki's' Twelfth sequentially #1 only starting sustaining Loose & Easy in 2002. This too broke a record of the virtually all singles a Japanese female creative person has in the top tenner (35 away from 36 singles), & the 2nd virtually all singles an creative person has experienced in the first position (Twenty-four).

At a 2005 Globe Music Awards, Ayumi Hamasaki recently won a award for right-selling Japanese creative person.

Symbols

Ayumi Hamasaki utilizes the symbol to represent her title. Normally, after typed, The symbols come upright replaced sustaining a letters A, M, & H.

The first A
the 1st period she utilized the symbol for a title was her tenth only The. the every strokes of a symbol represented the a-sides of the only - monochrome, Trauma, as well late, & Prevent roll. This is The just context that this symbol has lone been utilized inside, & she ceased to utilise this symbol when the invention of the 2nd A. M
This symbol was lone utilized for her Nineteenth only M, which unlike The featured la single one song. Even so, this symbol is however utilized if versions of the song M'' appears in the tracklist.

The second A
The 2nd The is does'nt really an the, however The combination of her initials A & H. This hwhen been utilized often since its number one appearance as The A inside LOVEppears within 1999. This symbol is besides utilized in the The for the RAINBOW album (so, technically making her song RAINBOW that late appeared inside The BALLADS non The title track) & The number 1 A within A BALLADS. This symbol was conspicuously featured in the covers of Extr EUROBEAT Presents ayu-ro Deuce, CYBER TRANCE Presents ayu-trance, & The STORY Classical. Since a album The BALLADS, this symbol is universally on the center of the super previous home of the lyrics folder.

H
The H occurs as limited version of the 2nd A in which the top has been flushed to look simply such as A. Its tercet strokes represent a iii songs featured on the H individual - independent, July First, & HANABI. Therefore far, it has never been utilized outside this context.

Discography
Studio Albums
December 1 1995 - NOTHING FROM NOTHING (not within avex discography) Failed to Chart January 1 1999 - A Song for XX - ' over 1,800,000 copies sold November 11 1999 - LOVEppears - over 2,560,000 copies sold September 27 2000 - Duty - over 3,000,000 copies sold January 1 2002 - I am... - over 3,000,000 copies sold December 18 2002 - RAINBOW - over 1,870,000 copies sold December 17 2003 - Memorial address - over 1,070,000 copies sold December 15 2004 - MY STORY - ' over 1,100,000 copies sold

Singles
from either NOTHING From either NOTHING 1995/??/?? NOTHING From either NOTHING - #Failed to Chart from either The SONG FOR xx 8 April 1998 "poker face" c/w "FRIEND" - over 43,000 copies sold 10 June 1998 "YOU" - over 78,000 copies sold 5 August 1998 "Trust" - over 180,000 copies sold 7 October 1998 "For My Dear..." - 74,000 copies sold 9 December 1998 "Depend on you" c/w "Two of us" - from either LOVEppears 10 February 1999 "WHATEVER" - over 180,000 copies sold 14 April 1999 "LOVE ~Destiny~" c/w "LOVE ~since1999~" - ' over 650,000 copies sold 12 May 1999 "TO BE" - above 320,000 copies sold 14 July 1999 "Boys & Girls" - ' over 1,020,000 copies sold 11 August 1999 A ("monochrome"/"Trauma"/"too late"/"End roll") - '''' across 1,670,000 copies sold 10 November 1999 "appears" c/w immature - Limited pressing - 300,000 copies 8 December 1999 "kanariya" - '' Limited pressing - 300,000 copies 9 February 2000 "Fly high" - Limited pressing - 300,000 copies

from either Duty'' 26 April 2000 "vogue" c/w "ever free"- above 770,000 copies sold 17 May 2000 "Far away" - over 570,000 copies sold 7 June 2000 "SEASONS" c/w ever free - ' across 1,300,000 copies sold 27 September 2000 "SURREAL" - ' over 570,000 copies sold Foremost edition only 1 November 2000 "AUDIENCE" - - Limited pressing - 300,000 copies from either We are... 13 December 2000 "M" - ' over 1,310,000 copies sold 31 January 2001 "evolution" - ' over 960,000 copies sold 7 March 2001 "NEVER EVER" - ' over 750,000 copies sold 16 June 2001 "Endless sorrow" - ' over 760,000 copies sold 11 July 2001 "UNITE!" - ' over 570,000 copies sold 27 September 2001 "Dearest" - ' over 760,000 copies sold 6 March 2002 "Daybreak" - - Limited pressing - 300,000 copies

from either RAINBOW 24 April 2002 "Free & Easy" - '''' over 480,000 copies sold 24 July 2002 H'' ("independent"/"July 1st"/"HANABI") - ' all over 1,000,000 copies sold 26 September 2002 "Voyage" - ' over 670,000 copies sold from either Memorial address 9 July 2003 & ("ourselves"/"Greatful Days"[sic]/"HANABI~episode II~) c/w "theme of a-nation '03" - ' over 590,000 copies sold 20 August 2003 "forgiveness" - ' over 220,000 copies sold 6 November 2003 "No way to say" - '''' 370,000 copies sold

from MY STORY'' 31 March 2004 "Moments" (CD/CD+DVD) - ' over 300,000 copies sold 28 July 2003 "INSPIRE" c/w "GAME" (CD/CD+DVD) - ' over 320,000 copies sold 29 September 2003 "CAROLS" (CD/CD+DVD/SACD/DVD Audio) - '''' over 300,000 copies sold from the upcoming album 20 April 2005 STEP you/is this LOVE?'' (CD/CD+DVD) - ' over 340,000 copies sold 3 August 2005 "fairyland" c/w "alterna" (CD/CD+DVD) - ' over 310,000 copies sold 14 September 2005 "HEAVEN" (CD/CD+DVD) - '''' over 300,000 copies sold (week 5)

Non-Regular Singles
6 December 2000 - the other side ONE ~previously unreleased version~ - 31 January 2001 - the other side TWO ~previously unreleased version~ - 31 January 2001 - the other side THREE ~previously unreleased version~ - 31 January 2001 - the other side FOUR ~previously unreleased version~ - 28 February 2001 - "poker face" c/w "FRIEND" (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "YOU" (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "Trust" (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "For my dear..." (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "Depend on your family" c/w "Both of united states" (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "WHATEVER" (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "LOVE~Destiny~" c/w "LOVE~since1999~" (12 cm re-release) - 28 February 2001 - "TO BE" (12 cm re-release) - 21 November 2001 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:001 - 21 November 2001 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:002 - 21 November 2001 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:003 - 21 November 2001 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:004 - 21 November 2001 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:005 - 21 November 2001 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:006 - 12 December 2001 - "a song is born" - '' (a duet with KEIKO (globe)) 2002 - "Attached" (System F presents ayu) - Released in Germany only 2003 - "Attached" (Push remix) - Released in Germany only 2004 - "Depend in that you" - Released in Germany only 2004 - "Naturally" (Wippenberg remix) - Released in Germany only 2005 - "UNITE!" - Released in Germany only''

Compilation Albums
28 March 2001 - A BEST - ' 4,300,000 copies sold 12 March 2003 - A BALLADS - ' over 1,000,000 copies sold

Remix Albums

17 March 1999 - ayu-mi-x - 16 February 2000 - SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro mix - 8 March 2000 - ayu-mi-x II version US+EU - 8 March 2000 - ayu-mi-x II version Acoustic Orchestra - 8 March 2000 - ayu-mi-x II version JPN - 29 March 2000 - ayu-mi-x II version Non-Stop Mega Mix - 28 February 2001 - ayu-mi-x III Acoustic Orchestra Version - 28 February 2001 - ayu-mi-x III Non-Stop Mega Mix Version - 27 September 2001 - SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro mix 2 - ' 27 September 2001 - Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance - 20 March 2002 - ayu-mi-x 4 + selection Acoustic Orchestra Version - 20 March 2002 - ayu-mi-x 4 + selection Non-Stop Mega Mix Version - 26 September 2002 - Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2 - 25 September 2003 - ayumi hamasaki RMX WORKS from SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro mix 3 - 25 September 2003 - ayumi hamasaki RMX WORKS from ayu-mi-x 5 non stop mega mix - 25 September 2003 - ayumi hamasaki RMX WORKS from Cyber TRANCE presents ayu TRANCE 3 - 24 March 2005 - MY STORY Classical - DVD

Video Clips
HAMASAKI AYUMI (29 March 2000) vogue Far away SEASONS (20 September 2000) SURREAL (13 December 2000) M (7 February 2001) evolution (13 June 2001) A clips vol.2 (13 March 2002) ayumi hamasaki COMPLETE CLIP BOX A(25 February 2004) Moments (31 March 2004) INSPIRE (28 July 2004) CAROLS (29 September 2004) STEP you/is this LOVE? (20 April 2005) fairyland (3 August 2005) HEAVEN (14 September 2005)

Short Film
月に沈む(Tsuki ni Shizumu) (Sinking in the Moon) based on "Voyage" Clip (13 November 2002)

DVDS
ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第1幕 (27 September 2000) ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第2幕 (27 September 2000) ayumi hamasaki countdown live 2000-2001 A (20 June 2001) ayumi hamasaki DOME TOUR 2001 A (12 December 2001) ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVE 2001-2002 A (29 January 2003) (ONLY IN THE COMPLETE LIVE BOX) ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2002 A (29 January 2003) ayumi hamasaki STADIUM TOUR 2002 A (29 January 2003) ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVE 2002-2003 A (29 January 2003) (ONLY IN THE COMPLETE LIVE BOX) ayumi hamasaki COMPLETE LIVE BOX A (29 January 2003) ayumi hamasaki A museum ~30th single collection live~ (25 February 2004) ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2003-2004 A (29 September 2004) ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN Live 2004-2005 A (2 March 2005) ayumi Hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2005 A ~MY STORY~ (24 August 2005) '

DVD Audio
RAINBOW (9 July 2003) CAROLS (29 September 2004) MY STORY (24 March 2005)

VHS

Video Clip Compilations
A Film for XX(15 September 1999) A clips(23 February 2000) vogue Far away SEASONS(12 July 2000) SURREAL(13 December 2000) M(7 February 2001) evolution(13 June 2001) A clips vol.2(13 March 2002)

Lives
ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第1幕 (13 September 2000) ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第2幕 (13 September 2000) ayumi hamasaki countdown live 2000-2001 A (20 June 2001) ayumi hamasaki DOME TOUR 2001 A (12 December 2001) ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2002 A (29 January 2003) ayumi hamasaki STADIUM TOUR 2002 A (29 January 2003) OTHERS
A VISUAL MIX (PlayStation 2 software, 13 December 2001)