Gourt > Arts > Music > Bands and Artists > U > Utada, Hikaru
, also known as Utada, is an American-born Japanese J-pop star. She is one of the most popular and successful Japanese artists today, owing to her personality, singing, songwriting and producing abilities, lifestyle, and upbringing.
Utada's names
Utada's name variations have been a source of some minor confusions in the past. Her legal Japanese name is currently , born . The current status of her legal US name as well as the status of her US citizenship is unclear. She debuted as Cubic U in the States, but went mostly unknown during this era in her career. When she moved from the US to Japan, she made big under her homonymic stage name , which she is still popularly known as in Japan even after her marriage. In Japan, it was known to her fans that her nickname growing up in the US was . However, due to her immense popularity in Japan, she became better known under this nickname in Japan than in the States. Unlike most Japanese artists, she became well known in the English speaking world under the surname-first name ordering ("Utada Hikaru"), since her name has been romanized only in that order for the Japanese domestic market. After her successes in Japan, she re-entered the US market simply as Utada. On a few rare occasions, she has been credited in full on US domestic albums as either "Hikaru Utada" or "Utada Hikaru".
Biography
Utada Hikaru was born in New York City, New York to Japanese parents who both had roots in the Japanese music industry: her father, Teruzane Utada, was a producer, while her mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer (she performed under the stage name "Keiko Fuji"). She made her first professional recording at the age of twelve, and recorded her first album, Precious, in 1996 under the pseudonym Cubic U. The album led to her career overseas. In a recent MTV interview (MTV's You Hear It First, October 2004), Utada said: "Someone in Japan heard it, at a Japanese record company, and he said, 'Oh, can't you write in Japanese? You speak Japanese.' And I didn't want to say no, so I had to try it." More on [ Utada Hikaru ]
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Utada Hikaru - The artist's official page. Content in English and Japanese.
A Hikki Obsession - Biography, ringtones, discography, lyrics, photos, videos, MP3s, and links.
Aitai Utada Hikaru - Fan site dedicated to the life and music of the artist. Includes translated Lyrics, photographs, biography and guestbook.
AsiaFinest: Utada Hikaru - Profile.
Meta Description: [ Check out the in depth bio of Utada Hikaru and her extensive photo gallery! ]
Hikaru Utada - A fan site for the Japanese singer/songwriter. Artist information, discography, and sound clips.
Meta Description: [ This site exists for the purpose of introducing Hikaru Utada (Hikki/Cubic U) who is a famous Japanese artiste to the world. ]
Hikki Info in Southbay - Unofficial website of 16 year old Japanese RB singer. Provides a discography, photographs, artist information, bulletin board, chat room, news and links.
Hikki Texts - Offers up-to-date English translations of messages originally written in Japanese by the artist.
Meta Description: [ offers up-to-date English translations of messages originally written in Japanese by Utada Hikaru aka Utada, an American-born Japanese singer-songwriter. ]
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Killing Angel's Homepage - My little space in the inter-web. Section on Utada Hikaru - Romanji Lyrics and Translations, Piano Sheet Music, Official Screensaver and Wallpaper sets.
Utada - Official site from the singer's U.S. distributor, Island Records, with message board, biography, pictures, mailing list, buddy icons and wallpapers.
Utada-Online.net - Fan site dedicated to the Island Records artist. Contains news, discography, profile, links, and audio and video downloads.
Meta Description: [ For the Progressive Utada Fan ]
| Guide to the singles of Utada Hikaru who has had a career spanning 10 years in Japan despite having only turned 25 this ... | |
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