She's "That Japanese girl" that you're going
to be hearing a lot from, soon.
"Utada" is her family name, and music is the family
business. Born in Manhattan to a
traditional-Japanese-style-singer Mom and musician/producer
Dad, she was flying frequently between New York and Tokyo
before she had learned to walk. Now, 21 years old and
bilingual, Utada prizes her unstable, nomadic upbringing which
has instilled in her an open yet analytic mind, and the
confidence to quickly adapt to any new environment.
To Utada, both metropolises are home. Then perhaps the
recording studio could be called her third. There she went
after school to do homework, take naps under huge speakers,
and watch her parents recording music.
As naturally as a shoemaker's son takes up his father's tools,
she composed and recorded her first song at age 11. At 13, she
recorded her first solo album in English---she had written and
composed most of the songs. A year later, a music producer at
Toshiba EMI casually asked her if she was capable of writing
Japanese songs. Her answer would become the first recording
for her debut album, which has sold over 9 million copies
since its release in 1999.
Let me guess; that number either impressed you, or it totally
turned you off with the thought that she's another one of
those big foreign acts that try to break the US market and
can't even cause a stir. Now, let me bet, that when you hear
Utada's music, you will listen hard because it is nothing like
what you expected, maybe sense a smile creeping up your
cheeks, and after drawing your personal opinion, look forward
with wonder to how the rest of America is going to take it.
"I'm always troubled when people ask me to classify my
music," says Utada. "I try to make GOOD, original
music; something entertaining, different, memorable,
well-crafted, and worth paying money for. Sometimes I'm as pop
as The Police; sometimes as fierce as The Mars Volta, and I
always, always enjoy being humorous and seductive."
In Japan, Utada quickly acquired a notoriety for sparse media
exposure due to academic priorities (like... high school!).
She is currently on leave from Columbia University, opting the
intensity of her career over campus life. "I realized
that I already knew exactly what I wanted to do. And so for
the first time, I consciously chose music as a full time
profession. Maybe I'll go back to University when I'm a
grandmother." For now she prefers doing most of her work
alone with her laptop and keyboard, sequencing and arranging,
composing, and writing lyrics.
"When my music starts playing on airwaves and clubs, I
want everybody to notice and say, 'Hey, this is that Japanese
girl, right?!' " ...But how will we recognize her at
first, with just her music? Take it from Utada who says,
"I'll make sure that you know it's me."
"written by Utada" |
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