UTADA: FRESH NEW SOUND FOR THE FALL
7-6-04 \\ Utada.com
21-year-old singer/songwriter Utada will offer a fresh new
sound for music fans this Fall when her US debut album, EXODUS, is
released Oct. 5 on Island. An enigmatic fusion of alternative,
pop, dance and funk grooves, EXODUS features witty lyrics and
well-crafted melodies. The first remix single on the album is
"Devil Inside," an hypnotic dance track laced with
electronic Asian-flavored beats that is sure to be a club
favorite. Another winning track is the sunny pop melody "Easy
Breezy," which will be the first radio single off the album.
Utada is also joined on her debut album by some outstanding
special guests such as drummer Jon Theodore from Mars Volta, who
delivers an infectious groove on "Kremlin Dusk," and
master producer Timbaland who adds his funky touch to "Exodus
'04," "Wonder 'Bout" and "Let Me Give You My
Love." Here's what they had to say about recording with Utada:
"She's above the typical trappings of pop music because her
voice is beautiful and she writes her own music. She has
discerning taste that sort of transcends the genre. It's not
really classifiable." --Jon Theodore of Mars Volta
"We did some great work together-Exodus is such a fabulous
song and Utada is the best!" --Timbaland
"By Your Side"
Playing on U.S. Radio
6-23-04 \\ Utada-Online.net
According to Timbaland's label's message board, it seems as though
several people have heard "By Your Side" airing on US
radio. The locations mentioned were Tampa, Florida, Chicago,
Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska. Although we can't confirm this
quite yet, keep your ears peeled if you end up sitting in traffic,
listening to the radio.
Remember this name: UTADA
6-19-04 \\ Island Def Jam Records
NEW YORK, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In Fall 2004, 21-year-old
singer/songwriter Utada will introduce the U.S. to her enigmatic
fusion of alternative, pop, dance and funk grooves with EXODUS,
her U.S. debut on Island Records. The stylish young star composes,
writes and arranges all her songs, infusing her music with
seductive, witty lyrics and well-crafted melodies. She is joined
on her debut album by some outstanding special guests that reflect
her varied tastes: drummer Jon Theodore from Mars Volta delivers
an infectious groove on "Kremlin Dusk," and master
producer Timbaland, who adds his funky touch to "Exodus
'04," "Wonder 'Bout" and "Let Me Give You My
Love."
Raised in New York in a musical
family (her father is a musician/producer and her mom was a
beloved traditional-style Japanese singer in Japan), Utada was fed
a diverse musical diet of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Metallica,
The Police, and Dr. Dre, all of whom left their mark on Utada's
musical style. At age 13, she was approached by Toshiba EMI to
write several Japanese pop songs, resulting shortly thereafter in
her first major album for the label in 1999. The release sold over
10 million copies in Japan, catapulting Utada to superstar status
at just 15 years of age. So watch out U.S. ... Utada fever is one
the way this fall!
Island Def Jam throws a party for UTADA!
6.9.04 \\ Utada.com
Island Records hosted a exclusive listening party for Utada on
June 8th at 5Ninth in New York City. Tracks from Utada's
English language debut, out this fall, filled the evening with her
intoxicating brand of music.
Great Unknown
5.3.04 \\ Nylon Magazine
As Japan's biggest pop star- who is also just a normal student
in Manhattan- Utada Hikaru has the best of both worlds. But for
how much longer?
By Jeffrey Rotter
Nylon Magazine; June/July 2004
The woman in this picture led a double life. In New York City, her
hometown, she's a Tolstoy fan who just took a leave of absence
from Columbia University. She's unassuming, even a bit bookish.
She shops at Gap. But in Japan she's got more fans than Yugi Oh.
She sells out stadiums, and she did an MTV Unplugged.
Her name is Utada Hikaru, and she's one of Japan's biggest pop
stars. Hikaru's debut album, First Love, sold about 10 million
copies. A recent deal with Island Def Jam may put an end to her
stateside anonymity. The singer-songwriter's first big US effort
has a lot going for it. For one thing, Hikaru has reenergized her
sound- gone is the precious pop of her Japanese releases, replaced
by aggressive beats and an air of dance-floor sexuality that's
strung with sonic gewgaws. For another thing, she called a Top-40
expert for a few of the tunes. Ten days in Miami with the
can't-miss producer Timbaland resulted in three of the funkiest
numbers on the record. "The whole time, I couldn't believe I
was working with him," she says, obviously a bit star struck.
"He said, 'You know, Utada, you're pretty dope.' I said,
'Thanks. You're pretty dope, too.'"
But the singer's trump card is her Japanese-American identity- a
singular perspective in pop music. In "The Workout,"
Hikaru sings, "I was dancing with a dirty blond Texan/I
showed him how people in the Far East get down." She's well
aware of her transcultural allure, and she works it. "Yeah,
well, it's so fun to!" She says, "It's natural, because
it's a big part of what I think about in my daily life. And it's
something I can really take advantage of. It's a bit of a
reaction- sometimes with their second album, people write songs
about how they're famous but they haven't changed. But I already
have this position that I can react to: I am Japanese, and it's
really fun to be Japanese right now. I flip through the channels
and I see all the old animes that I use to watch when I was really
small- and I think, 'They're playing this in the US?'"
The singer has an excellent pop pedigree. Her mom, Keiko Fuji, was
one of Japan's most beloved singers in the 1970s. Her father,
producer Teruzane Utada, gives her guidance in the studio and
manages Hikaru's career.
By any measure, Utada has it good. She can enjoy Xtina-scale
adulation in Japan, but back home in Manhattan she can live like a
normal twenty-something. So, why would she ever want to raise her
profile on these shores? "My mom has actually asked me, 'What
are you going to do if you do get famous here?'" She says,
"Part of me is like: 'Yeah, right.' Then part of me is like:
'What if I do get famous?! I can't just walk into a deli at night
wearing my pajamas!'"
Still, Utada insists that American provides a kinder climate for
fame. "I feel a bit freer here," she says. "Japan
is the kind of place where if you get caught with weed, your
records get taken off the shelves. I feel like there's a bit more
room to find your own position here." And if American fame
starts to drive her crazy? "I can go to Fiji or
someplace."
FLYTETYME SCORES #1 GLOBAL
ALBUM!
3-11-04 \\ Flyte
Tyme News
"WHILE A LOT OF ATTENTION IN
THE LAST WEEK HAS BEEN ON THE 1-2 PUNCH OF THE NEW USHER AND JANET
ALBUM IN THE UNITED STATES, THE BIGGER STORY IS WORLDWIDE!
ACCORDING TO THE OFFICAL GLOBAL ALBUM CHART WEBSITE, WHICH TRACKS
ALL THE CHARTS ON THE PLANET, JANET'S "DAMITA JO" WAS
THE 3RD BEST SELLING ALBUM IN THE WORLD, TALLYING AROUND A
HALF-MILLION COPIES, WHILE USHER'S "CONFESSIONS" WAS #2,
SELLING AN IMPRESSIVE 670,000 COPIES IN IT'S 2ND WEEK (AND
TOTALLING OVER 2 MILLION WORLDWIDE IN JUST 2 WEEKS!) SO WHO'S
NUMBER 1?! WELL IF YOU'RE A TRUE FLYTETYME FAN YOU PROBABLY HAVE
IT FIGURED OUT! FOR THOSE WHO NEED CLUES, THE NUMBER 1 ALBUM IN
THE WORLD IS BY A FEMALE ARTIST WHO HAS RISEN TO THE TOP OF THE
CHARTS WITH NOT ONE, BUT TWO FLYTETYME PRODUCED SINGLES! BOTH
SINGLES SOLD OVER 2 MILLION COPIES APIECE! THE # 1 ALBUM THAT
CONTAINED THOSE SINGLES WENT ON TO SELL OVER 6 MILLION COPIES! SHE
FINISHED HER TOUR WITH 3 SOLD OUT STADIUM DATES AND WAS JOINED BY
JIMMY & TERRY ON STAGE AT HER FINAL SHOW! AND EVEN WHILE
ENJOYING ALL THAT SUCCESS, SHE STILL REMAINED A STUDENT AT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN NYC, AND ALL WHILE STILL A TEENAGER! GIVE
UP? HER NAME IS HIKARU UTADA! AND SHE'S THE BIGGEST SELLING POP
ARTIST IN JAPANESE MUSIC HISTORY! HER NEW ALBUM OF GREATEST HITS
CALLED "THE SINGLE COLLECTION VOL 1" DEBUTS AT #1 ON THE
OFFICIAL GLOBAL ALBUM CHART! THE ALBUM SOLD OVER 1.4 MILLION UNITS
IN THE 1ST WEEK! IT'S ALSO THE 1ST TIME A JAPANESE ALBUM OPENED AT
#1 WORLDWIDE! THE NEW ALBUM CONTAINS ALL OF HER HITS INCLUDING THE
JAM & LEWIS PRODUCED #1 SINGLES "ADDICTED TO YOU"
AND "WAIT AND SEE"! JIMMY & TERRY, AND THE WHOLE
FLYTETYME FAMILY SEND CONGRATULATIONS TO HIKARU ON HER HISTORIC
ACCOMPISHMENT!"
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