Ayumi Hamasaki

Olivia Irvin

Early Life

Ayumi was raised by her mother and grandmother She was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Born October 2, 1978

At just seven years old, she began her modeling career She was eventually dropped because she was “too short”

After being dropped by her agency, she dropped out of school and began singing and dancing at disco clubs

Early Life

Ayumi was originally inspired by the rap genre, which explains the Western influence in her music

She met Max Matsuura at one of the disco clubs she danced at, and he became her producer She was sent to New York to start vocal training

Max suggested she try writing her own lyrics

Rise to Fame

“Poker Face” was the name of Ayumi’s first single The song was a hit

She released three other singles following this, all of while were more popular than the first. Her third single made it to the top ten on the Oricon weekly charts

Her debut album “A Song For xx” was a hit with her fans They loved the heartfelt lyrics she wrote

It remained on the charts for weeks

September 11

The reason I chose Ayumi as my favorite artist, is because she has such good intentions for her music and isn’t afraid of the consequences of what the critics might think

For example, after September 11 occurred, she completely shifted the theme of her album “I Am…” and dedicated it to those who died or lost loved ones in the event. The album had themes of faith and world peace

Some of the songs incorporated English in them , and some had characteristics of rock music

Ayumi and Her Fans

During the time Ayumi was at her peak, 12 cm disks were becoming a trend She was able to store more data in them, and included remixes of her singles in the disks

She also launched a promotional campaign for “Rainbow” Those who bought the album online could access a password-protected website that had the

instrumental version of the track “Rainbow”

Today, her music is available on iTunes or to stream on websites such as YouTube or Google Play.

Influences

As stated before, Ayumi was influenced by Western music from the start She originally tried to get into the rap game, but was unsuccessesful

Regardless, Western influences are still very apparent in her music

She constantly tried to keep up with the current trends in music

It is hard to find the Japanese influences in Ayumi’s music because keeping up with the current trends does not always mean including Japanese influences in her music.

Ayumi Today

Today, Ayumi is known as the queen of J-Pop She continues to release new music

Her most recent album is titled “Colours” Within the first week of it’s release, it has sold 39,295 copies

It placed 5th on the Oricon album chart

She has 15 albums to date, and has appeared in 10 films

Conclusion

Ayumi had to go through many hardships to get where she is today

She was dropped by several agencies before she found her calling

The queen of J-Pop is still releasing music and touring the world for her fans

She has a big heart and continues to show that through her music