Who is She?
She is an American born, Japanese Singer-Songwriter. Ever since her debut in 1998, she has dominated the Japanese music scene. She is the best selling artist in Japan ever. Her ability to fluently speak both English and Japanese has helped her create an incredibly diverse fanbase. Under Universal Island Records, she debuted in the western music industry while continuing her Japanese career with Toshiba-EMI.
*** Quick Facts ***
Everything You Need to Know
Given name: Hikaru [hee'kaa'rlu] (ヒカル) - meaning 'shining' in Japanese

Surname: Utada [oo'ta'da] (宇多田)

Nickname: Hikki [heek'kee] (ヒッキー)

Date of Birth: January 19, 1983

Place of Birth: New York, NY, U.S.A.

Height: 158cm

Began carrer in music on / First recorded songs: 1990; as part of family musical group U3 (aka. cubic U) on the album "U*STAR" (released September, 1993; Hikki wrote lyrics of two songs, at the age of 10)

Solo Debut: 1997 - January 1998 (under the name Cubic U)

Japanese Debut (as 宇多田ヒカル): December, 1998 (with "Automatic" single)

International Debut: EXODUS Album - Fall 2004 (Japan: 9.08.2004; US: 10.05.2004)

Record:
  • "First Love" is the best selling Japanese album ever (10 Million units sold; 32× Platinum).
  • Est. 52 Million Albums Sold to date.


  • Albums:
  • This Is The One (American Release; English)
  • HEART STATION
  • ULTRA BLUE,
  • EXODUS (under name Utada; English; U.S. Debut),
  • DEEP RIVER,
  • Distance,
  • First Love,
  • Precious (under name Cubic U; in English),
  • U*STAR (as part of U3 group)

    Concerts:
  • In The Flesh 2010 Tour (First Tour outside of Japan in U.S./U.K., January 15 - Feburary 12, 2010)
  • Utada United 2006 Concert Tour (Jul 1 - Sept 10, 2006)
  • New York Showcase Live @ Skylight Studios, NYC (Feb 23, 2005),
  • Hikaru no 5 @ Nippon Budokan Series (Feb 2004),
  • Bohemian Summer 2000 Series (Jul-Aug 2000),
  • Sokenbicha Natural Breeze Concert @ Nippon Budokan (Aug 24, 1999),
  • LUV LIVE (Apr 1-2, 1999)


  • Ex-Husband: Kazuaki Kiriya (Divorced 2007-Mar-2)

    Father: Teruzane Utada (producer/musician who now runs U3music, the family music company; Her manager)

    Mother: Junko Utada aka. Keiko Fuji (was a popular enka (Japanese ballad) singer in the 1970s; maiden name Junko Abe)