I absolutely agree with ItsDaveyJ. She isn't conforming, she just wants to try it out. She isn't selling out.

If people haven't realize this.... well, between us.... Hikki is no "sell out" and that is a fact. just buy her new album TITO, and the reason will become clear to ya

I just got her japanese version in the mail, I must say, now that I saw the pics up close from the booklet, Im loving that granny shirt shes wearing :P lol

Shakes his head*

Before i go on to defend Hikki,(yes, i am Biased.) i am first to put my hands up and say I do not care whether Hikki is selling-out. (Frankly i found Exodus Incomprehensible, but that's another story)

Let's start with a Green day quote
"If there's a formula to selling out, I think every band in the world would be doing it", he said. "The fact that you write good songs and you sell too many of them, if everybody in the world knew how to do that they'd do it. It's not something we chose to do."
"The fact was we got to a point that we were so big that tons of people were showing up at punk-rock clubs, and some clubs were even getting shut down because too many were showing up. We had to make a decision: either break up or remove ourselves from that element. And I'll be damned if I was going to flip (censored)ing burgers. I do what I do best. Selling out is compromising your musical intention and I don't even know how to do that"

"Selling out" refers to the compromising of one's integrity, morality and principles in exchange for money, 'success' (however defined) or other personal gain.

I Want to ask our dear friends. Ignoring the second part, in what way has Hikki compromised her Integrity, morality and principles? Does she even need the Money?
By going "Mainstream"? IMO, Hikki has been slipping in and out of streams, her musical path is that unique. Try and lock her in one particular Genre. Is she a "Pop" Singer? R&B? part of the Ethereal/Experimental wave? Ballads?

I question the Notion that her latest material is similar to other works in the USA market today. please name concrete examples. I do not however question the status of it being "Mainstream." IMO, Hikki empowers the Mainstream with her own brand of music. Whether it is considered mainstream or not doesn't matter.

Back to her notion of selling out. "A person who does this, as opposed to continuing along his or her original path, is labelled a sellout and typically regarded with disgust and immediate loss of respect"
Her Original path?
"First love" (mainstream) ---> "Passion!(Sidestream?) ---->
"Prisoner of love" (mainstream)
How do we even define her music as mainstream or not?
Mainstream is, generally, the common current of thought of the majority. So is passion, being so popular, yet is so unique in itself, considered not mainstream?

This album is a breakthrough (yes i am biased. I have listened to Exodus countless times, IMO, she overstretched her musical ability)as a English Release. As much as you do not like it, it does not diguise the fact it is marketed to the American Public. Hikki had alot of fun doing Exodus, but she might think that she wants her material to be receptive to the American Public: again you might argue is it a sell-out, but i say, just going mainstream does not equate to selling out. (which brings me to the point that Hikki's songs can never be bridged by the Maintream/other streams debate.)IMO, some of the songs in the album SCREAM Hikki(i would even compare it, hold your breath, to Distance, though i admit that i stretching it a bit far.)


I would be the first to admit that i personally do not like Dance tracks. Here, Hikki input was to put in dance tracks(dirty desire, on and on, poppin). i was surprised as Hikki has previously did not step into such areas. I didn't think that Hikki could do such tracks before, which showed her development as an Artiste. I do not think experimenting with other genre as a sellout, i do think experimenting with something that cannot be defined is really weird (Exodus), i really took a long long long time.

Exodus was experimental? nope, it was weird at best. it was too other, so alien that i found it frankly incomprehensible. If you compare TITO to Exodus, i would say yes, She Has IMPROVED. If you compared it to her japanese material, narh, it's incomparable. Lets compare it to the releases in the American Market, and i say that She has done much better.

For those who insist that Hikki has sell-out, or turned Mainstream, i respect your opinion. In that case, i would say it is a top-notch Sellout/mainstream album (lady gaga?Taylor swift? Kelly? Leona "Bleeding" Lewis?). It's frankly insulting to say that hikki has just released crap. First Love was pure R&B, Distance was Jpop at it's pinnacle, and both seem pretty mainstream to me (heck, they are in the top ten list in the Oricon), until Deep River blew everyone away. Is Hikki Regressing? I do not think so. Did she come up with crap?

OOT Comment:
ultra blue's a mark of a true artist. Carving out such a unique and yet appealing musical style that what is perceived not to be Mainstream actually became so popular that it turned Mainstream, yet can be quintessentially be defined as the "Hikki"-sound.
Ultra Blue did it because it was experimental, yet appealing. Exodus, frankly, nope. it might have a cult following, but Ultra Blue did had a cult following and a mainstream audience, which IMO define success musically. Was Utada's brand of music in UB considered experimental? it was, but it was yet so appealing to the mass audience, that when heart station was released, it was "Mainstream" in every sense of the word.(Defined as 'the common current of thought of the majority.'), but because NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE, can Emulate it, Hikki is destined for greatness (Movin on without you blaring in the background ^_^)
what i am trying to point out was the fact Exodus did not manage to, for all it's experimentality, it failed to appeal to the mass audience. Something new that appeals and yet is unique is a extremely thing to achieve. Ultra Blue did it, Exodus, nope.
Green day works are considered totally mainstream, but they appeal totally. Does not mean a sell-out, never was!

back to topic:
As for the lyrics, read between the lines. Exodus took a long while for me to understand, TITO too. Don't judge the lyrics by it's words. (Come back to me, lyrically, is one of her best works IMO)

just my 2 cents.
In-depth analysis coming for Each song.
watch this space.

ultra blue is diffently one of utada best album she ever made

TITO is one of the best albums I have heard in the past 6 months. It has such a unique style that many artists here in the U.S. don't have. I honestly don't get how she sold out. Just because some of you don't like the genre or direction of the album doesen't give you the right to accuse her of selling out. I wonder how many people would actually say that to her face...

I've been lurking around the site for a while, but I'd like to throw in my two cents as well.

Let me just say I love Hikki, and TITO was good, but not GREAT in my own humble opinion.

It's definitely a new sound, props to her for trying something different from what she usually does.

It's just.... I can only take so much of the electronic drums and a few of the lyrics made me cringe a little from their cheesy-ness.

Her voice still sounds AMAZING as usual though, and I will definitely be picking up the CD in May just to show my support.

i'm not going to lie. i was expecting more from Hikki. but when i really listened to it, i began to like it ALOT. it is def. better than Exodus, and yes i do like Exodus it was the first cd of her's i bought. but what i guess i dont understand is why is her japanese music different than her English? i mean compare Heart Station and Ultra Blue to Exodus and This Is The One, why such a change just because of a location, anywho love the cd, love her and i cannot wait to buy the cd and i hope she goes on tour!!!

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The differences are clear really... Hikki also explains it in her recent interviews. It has more to do with the language and how she feel more feminine when she sings in English. Another reason is probably because TITO is more mainstream like everyone say it is vs. experimental Exodus. Finally, this is my from my own observation but obviously Hikki is more developed as a female musician since Exodus.

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oh okies! i see now thanks!