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Or it could be possible that she didn't realize the context of that statement.

I think she will tour the US again and do a show in NYC. It's her hometown so i think she will consider it. If she doesn't do a concert anytime soon im pretty sure she will end up doing various appearences on talk shows or something like that. ^_^

I do think Hikki's planning on taking a break in the near future, but my understanding was that she wants to have kids, so I imagine the two would likely coincide. I somehow doubt she'll ever completely drop out of the music scene altogether; when you're with something as long as she's been with this, you grow attached to it in a way you might not imagine initially. My prediction is that she'll go on hiatus within the next couple of years, maybe start a family and think up new creative ideas. Possibly she'll still produce and write for other artists behind the scenes. Then, when the time is right, she'll come back with an album and pick up her career again. It's not like her fans are going anywhere, after all, and there's no need for her to rush.

As for touring...it's a different situation with Hikki than many artists. She's pretty much built her career (in terms of her character as a performer) around her quirks, and one of those quirks is that she isn't really a performer at all. Yes, she's a great singer, and yes, she makes fantastic music, but we all know she feels more comfortable in the studio than she does in front of a live audience. I think that's just the kind of person she is. She still connects with us through her blogs and all that, but she's made it clear in the past that touring really isn't her thing. And unlike artists that NEED tours to make their money, she really doesn't; she's popular enough that she can hide out in her room and make music on her Mac and never have to really show her face, and she could easily get by. In that way, Hikki is a bit like Enya, who has NEVER toured, ever, but is still famous and well-known.

That being said, I think the "In the Flesh" experience was very enlightening for Utada. From what she's been saying, her energy seems different; she likes that it's intimate and simple. I think she feels a lot more at home on smaller stages where she can ad lib and talk to people who are all crammed in the same space as her, and I don't think she's ever been able to do that in Japan. Stadium performances are much, much different from that, the entire atmosphere is different, so "In the Flesh" may have altered some of her perspectives on what touring can be like. I think she's genuinely enjoyed this tour, and it's certainly been a success, so there's no reason not for her to come back if she wants to. That's the thing about Hikki; she's a very whimsical person (I know because I am too), and we can't hold what she says in one interview or to one crowd against her. She'll pretty much do what she wants to do as she decides she wants to do it. She's totally unpredictable, which is one of her greatest attributes in my opinion. :3

I think people are reading too much into the "have a good life" statement. It makes sense. It's like saying, "Take care of yourselves." and probably shouldn't be read into THAT hard. SHE knows how much the fans love her, and honestly, she already said it, she loves us, too. She wants all of us to live good lives as well. Don't be afraid, and besides, she's been in this business for a long time. Even if she did retire/hiatus, she deserves it. I'm sure you can still look her up for a collaboration. Have faith that if she was TRULY going to retire, she'd tell us.

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That's so funny that you mentioned Enya, because when I was reading that I was thinking "Enyanomics!!!" Enya never does concerts and she's extremely famous and I imagine very rich.

Utada is such a better performer than she realizes, though. She really commands the stage and really gets into it. And it looked like she was having a lot of fun at the NYC show.

I also think Utada learned a lot about her US fans in this tour - I don't even think she realized she HAD US fans until the Sephora events! But we're incredibly loyal to her and there was so much excitement surrounding this tour.

And I was really just joking about the "have a good life" statement. My guess is that she said it because she knew she wouldn't be touring again for a while, so the group that was assembled there will probably not be the same group of people if/when she returns to NYC.

Honestly I think by 2020 she will have done another tour even if she does take a break - my guess is it'll probably be mostly Japanese venues with maybe NYC and Vegas and a few other American cities thrown in. This tour hasn't been nearly as taxing on her as UU06 (fewer venues, smaller audiences, etc.) so if she does smaller shows like this, she can probably do both countries. Or maybe I'm just overly optimistic XD

I'm pretty sure she'll be coming back to Hawaii (or at least I am optimistic.... Though in general I'm a pessimist) because it's between Japan and the US

most singers don't come here because of planes but she has to get on one to get here in the first place

plus there are a lot of Asians here, and the Japanese can fly over and get vacation and concert all at once

Well said, Shurikid.

Anyways we need not worry too much. She will tour again but definitely not so soon. Look at how long the intervals are between her previous tours and the current one. Nevertheless, we should always live with hope! Utada, please, if you want to retire, at least perform live once near my country. I haven't seen her live yet! GAH!

At the concert in London (12th anyways) she was saying how she wants to go to spain and was laughing at all the other places we were all from and saying there is a lot of places she hasn't been so maybe she would like to do more of europe (Yes please!!!)

It really felt like she enjoyed herself and she seemed so happy to be able to be with us all after, what she said, we have waited so long to see her. She was saying she hopes we meet again some day etc. and idk you could just get a vibe from her that she was really enjoying herself.

She said we (the 12th crowd) were much more lively than the 11th and she seemed to be loving the energy we gave her so I think she would definately consider coming back!

I agree I think she didn't realise what a response she would get from the US and UK, so I think she was pleasantly surprised :) And us English peeps even knew the Japanese lyrics which I hope she appreciated hehe ^^

I am just happy that now no matter what happens I can say I have seen my favourite singer in my lifetime and If I die tomorrow I will die happy hehe :3

I love you Hikki! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to sing with you <3