Did you know Hikki regularly DJed a radio program back 1998?
"HIKKI'S SWEET AND SOUR" was her radio program that began in October 1998 and will be replayed to commemorate the 15th anniversary of her debut!
Here is the broadcast schedule:
At 13:00 ~ 14:00 Japan time on InterFM every Saturday
2/1 1st '98 10/04 10/11 episode
2/8 2nd '98 11/08, 11/15 episode
2/15 3rd '98 11/22, 11/29 episode
2/22 4th '98 12/13, 12/27 episode
3/1 5th '98 1/03, 1/17 episode
3/8 6th '98 1/24, 1/31 episode
3/15 7th '98 2/07, 2/28 episode
3/22 8th '98 3/07, 3/14 episode
3/29 9th '98 3/21, 3/28 episode
Happy Birthday to Hikki!
She turns 31 today!
While the past year has been a difficult year, 2014 marks 15 years since her amazing debut and 15 years of an amazing career.
From the fans, Hikki, we wish you nothing but the best and happiness!
December 9th, 2013 marks the 15th year anniversary of Hikaru Utada's debut! To commemorate this occasion, two 15th Anniversary package sets are being released.
The "First Love -15th Anniversary Deluxe Edition-" will be a limited run set with only 5000 copies made. Looks like they are upping that to 15,000 after it sold out so quickly!
It will include 4 discs:
-Platinum 'First Love' album CD (2014 remastered edition, on platinum disc),
-LUV LIVE concert DVD,
-'First Love' Karaoke CD (instrumentals of all FL tracks, except 'Interlude'),
-and a BONUS CD with previously unreleased material;
This edition will also include a hard-cover book with unreleased photos & scans of hand-written lyrics, promotional items, and replica LUV LIVE ticket and backstage pass.
It is being sold for 15,000円
The "First Love -15th Anniversary Edition-" (non-deluxe) will include 2 discs:
-'First Love' album CD (2014 remastered edition, regular cd - not platinum disc)
-LUV LIVE concert DVD
It is being sold for 4,000円
Now its important to note that the LUV LIVE concert, was her first live concert performance, and the video of which has never been released (I have heard audio from it, but have never seen any video footage).
Also, really excited to hear that Bonus CD with unreleased tracks.
Both editions are being released March 10, 2014, preorders are available now.
For more information, see: http://www.utadahikaru.jp/release/index_j.htm#firstlove
After nearly four year since the IN THE FLESH 2010 tour began, the concert video is now available from iTunes Japan, and shortly iTunes US (no word on other regional iTunes yet). IN THE FLESH, was a small venue concert tour that Hikki did in various cities across the United States and in London, UK. The tour was an opportunity for her Western fans to get up close in a small intimate performance (much closer than any Japanese stadium concert).
http://www.itunes.com/utada_hikaru
Check out the preview clip of her performance of Passion/Sanctuary
hit the jump to see the track listing...
According to the InterFM KUMA POWER HOUR page on Tuesday September 17, there will be no 『KUMA POWER HOUR with Utada Hikaru』radio show.
The content for September 17 will be a memorial program for Fuji Keiko by DJ Kyoichi Tsuzuki from Roadside Radio.
KUMA POWER HOUR with Utada Hikaru will be back on October 15
Keiko Fuji, also known as Junko Utada, has died today. She was Hikaru's mother, as well as a singer herself in the 1970s.
From all the fans, our sincere condolences to Hikaru and the Utada family.
>> Japan Times
[UPDATE]:
On Monday the 26th, Hikaru and Teruzane posted statements on Hikki's Website in the messages section.
The following is a translation of Hikaru's message by 'a_kikoo':
Quote:
"On the morning of August 22nd, my mother took her own life.
There have been many speculations going around, so please let me talk about a few things.
For a long time, she had been suffering from a mental illness. With that disposition, it was very difficult to get her to receive treatment on her own will. I was always troubled about what to do as her family, and what would be the best for her.
Since I was little, I've watched the progression of my mother's illness. As her symptoms got worse, her distrust for people including family continued to grow, she became uncertain between reality and fantasy, and lost control over her own emotions and actions. I was just tossed around by it and wasn't able to do anything.
I wish that my mother has been released from her longtime suffering. At the same time, I am too sad and my sense of regret only grows.
She was misunderstood a lot... she was a coward but had a strong spirit, she was filled with a sense of justice, she loved to laugh, was quick in thinking, impulsive and dangerous like a child, careless that you couldn't leave her alone, and more lovely than anyone else. Even though I have many sad memories, she is laughing when I think about her.
I feel proud that I am my mother's daughter. I am very thankful that I was able to meet her.
I've received many heart-warming words and realized that I am supported by many people. Thank you very much."
August 26, 2013
Hikaru Utada
Just a reminder that Hikki is still around. She is doing her in thing in bilingual, every third Tuesday of the month on her radio show, KUMA POWER HOUR!
We can hear Hikki chat about her topic du jour, and play for us some of her favorite music, as she DJs her very own program on InterFM 76.1 in Japan.
image via twitpic.com/d969qg
Again, her show is every 3rd Tuesday of the month, at 22:00 Japan time.
In the day or hours before the show, check our forums or twitter to find out how you can listen.
Next episode is Tuesday September 17th
Starting April 16th, on the third Tuesday of every month, we can hear Hikki on radio, she will be DJing her very own program on InterFM!
Quote:
http://www.emimusic.jp/hikki/news/news_e.php
[2013/03/22] Regular radio program starts from April on InterFM!
KUMA POWER HOUR with Utada Hikaru
The Third Tue.22:00 - 23:00
Utada Hikaru, who actually started DJ before debuting as an artist will be starting a new radio program on InterFM from April.
On-air on the third Tuesday every month. Utada Hikaru now in her human-activity period will be bringing you music she met in her everyday life.
First show starts from April 16th, don't miss it!
Similar to her old TRES BIEN BOHEMIAN radio programs that she hosted when she was a teenager, early on in her career, we can surmise that she will play a variety of her favorite music and possibly have interviews with a variety of people. On her TRES BIEN BOHEMIAN program she got to interview the like of celebreties such as Aaliyah.
She started with programs called "HIKKI SWEET&SOUR" and "WARNING HIKKI ATTACK" that ran October 1998 to March 1999. TRES BIEN BOHEMIAN ran October 1999 to September 2000. There were also other special radio programs that she did:
-TRES BIEN BOHEMIAN Special from NY, 2001-March-20
-Tres Bien! Bohemian Summer Special from Tokyo, 2001-July-20
-TRES BIEN BOHEMIAN Special Utada Debut 10th Anniversary, 2009-March
Ann posted on her tumblr about her run-in with Hikki on March 12th, 2013 on the Victoria Line of the London Underground (in of course London, UK).
The picture looks real, read more about her encounter after the jump.
Credit to gardenhose
[UPDATE:]
A big Happy Birthday to Hikki! Who today celebrates three decades, the big 30th birthday!
It seems like only yesterday we were watching her "20DAIWA IKEIKE! Live Streaming" broadcast for her 20th birthday.
As a gift to Hikki and to the members of UtadaNet, here is the long awaited fan tribute, a video cover of "Goodbye Happiness":
She is in Germany again, this time for Christmas festivities.
In her recent tweets, she lets us know she is amidst Germans, dancing and enjoying fleischsalat and pumpernickel.
With little warning, Hikki is back with a new song!
Her new song is called "桜流し" (Sakura Nagashi). At the recent premiere of the Evangelion 3.0 movie, it was used as the end theme.
However, she might not be fully back just yet. The movie's producers were able to persuade Hikki to contribute a song just for the movie. "Although Utada is currently focusing her energies on her ?human activities,? she agreed to create this song, thanks to the fervent requests made by the movie production staff and the deep appreciation for Evangelion held by Utada herself, who also created the movie theme songs for the two prior Evangelion movies." (emimusic.jp/hikki).
The cover art is by Evangelion Character Designer, Sadamoto Yoshiyuki.
Have a look at the music video, it was created with the theme ?motherhood? by movie director Naomi Kawase.It is reported that this video will only be available on Youtube until November 19th. UPDATE: according to Hikki's tweet, the video will only be available for three days.
UPDATE2: The music video is now no longer available. Instead, there is a shorter 80 second version here
Check out the official website for the Sakura Nagashi single here: http://www.sakuranagashi.jp/top_e.php
You can find the official lyrics here: http://sakuranagashi.jp/lyrics.html
Official lyrics translation here: http://sakuranagashi.jp/lyrics_e.html
The song is available on iTunes, and is currently number one in the Japan iTunes store.
The video will be available as a download on November 28th.
It will also be released as a DVD single on December 26th.
The film, "Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Q" (Evangelion:3.0 You Can (Not) Redo), opens in Japan theaters on November 17th, 2012.
Hikki has been tweeting up a storm over the past few days. Over forty tweets in the past three days from her official twitter account @utadahikaru.
She had mentioned that she was in Germany recently for the Rock im Park music festival in N?rnberg. The festival took place June 1st-3rd. She mentioned that she of course did not perform, but specifically went to see Metallica perform. She is now back in Asia [1].
Thanks to a tweet from Skrillex: "@utadahikaru follow people!!", Hikki has begun following others on twitter (other than her father and her staff). There are only a handful at the moment, but Skrillex, Junko the guitarist from her WILD LIFE concerts, Mika, and Conan O'Brien are among those that she is now following.
It is possible that Hikki and Skrillex recently met in Germany, as Skrillex was also at the Rock im Park festival as a performer.
The following is a fan account of an encounter with Hikki, apparently during a train ride in London.
Quote:
So today I met Japanese SUPERSTAR Utada Hikaru!
I was on my way to Belsize Park riding the Northern line when at either Angel or Kings Cross a small Japanese lady got on the tube a few feet away from me.
I looked at her and I thought to myself ?LOL she looks like Utada? and was laughing to myself-some Taiwanese dudes to the left of me started laughing at ME because they obviously thought I was crazy or something.
Anyway as the train becomes emptier (after Camden Town) I get a better view of the woman sitting down and thats when I?m like, ?Wait that could be Utada!? But then I was like nah, ?Why would she be in London?? plus she looks almost EXACTLY like she did on the ?Ultra Blue? cover with the same bob cut?
So I decided to gas myself up and played ?Sakura Drops? and imagined what I?d say to her if I met her.
Curiosity really got the better of me so I stood up when the tube was near Belsize (so I could get a better look) and when I looked directly at the woman I was damn near sure it was her.
So I went up to her and said ?Excuse me are you Utada Hikaru?? and she had her earphones on so she asked me to repeat what I said and when I did a bashful grin spread across her face and she said, ?Yes I am?.
Luckily there was an empty seat next to her so I sat down and shook her hand and started chatting with her. I showed her that I was listening to ?Sakura Drops? and she was very shocked at that.
I asked her why she was here and she said she was just visiting a friend and was a bit disappointed with how the weather changed-she?s been here for over a week so far and staying around the Camden area (I won?t say where exactly).
I told her how she was the first Japanese artist I ever heard (apart from Ryu Sakamoto) and she was like ?Wow Really??
She asked ME how I even found out about her and I explained that from loving Chinese music and being on forums (like JPM which I told her about a bit) that people talked about the ?First Love? cd and her song for Kingdom Hearts-LOL that part of the conversation made me laugh because there I was, listing Hikki?s discography to her as if she didn?t know her own music-I?m so lame.
I told her that I went to the show in Islington (if you never went you missed a great show!) and she thanked me for that and I asked her if she?s ever going to do another one. She said it?s all up in the air and that she was on a break (I told her how pressed everyone got when she did that and she laughed!). But she said that she?s currently working on a few projects that she couldn?t really talk about but new stuff is coming soon!
I did ask for a photo but she said she?s not really taking photos right now-and I could see that she felt bad for having to say that, but I was like ?No that?s fine, it?s just great to finally meet you!?
After her stop came up (YES I missed my stop just to keep talking to her LOL) we got off together and walked and talked till I realised I was going to be late for my meeting so I thanked her for the music and she said it was nice to meet me and shook my hand again and went off on her way!
She is TINY under 5 foot and she was wearing pink converse and animal print skinny jeans and she still rocks the short bowl cut from way back when!
She looks EXACTLY like the photos and she hasn?t aged at all.
All in all was a GREAT night! If you?re in London and you see a woman that looks like Hikki, don?t chance it, go up to her and say hi!
Usually, fan covers aren't the type of thing we post on our Noteworthy News. But, in a Hiatus era, news is slow.
Recently, we were contacted by Paulo, the bassist from a Brazilian J-Music band called Animadness, telling us about their recently released rock covers of Hikki's "Simple & Clean" and "Hikari". We were blown away by these Rock versions of Hikki classics. Have a listen!: