Hikaru Utada

I guess I haven't posted enough here yet to be able to post links or embed videos, so just add, after the ?v= this 'code': rcad9bNv670
You'll hear the resemblence between Hikki's version and this.
There are more versions of this song online than any other song I can think of.
Here I'll post it for you but I'm afraid I don't care for it. It's not jazzy enough, it's more rock/pop and her voice sounds strange, IMO.

[youtube]AfmHAamNaac&feature=related[/youtube]

However, I think this is excellent, the Flavour of Life. The compostition, her voice, and the arrangement all work well together.

[youtube]46mSRnvbpIE&feature=related[/youtube]
 
Utada Hikaru is going to make her second English Album! ^^ It's possible to be released on early 2009.

For who hadn't seen the Prisoner of Love PV, you can find it on DailyMotion n_n (I'd post here the direct link if I had enough posts to post URL's :()

Utada Hikaru is going to a more boyish style, don't you think? ^^ (And not just for this video xD)
 
Innocent Love

IMO, she sings better in Japanese. Her English songs aren't so good, except for Sukiyaki.

Anyway, one of her songs will be the theme opening for a Autumn Drama, Innocent Love. That should raise her popularity.
 
I think that her English is awesome, she has got a really nice pronunciation. But well, we can't compare it with her Japanese songs, of course.
 
Her English is awesome, of course, because she grew up in NYC. It would be nice to hear her sing more in English because 'Breezy/Japaneezy' just didn't do her any justice. Has anyone heard her Japanese/English versions of 'Sanctuary?'

The 'Sukiyaki Song' btw, is a cover of Taste of Honey's 1981 hit which was a cover of Kyu Sakimoto's 1963 hit (sung in Japanese) that made it to #1 in the US.

Ai Kago just did a live/comeback event in Tokyo in which she sang the 'Sukiyaki Song' ('Ue o Muite Arukou').
 
I did hear Sanctuary, it's really nice ^^
Is there any link to listen the new performance of Ai Kago? It'd be very nice *w*

PS: What does mean IMO?
 
IMO - in my opinion :) yeah i'de agree with you that she has an amazing voice.. my fav song is first love.. ugh.. i love it :D
 
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IMO = in my opinion?

As far as I know, no fan recording has surfaced from Ai Kago's Tokyo comeback appearance but there is one from Osaka (back in August). There are also news reports. These are YouTube links, again the forum won't let me post the entire URLs.

Miyaneya News:
watch?v=1LNcwF20DK4 (English subbed)

Hello Again (she starts crying in this, so sweet!):
watch?v=KHKbR7PA8o

Ah, there were four different songs up but they must have gotten pulled......that's been happening a lot on YouTube.....
 
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Some of her best

Here's a vid showing some clips of her most popular songs. :-)

[youtube]iUY2c3bS5iY&feature=related[/youtube]
 
Yeah I agree, her english songs aren't quite as good as her japanese songs.

I completly agree with you. I prefer her Japanese songs. We can hear English songs mostly everywhere. I appreciate when an artist is able to get known everywhere in the world without singing in English.

I already heard about a French artist who got forced to translate his lyrics in English for a show in NYC. I was so angry when I heard that new. Does it mean that lots of Americans are sick of other languages?

Anyways, we're not here to have a debate about that. If you already read my past messages, you must have noticed that I'm getting sick of all artists who decide to disown their native language for an international carrer.
 
English vs Japanese

Hikaru's last CD is ranked as the no. 2 CD of the year at Tower Records (Japan) only bested by Namie Amuro's Best Fiction.

There's been a discussion of Hikaru's English songs vs her Japanese songs. Here's a comparison you can make yourself. However, you should know that "Hikki" was born in the U.S. and lived there for 10 years besides attending Columbia Univ. for a while. So English might be her 1st language. But I like her Japanese songs much better.

You can decide yourself.

JAPANESE
[youtube]LIgwSSCloos&feature=related[/youtube]


ENGLISH
[youtube]eFIIKu3vAl4&feature=related[/youtube]
 
Utada Hikaru is going to make her second English Album! ^^ It's possible to be released on early 2009.
For who hadn't seen the Prisoner of Love PV, you can find it on DailyMotion n_n (I'd post here the direct link if I had enough posts to post URL's :()
Utada Hikaru is going to a more boyish style, don't you think? ^^ (And not just for this video xD)


would you have any more information of when this possible release may be? and yes shes gone more to the boyish side, but I think it suits her👍 anyway no matter what I will always be a huge fan because shes my number one fav in Japan :D and personally I like both her english and japanese songs..
 
would you have any more information of when this possible release may be? and yes shes gone more to the boyish side, but I think it suits her👍 anyway no matter what I will always be a huge fan because shes my number one fav in Japan :D and personally I like both her english and japanese songs..

I feel like that too. It's like, I'm interested to see which direction she goes in her career. 😊
 
It's hard to say which is Hikki's native language because, while she grew up in the US, both her parents are 100% Japanese. I prefer to think that she grew up bilingual, she certainly speaks both well enough that no one can pick which is her "first" language. On YouTube is an interview she did when promoting her first US release and she said she preferred writing in English because there was so much more range of emotion that could be expressed. I was sorta shocked because I thought her Japanese material is much more expressive than her English material.

A good comparison of Japanese vs. English are her versions of "Sanctuary." I definitely prefer the Japanese version over the English. To me the SOUND of the lyrics is just as or more important than the lyrics themselves. To translate from English to Japanese (and vice versa) is very difficult although Hikki is more qualified to do that than anyone, I would think.

As far as other artists having to translate their material for the US market, why can't they flash the lyric translations on a big screen so people can understand the song and let the singer sing the song the way it's supposed to be sung?
 
utada should stick to her japanese songs. her english is good, but her english songs are crap. she tries to stick to her japanese roots, and many americans aren't used to that style.

raverboy
 
What is she doing now...I have not heard any new music from her...has she done anything this past year? She has very sexy singing voice...I first heard First Love by mistake while surfing the net and has been my favorite of all her songs...
 
New Song

What is she doing now...I have not heard any new music from her...has she done anything this past year? She has very sexy singing voice...I first heard First Love by mistake while surfing the net and has been my favorite of all her songs...

You can check up on what she's doing on her Myspace page. She has a new song out, and maybe a new direction. I want to hear the whole album and this new direction.

"Come Back to Me" sounds like it'll be a hit.

Utada (thisisutada) on Myspace
 
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Thanks Dogen for the info...I'll check it out, you guys in Tokyo or should I say in Japan are lucky that you get to go to her concerts...here in the US we can only here her on the web...thanks again for the info...
 
she doesn't do any tours in the US. she's not really that big of a star in the US when you really think about it. secondly, have you ever seen one of her live videos?? honestly i love her as a singer, but she can't dance or entertain to save her life. she basically bounces across the dance without any dancing, and after a few songs of a live concert, i would get bored.

raverboy
 
She doesn't really dance alot but her voice makes up for the lack of dancing...I can't help but see it on her face and hear it in her singing voice that she sounds and looks like she is lonely or misses someone she used to be with before....maybe it's just me....love to hear her sing tho...
 
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