宇多田 ヒカル, Utada Hikaru

[The Hero]

Utada Hikaru was born in the upper east side of New York on January 19, 1983, and is the only child of Utada Teruzane and Abe Junko. Utada's parents both worked in the music industry – her father, Utada Teruzane (or Skingg U) is a music producer, and her mother was an extremely famous Enka singer in the 1970′s, who went under the alias of Fuji Keiko. Utada was raised in both New York and Tokyo, and felt as if both Tokyo and New York were her hometown.

Utada did not originally like the idea of having music as a career, as she saw her parents leading a hectic life and sacrificing so much for music. She was immersed in the music business, and frequently had to sleep on the couch in her parents' recording studio. When she was 10 years old, her parents asked her if she was able to write a song. She reluctantly tried, and wrote the song I'll Be Stronger, which appeared on vinyl. At the same age, she also did small vocal parts in her parents' music project, U3. On the album Star, you are able to hear a 10-year-old Utada singing backup in two songs: THANK YOU and Kodomotachi no Uta ga Kikoeru.

While in school in New York, other students had trouble pronouncing her name 'Hikaru', and eventually shortened it to 'Hikki'. At the time she did not realize what 'Hickey' (a kiss mark) meant, but only found out later on. This nickname is used even to this day between her fans (both English and Japanese) While in Tokyo, Utada studied at The American School in Japan, graduating in 2000.
NOTABLE AWARDS AND RECORDS

(Credits: Wikipedia)

Years
   

Awards

1999
   

    * Yusen Awards – Top Award "Special Prize"
    * Yusen Awards – Top Award "Best New Artist"
    * The 40th Japan Record Awards – Best Album Prize (First Love)
    * The 40th Japan Record Awards – Honorable Mention Songs (Automatic)
    * Record: First Love – Best–Selling Japanese Language Album of All Time (7.648 million units in Japan and 10.056 worldwide as of 2007), Highest First Week Sales for a Debut Album (2 million+), and Fastest Selling album in Japanese history (5.24 million units in one month)

2000
   

    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – The Triple Crown
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Artist of The Year
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Song of The Year (Automatic, Movin' on without you, Addicted To You [UP-IN-HEAVEN MIX])
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Pop/Rock Album of The Year (First Love)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Music Video of The Year (Single Clip Collection Vol.1)
    * World Music Awards– Best–Selling Asian Artist
    * Jasrac – Gold Award (Automatic)
    * Jasrac – Silver Award (time will tell)

2001
   

    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Song of The Year (Wait & See ～リスク～ & For You / タイム・リミット)
    * MTV Japan Viewer's Choice Video (Can You Keep A Secret?)
    * Record: Distance – Highest First Week Sales Album of All Time (3 million+)

2002
   

    * SpaceShowerTV Best Art Direction Video (traveling)
    * SpaceShowerTV Best Female Video (traveling)
    * SpaceShowerTV Best Video of The Year (traveling)
    * MTV Japan Best R&B Artist
    * The 16th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards – Song of The Year (Can You Keep A Secret? & traveling)
    * The 16th annual Japan Gold Disc Awards – Pop/Rock Album of The Year (Distance)
    * Jasrac Silver Award (Can You Keep A Secret?)

2003
   

    * Rank #24 in HMV Japan's Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists of All Time
    * J–Wave Tokio Hot 100 Airplay Best Female Artist
    * SpaceShowerTV Best Female Video (SAKURAドロップス)
    * MTV Japan Best Female Video (SAKURAドロップス)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – The Triple Crown
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Artist of The Year
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Song of The Year (光, SAKURAドロップス & COLORS)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Rock & Pop Album of The Year (DEEP RIVER)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Music Video of The Year (traveling)
    * Jasrac Silver Award – (traveling)
    * Jasrac Silver Award – Foreign Production– (光)

2004
   

    * AMD Award for Best Music Composer (UH Live Streaming 20代はイケイケ!)
    * World Music Awards – Best–Selling Japanese Artist
    * Record: Highest First Week Sales in Japan for an English/International Album: EXODUS (521,000+ units)
    * Record: Only Musical Artist (solo or Group) to be #1 on Oricon's Yearly Charts 5 (consecutive or –non) times (4x on Yearly Album Charts and 1x on Yearly Singles Chart)

2005
   

    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Song of The Year (誰かの願いが叶うころ)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Rock & Pop Album of The Year (Utada Hikaru Single Collection Volume 1)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – International Rock & Pop Album of the Year (Exodus)
    * The Japan Gold Disc Awards – Music Video of The Year (Utada Hikaru in Budokan 2004 'Hikaru no 5′)

2006
   

    * Rank #10 in HMV Japan's "30 Greatest Japanese Singers of All Time" List
    * Rank #3 for Total Female & Solo Artist Album Sales
    * The 20th Japan Gold Disc Awards – Song of the Year (Be My Last)
    * Rank #1 – Most Consecutive Albums by a solo or group artist to have 500,000+ first week sales since debut (5)

2007
   

    * The 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards – Rock & Pop Album of The Year Award (ULTRA BLUE)
    * The 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards – 10 Best Albums (ULTRA BLUE)
    * The 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards – Million Sales Album Artist Card – ULTRA BLUE
    * HEY!HEY!HEY! Music Champ SP (Top 10 Million–Selling Albums of All–Time in Japan)
          o First Love–#1 (7,650,215)
          o Distance–#4 (4,469,135)
          o DEEP RIVER–#8 (3,604,588)
    * Listen Japan Website Report: #1 Digital Artist of Japan 2007 for 10 million download sales of two song versions of "Flavor of Life" and three "Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry" single songs
    * The #2 Digital Single of the World – "Flavor Of Life"
    * The #1 Best Selling Artist in Terms of Digital Sales in 2007, with total sales of over 12 million.

2008
   

    * The 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Single of the Year ("Flavor Of Life")
    * The 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards – PC Download Song of the Year ("Flavor Of Life")
    * The 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 10 Singles ("Flavor Of Life")
    * The 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 Chaku–Uta Songs ("Flavor Of Life –Ballad Version–")
    * The 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 Chaku–Uta Full Songs ("Flavor Of Life –Ballad and Original Versions–")
    * The 22nd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 PC Download Songs ("Beautiful World" & "Flavor Of Life")
    * Best Monthly Airplay Record at Japanese Radio (HEART STATION)
    * Radio Television Hong Kong 19th International Pop Poll Awards – Top Japanese Gold Song ("Beautiful World")
    * Radio Television Hong Kong 19th International Pop Poll Awards – Top Japanese Artist
    * MTV Japan Best Video from a Film (Beautiful World, from Neon Genesis Evangelion)

2009
   

    * The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 Albums ("HEART STATION")
    * The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 Chaku–Uta Songs ("Prisoner Of Love")
    * The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 Chaku–Uta Full Songs ("Prisoner Of Love")
    * The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards – Best 5 PC Download Songs ("Prisoner Of Love")