Utada announces new greatest hits package; plans hiatus from music.
If you’re a fan of the divine, irreplaceable, epic, defining, legendary Queen of all Asian music Hikaru Utada, then you’ll know what I’m referring to when I talk about the agonizing purgatory that we as fans have been living in as we’ve waited for fresh news from the reclusive singer-songwriter-producer-composer-performer-musician.
Our prayers have now been answered, but as with all things in life, there’s some good news – and bad.
The good news is that Queen Hikki will release her second greatest hits package this Fall. Officially titled “Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2″, the compilation will contain all her singles released since 2004, as well as four to five brand NEW songs. Yes, brand new Hikki music is coming our way soon.
The ‘bad’ news (if you want to call it that) is that after the promo for the Singles Collection is wrapped up, Hikki will be going on an official hiatus from music, beginning in 2011. This isn’t some Beyonce pseudo-break either — it’s the real deal. In an emotional new blog entry posted on her official website, Utada basically says that she wants to spend time focusing on “human activities” and not “artist activities”, and that she feels like she’s missed out on a lot of personal growth due to having such a heavy workload since the age of fifteen. [source]
It’s not all doom & gloom though. Hikki does promise to release music again at some point, and she also mentions wanting to go out with a bang before her break – hence the new songs she has coming up. She’ll be focusing hard on her music until the end of the year, so expect a lot of Hikki over the next few months.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that this won’t be a Fiona Apple style break that lasts for five years (and counting), but according to Hikki, it very well could.
I guess each one of you has a different impression on my decision, but please believe me and wait for my return. I have no idea how long it gonna be – 2 years or 5 years, but I shall return, more matured. Give me some time.
I’m happy that Hikki is taking some time out to focus on herself. Hopefully it will make for a much happier Hikki who can showcase her growth with an incredible new album in the future.
To celebrate Hikki’s upcoming hits collection and impending hiatus, here’s a look at one of her classic moments. I wanted to post “Automatic”, but the video is horrendous, so I’ll just settle with the epic live performance of her Kingdom Hearts crossover smash “Passion/Sanctuary”, which is taken from one of the best pop concerts of all time, Utada United 2006.
Since debuting in 1998, Hikaru Utada has gone on to become one of the most successful artists in Japanese music history. She has her first three studio albums in the Top 10 best-selling albums of all time in Japan (her first album tops the list at #1), and also has several of the biggest selling singles in Japanese history. Last year, The Japan Times named her the most influential artist of the decade. She has sold over 50 million albums worldwide.
