Utada Hikaru Returns With Stunning New Song “Sakura Nagashi”, Remains Queen of J-pop

The Queen is back.

Utada Hikaru temporarily emerged from her career hiatus today to premiere a BRAND NEW FUCKING SONG (!!!) on her official website. The spine-tingling ballad, titled “Sakura Nagashi”, is the theme song for the new Evangelion flick, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and follows Hikki’s last Evangelion single, “Beautiful World”.

“Sakura Nagashi” is nothing short of breathtaking. A gentle piano melody and sparse strings are the only accompaniment for Utada’s delicate crooning up until the final stretch of the song, when an electric guitar and drums sweep in, reaching boiling point and then retreating once again as the song comes to a beautifully quiet conclusion.

This song is everything, and it’s not just the Hikki homesickness in me talking. It’s up there with some of the best ballads she’s ever recorded, and was easily worth the two year wait. There’s no doubt that when her current hiatus finally comes to an end, Hikki will be back — bigger and better than ever.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 11:28 am and is filed under New Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Joey

    THE FUCKING CHILLS!
    THE CHILLS WERE EVERYWHERE!
    I need to go lay down somewhere.

  • The Music Messiah

    *shaking and crying while watching my faves hand in their resumes at McDonalds*

  • Frou

    I thought I was prepared, but nothing can prepare you for something this beautiful *types through tears*

    Lyrics are gorgeous too: http://www.sakuranagashi.jp/lyrics_e.html

  • AOI

    Hikki is serving some vintage (before she went nuts/suicidal) Chihiro Onitsuka realness here!! I’m sure she recorded this at home, sent it to iTunes, and went back to bed. She will do no promotion, and she will still obliterate the Oricon charts once again! Your J-faves better deal…

  • http://twitter.com/SuzySooyoung Suzy Sooyoung

    Breathtaking!!!!!!

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    Came on here, “Utada Hikaru Returns” *SPAZZES OUT*, plays the song *has to stop after 5 seconds because I can tell this is some of her best shit EVER*, *Plays it through* OMFGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    This song is EVERYTHING a Utada fan could hope for, AMAZING in every way… This gives me so much hope that her next album may even be better than her last “Heart Station” which is my favourite :D

    P.S LOL at her coming back to shit on Ayu’s parade, I love Ayu but lol

  • http://www.joey-nation.blogspot.com/ Joey

    Utada can literally do no wrong! Nothing is more exciting than this post – it has been WAY too long since HEART STATION and as perf as it is, a new album is much needed.

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    omg I agree with you >_<

  • iAmJayDO

    Of fucking course. Just re-downloaded her discography Monday and she comes out with new music the same week. God this woman is beyond amazing. She’s the embodiment of epic.

  • Xorn

    She is the reason I got into Asian music in the first place; the song was beautiful. I am highly looking forward to her *official* return.

  • Blah

    I love all her music, such has a pleasent voice. And it’s funny Evangelion was one of my favorite animated series when I was a kid, haven’t heard about it from quite a while. It always takes years for them to release a new movie!

  • leesigh3

    I only got into k-pop and j-pop music around 2010, so I’ve missed out on this artist. Now I have to go download more of her songs because this song is great.

  • musiclover

    I’m sooo happy she is back!! Check out my blog!

    musicblogiest.blogspot.com

    And check out my review of ‘Ice’ by Kelly Rowland!

    http://musicblogiest.blogspot.com/2012/11/kelly-rowland-premires-ice-music-video.html
    follow me on twitter!@musicbloggiest

  • Loveeeeeee

    i recommend you: “Sakura Drops”, “Traveling”, “Colors” and “Passion” to get into her. i’m sure you and everyone else will love these songs.

  • Boops

    Shaking and crying as soon as I read the headline!

  • signun

    EVANGELION AND HIKARU UTADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *DIESSZZZZZ*

  • stif

    HELL TO THA MUTHAFUCKIN YASS!!!!!!!!! CAN’T NOBODY DO IT LIKE HER!!! THE QUEEN IS BACK IN MY LIFFFEEEE!!!!

  • theprophetblog

    Travelling is one of my fave Utada songs ever, and Automatic is one of my fave songs of all time

  • http://twitter.com/DarkKard4 Sunny

    This is like her version of Gold Dust by Tori Amos. I really missed her presence in Jpop T_T

  • http://twitter.com/Melo_R0 Mel R

    This shit made my fucking Holiday season. Fuck Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, fuck it all; The Queen is back. all other Jpop Hoes are currently lined up at Hikki’s doorstep with their wig collections.

  • http://www.joey-nation.blogspot.com/ Joey

    Um who hacked your account?!?!

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    Nobody… I told you I agree with rational comments.

  • http://twitter.com/FauxKingLuke Luke

    My Fave Utada songs are “Colours”, “Passion”, “Deep River”, “Final Distance”, “Automatic”, “Sakura Drops”, “Travelling” and “Heart Station”… oh, shall I just name every single lmao and all her album tracks are equally good too.

  • http://twitter.com/joao_adm João Moraes

    as classy as ever.

  • http://twitter.com/HBF82 Bojan Goranović

    Really beautiful.

  • Mae

    SO HAPPY ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!

  • http://twitter.com/ICONI3 ICONI3

    I missed her..and I love this.