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At one point, four of Hamasaki's albums were among Japan's top ten best-sellers. She is also the only individual to win the Japan Recording Award (日本レコード大賞) three years in a row, in 2001 (for "Dearest"), 2002 (for "Voyage"), and 2003 (for "No way to say").
At one point, four of Hamasaki's albums were among Japan's top ten best-sellers. She is also the only individual to win the Japan Recording Award (日本レコード大賞) three years in a row, in 2001 (for "Dearest"), 2002 (for "Voyage"), and 2003 (for "No way to say").


Before her musical debut in 1998 with the single "Poker Face," Hamasaki was a ''[[tarento]]'', a kind of Japanese [[idol]] who appears in photo-books, TV commercials and so on. Even though her major label debut was in 1998, she released one album and one single in 1995 featuring her song Nothing from Nothing.
Before her musical debut in 1998 with the single "poker face," Hamasaki was a ''[[tarento]]'', a kind of Japanese [[idol]] who appears in photo-books, TV commercials and so on. Even though her major label debut was in 1998, she released one album and one single in 1995 featuring her song Nothing from Nothing.


Her record label [[AVEX Records]] also commissioned a series of remix albums called '''ayu-mi-x''' featuring DJs from around the world.
Her record label [[AVEX Records]] also commissioned a series of remix albums called '''ayu-mi-x''' featuring DJs from around the world.

==Symbols==
[[Image:Ayusymbols.JPG|frame|Symbols used by Ayumi Hamasaki]]
Ayumi Hamasaki is famous for using symbols (or stylized alphabets) in her singles and albums. Usually, when typed, the symbols are just replaced with the letters A, M, and H.

===The first A===
The first time she used a symbol for a title was her tenth single ''A''. The each strokes of the symbol represented the a-sides of the single - "monochrome," "Trauma," "too late," and "End roll." This is the only context that this symbol has only been used in, and she ceased to use this symbol after the invention of the second A.

===M===
This symbol was only used for her 19th single ''M'', which unlike ''A'' featured only one song. However, this symbol is still used whenever versions of the song ''M'' appears on a tracklist.

===The second A===
The second A is not really an A, but a combination of her initials A and H. This has been used frequently since its first appearance as the A in ''A BEST'' in 2001. This symbol is also used in the A for the ''RAINBOW'' album (therefore, technically making her song "RAINBOW" that later appeared in ''A BALLADS'' not the title track) and the first A in ''A BALLADS''. This symbol was prominently featured in the covers of ''SUPER EUROBEAT Presents ayu-ro 2'', ''CYBER TRANCE Presents ayu-trance'', and ''MY STORY Classical''. Since the album ''A BALLADS'', this symbol is always on the center of the very last page of the lyrics booklet.

===H===
The H is a modified version of the second A where the top has been removed to look only like A. Its three strokes represent the three songs featured on the ''H'' single - "independent," "July 1st," and "HANABI." So far, it has never been used outside this context.


==Discography==
==Discography==

Revision as of 18:35, 15 July 2005

File:AVCD-11950.jpg
Ayumi Hamasaki's A BEST compilation album. (Image © by 'avex network')

Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎 あゆみ Hamasaki Ayumi, born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer originally from Fukuoka. In her homeland she is commonly called by her nickname Ayu. Since 2001, she has been arguably the single most successful J-Pop singer in terms of sales and popularity. She has an aversion to singing in the English language, and writes her own lyrics. She is one of Japan's most prolific recording artists, having released 7 albums and 34 singles as of August 2005. One reason for this is that her record company releases most of her albums in multiple versions, such as trance remix, eurobeat remix and orchestral versions. Recently she started to write some of her own music with the pen name CREA named after one of her beloved dogs; her single 'M' was the first time she ever wrote music and lyrics altogether.

At one point, four of Hamasaki's albums were among Japan's top ten best-sellers. She is also the only individual to win the Japan Recording Award (日本レコード大賞) three years in a row, in 2001 (for "Dearest"), 2002 (for "Voyage"), and 2003 (for "No way to say").

Before her musical debut in 1998 with the single "poker face," Hamasaki was a tarento, a kind of Japanese idol who appears in photo-books, TV commercials and so on. Even though her major label debut was in 1998, she released one album and one single in 1995 featuring her song Nothing from Nothing.

Her record label AVEX Records also commissioned a series of remix albums called ayu-mi-x featuring DJs from around the world.

Symbols

File:Ayusymbols.JPG
Symbols used by Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayumi Hamasaki is famous for using symbols (or stylized alphabets) in her singles and albums. Usually, when typed, the symbols are just replaced with the letters A, M, and H.

The first A

The first time she used a symbol for a title was her tenth single A. The each strokes of the symbol represented the a-sides of the single - "monochrome," "Trauma," "too late," and "End roll." This is the only context that this symbol has only been used in, and she ceased to use this symbol after the invention of the second A.

M

This symbol was only used for her 19th single M, which unlike A featured only one song. However, this symbol is still used whenever versions of the song M appears on a tracklist.

The second A

The second A is not really an A, but a combination of her initials A and H. This has been used frequently since its first appearance as the A in A BEST in 2001. This symbol is also used in the A for the RAINBOW album (therefore, technically making her song "RAINBOW" that later appeared in A BALLADS not the title track) and the first A in A BALLADS. This symbol was prominently featured in the covers of SUPER EUROBEAT Presents ayu-ro 2, CYBER TRANCE Presents ayu-trance, and MY STORY Classical. Since the album A BALLADS, this symbol is always on the center of the very last page of the lyrics booklet.

H

The H is a modified version of the second A where the top has been removed to look only like A. Its three strokes represent the three songs featured on the H single - "independent," "July 1st," and "HANABI." So far, it has never been used outside this context.

Discography

Studio Albums

Singles

  • from NOTHING FROM NOTHING
    • 1995/??/?? NOTHING FROM NOTHING - #Failed to Chart
  • from A SONG FOR xx
    • 1998/4/8 "poker face" c/w "FRIEND" - #20
    • 1998/6/10 "YOU" - #20
    • 1998/8/5 "Trust" - #9
    • 1998/10/7 "For my dear..." - #9
    • 1998/12/9 "Depend on you" c/w "Two of us" - #6
  • from LOVEppears
    • 1999/2/10 "WHATEVER" - #5
    • 1999/4/14 "LOVE~destiny~" c/w "LOVE~since1999~" - #1
    • 1999/5/12 "TO BE" - #4
    • 1999/7/14 "Boys & girls" - #1
    • 1999/8/11 A ("monochrome"/"Trauma"/"too late"/"End roll" - #1
    • 1999/11/10 "appears" - #2 Limited pressing - 300,000 copies
    • 1999/12/8 "kanariya" - #1 Limited pressing - 300,000 copies
    • 2000/2/9 "Fly high" - #3 Limited pressing - 300,000 copies
  • from Duty
    • 2000/4/26 "vogue" c/w "ever free"- #3
    • 2000/5/17 "Far away" - #2
    • 2000/6/7 "SEASONS" - #1
    • 2000/9/27 "SURREAL" - #1 - First edition only
    • 2000/11/1 "AUDIENCE" - #2 - Limited pressing - 300,000 copies
  • from I am...
    • 2000/12/13 "M" - #1
    • 2001/1/31 "evolution" - #1
    • 2001/3/7 "NEVER EVER" - #1
    • 2001/6/16 "Endless sorrow" - #1
    • 2001/7/11 "UNITE!" - #1
    • 2001/9/27 "Dearest" - #1
    • 2002/3/6 "Daybreak" - #2 - Limited pressing - 300,000 copies
  • from RAINBOW
    • 2002/4/24 "Free & easy" - #1
    • 2002/7/24 H ("independent"/"July 1st"/"HANABI") - #1
    • 2002/9/26 "Voyage" - #1
  • from Memorial address
    • 2003/7/9 & ("ourselves"/"Greatful days"[sic]/"HANABI~episode II~) c/w "Theme of a-nation '03" - #1
    • 2003/8/20 "forgiveness" - #1
    • 2003/11/6 "No way to say" - #1
  • from MY STORY
    • 2004/3/31 "Moments" (CD/CD+DVD) - #1
    • 2003/7/28 "INSPIRE" c/w "GAME" (CD/CD+DVD) - #1
    • 2003/9/29 "CAROLS" (CD/CD+DVD/SACD/DVD Audio) - #1
  • from the upcoming album
    • 2005/4/20 STEP you/is this LOVE? (CD/CD+DVD) - #1
    • 2005/8/5 "fairyland" c/w "alterna" (CD/CD+DVD) - #?

Non-Regular Singles

    • 2000/12/6 - the other side ONE ~previously unreleased version~ - #33
    • 2001/1/31 - the other side TWO ~previously unreleased version~ - #10
    • 2001/1/31 - the other side THREE ~previously unreleased version~ - #12
    • 2001/1/31 - the other side FOUR ~previously unreleased version~ - #11
    • 2001/2/28 - "poker face" c/w "FRIEND" (12 cm re-release) - #31
    • 2001/2/28 - "YOU" (12 cm re-release) - #25
    • 2001/2/28 - "Trust" (12 cm re-release) - #29
    • 2001/2/28 - "For my dear..." (12 cm re-release) - #33
    • 2001/2/28 - "Depend on you" c/w "Two of us" (12 cm re-release) - #27
    • 2001/2/28 - "WHATEVER" (12 cm re-release) - #28
    • 2001/2/28 - "LOVE~destiny~" c/w "LOVE~since1999~" (12 cm re-release) - #20
    • 2001/2/28 - "TO BE" (12 cm re-release) - #26
    • 2001/11/21 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:001 - #44
    • 2001/11/21 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:002 - #34
    • 2001/11/21 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:003 - #36
    • 2001/11/21 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:004 - #35
    • 2001/11/21 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:005 - #32
    • 2001/11/21 - excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD:006 - #30
    • 2001/12/12 - "a song is born" - #1 (a duet with KEIKO (globe))
    • 2002/?/? - "Connected" (System F presents ayu) - Released in Germany only

Compilation Albums

Remix Albums

  • 1999/03/17 - ayu-mi-x - #4
  • 2000/02/16 - SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro mix - #2
  • 2000/03/08 - ayu-mi-x II version US+EU - #2
  • 2000/03/08 - ayu-mi-x II version Acoustic Orchestra - #3
  • 2000/03/08 - ayu-mi-x II version JPN - #6
  • 2000/03/29 - ayu-mi-x II version Non-Stop Mega Mix - #6
  • 2001/02/28 - ayu-mi-x III Acoustic Orchestra Version - #4
  • 2001/02/28 - ayu-mi-x III Non-Stop Mega Mix Version - #3
  • 2001/09/27 - SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro mix 2 - #1
  • 2001/09/27 - Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance - #3
  • 2002/03/20 - ayu-mi-x 4 + selection Acoustic Orchestra Version - #9
  • 2002/03/20 - ayu-mi-x 4 + selection Non-Stop Mega Mix Version - #4
  • 2002/09/26 - Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance 2 - #3
  • 2003/09/25 - ayumi hamasaki RMX WORKS from SUPER EUROBEAT presents ayu-ro mix 3 - #13
  • 2003/09/25 - ayumi hamasaki RMX WORKS from ayu-mi-x 5 non stop mega mix - #18
  • 2003/09/25 - ayumi hamasaki RMX WORKS from Cyber TRANCE presents ayu TRANCE 3 - #14
  • 2005/03/24 - MY STORY Classical - #4

DVD

Video Clips

  • HAMASAKI AYUMI (2000/03/29)
  • vogue Far away SEASONS (2000/09/20)
  • SURREAL (2000/12/13)
  • M (2001/02/07)
  • evolution (2001/06/13)
  • A clips vol.2 (2002/03/13)
  • ayumi hamasaki COMPLETE CLIP BOX A(2004/02/25)
  • Moments (2004/03/31)
  • INSPIRE (2004/07/28)
  • CAROLS (2004/09/29)
  • STEP you/is this LOVE? (2005/04/20)
  • fairyland (2005/08/03)

Short Film

  • 月に沈む(Tsuki ni Shizumu) (The Sinking Moon) based on "Voyage" Clip (2002/11/13)

Lives

  • ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第1幕 (2000/09/27)
  • ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第2幕 (2000/09/27)
  • ayumi hamasaki countdown live 2000-2001 A (2001/06/20)
  • ayumi hamasaki DOME TOUR 2001 A (2001/12/12)
  • ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVE 2001-2002 A (2003/01/29) (ONLY IN THE COMPLETE LIVE BOX)
  • ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2002 A (2003/01/29)
  • ayumi hamasaki STADIUM TOUR 2002 A (2003/01/29)
  • ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVE 2002-2003 A (2003/01/29) (ONLY IN THE COMPLETE LIVE BOX)
  • ayumi hamasaki COMPLETE LIVE BOX A (2003/01/29)
  • ayumi hamasaki A museum ~30th single collection live~ (2004/02/25)
  • ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2003-2004 A (2004/09/29)
  • ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN Live 2004-2005 A (2005/03/02)
  • ayumi Hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2005 A ~MY STORY~ (Date Unannounced)

DVD Audio

  • RAINBOW (2003/07/09)
  • CAROLS (2004/09/29)
  • MY STORY (2005/03/24)

VHS

Video Clip Compilations

  • A Film for XX(1999/09/15)
  • A clips(2000/02/23)
  • vogue Far away SEASONS(2000/07/12)
  • SURREAL(2000/12/13)
  • M(2001/02/07)
  • evolution(2001/06/13)
  • A clips vol.2(2002/03/13)

Lives

  • ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第1幕 (2000/09/13)
  • ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第2幕 (2000/09/13)
  • ayumi hamasaki countdown live 2000-2001 A (2001/06/20)
  • ayumi hamasaki DOME TOUR 2001 A (2001/12/12)
  • ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2002 A (2003/01/29)
  • ayumi hamasaki STADIUM TOUR 2002 A (2003/01/29)


OTHERS

  • A VISUAL MIX (PlayStation 2 software, 2001/12/13)
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