Biography
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Born
2 October 1978 (age 46)
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Born In
Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi, real name 濱﨑歩) (born October 2, 1978, Fukuoka, Japan) is an award-winning Japanese singer, and one of the most popular and influential artists throughout Asia. Apart from being a singer, Hamasaki is also a songwriter, a model, an actress, a composer, a record producer, a spokesperson and an entrepreneur. Through her entire career, she has written all her lyrical content and sometimes composed her music.
Hamasaki started her musical career in 1994 and released her first album "NOTHING FROM NOTHING" as an underground artist in 1995; the album was not successful, and she was subsequently dropped by her record label. In 1998, Hamasaki released her first single, "poker face", via the Avex Trax label, after being discovered by label head Masato "Max" Matsuura at a party at the Avex-owned club, Velfarre. Hamasaki's mainstream debut album, "A Song for ××", was released in 1999, and won her a Gold Disk Award. She has since sold more than 50 million copies in Japan alone, including 18 full-length studio albums, 6 mini-albums, 7 compilation albums, 53 singles, and 26 remix albums, becoming the top-selling solo and female artist, and the 5th best-selling Japanese artist in history. With the release of her 40th single "BLUE BIRD", Hamasaki's single sales in total passed the 20 million mark, making her the first solo and the first female singer to reach that milestone.
With the release of her 45th single "Rule/Sparkle", Hamasaki has achieved 20 consecutive #1 singles (starting from "Free & Easy") and 32 #1 singles on the Japan's ORICON charts. In addition, she is the first Japanese artist to have her first 8 original studio albums top the charts.
Hamasaki released her ninth studio album, GUILTY on January 1, 2008. Shortly after the release, Ayumi revealed that she had become completely deaf in her left ear, and that it was inoperable. It is believed that she has been suffering from tinnitus, and Ayumi has known about the condition of her left ear since 2007 after an examination. She also stated that she would continue with her career for her fans, explaining that "Nevertheless, I would like to continue as a singer. That's why I would like to continue singing until I reach the limit with my remaining right ear".
In addition to serving as background music for television advertisements, some of Hamasaki's songs have been used as themes for video games and film productions such as television shows and motion pictures. "Depend on you" and its b-side "Two of us" were used as the opening and ending theme, respectively, of the video game Thousand Arms; while the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams used "Startin'" and "rainy day" as its opening and ending theme, respectively. The dorama My Little Chef featured "Voyage" as its theme, while the anime InuYasha featured "Dearest." Finally, Hamasaki's songs "HEAVEN", "Secret", "fated", and "Rule" have been used as the themes for the movies Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, Confession of Pain, Kaidan, and DragonBall Evolution, respectively.
In January 2008, Hamasaki announced on her blog that an inoperable condition, possibly tinnitus or Ménière's disease, had caused complete deafness in her left ear. She had been diagnosed with the condition in 2006, and the problem had dated back to 2000, when she developed an ear infection but continued to perform against the advice of doctors. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone." On May 20, 2017, she wrote that she was also losing hearing in her right ear and had been experiencing dizziness and nausea. She vowed to continue performing, writing: "The stage is where I belong. It's the only place I really, truly exist. I don't know anything else."
Official site: http://avexnet.or.jp/ayu
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