UtadaNet.com News with sources from Google News and U3music

Evangelion: 1.0.1 You Are [Not] Alone - Anime News Network

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:05:26 GMT

Evangelion: 1.0.1 You Are [Not] Alone
Anime News Network
However, the end credits song by Hikaru Utada doesn't sound like the most fitting thing for a giant robot anime—but hey, everyone was already sick of "Fly ...

NC Symphony presents 'PLAY! A Video Game Symphony' next weekend - Asheville Citizen-Times

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:23:20 GMT

NC Symphony presents 'PLAY! A Video Game Symphony' next weekend
Asheville Citizen-Times
You'll hear work by renowned video game score composers including Nobuo Uematsu, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yoko Shimamura, Utada Hikaru, Jason Hayes and Joel ...

This is the One - Malaysia Star

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:29:29 GMT

Malaysia Star

This is the One
Malaysia Star
UTADA Hikaru looks like a wide-eyed Eskimo on the cover of her latest album This is the One. If you think this remark is harsh, well, be prepared for more. ...

Michael Jackson Invades iTunes Charts Worldwide - BlackBook Magazine

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:39:30 GMT

Michael Jackson Invades iTunes Charts Worldwide
BlackBook Magazine
... “I Want You”—which remains shut out of the Top 10 by singers such as this and this and even Utada Hikaru, whose American success has been slim to nil. ...

Jonas Brothers' tour openers the Wonder Girls: Will they conquer ... - Entertainment Weekly

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:19:00 GMT

Jonas Brothers' tour openers the Wonder Girls: Will they conquer ...
Entertainment Weekly
I LOVE that all these Asian artists are coming over hear and releasing English language albums that I can understand :D BoA, Utada, Se7en (I think he should ...

Face the music - AsiaOne

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:10:34 GMT

AsiaOne

Face the music
AsiaOne
Its artistes include Lady GaGa, Mariah Carey (below), Utada and Jacky Cheung. HOW TO GET THE SERVICE: By subscribing to SingTel's Broadband on Mobile, ...

and more »

Utada featured in JUST DANCE Compilation Album

Sun, 24 May 2009 09:31:52 GMT

A remix of Utada's 'Come Back To Me' will be featured in Island Def Jam / Ultra Records' compilation album 'JUST DANCE'. The compilation will be available May 26th.

To my fans in America!

Tue, 12 May 2009 06:25:00 GMT

I suppose a lot of you have heard already; I've had to cancel the instore events that were scheduled for this week.

The reason is, I'm sick. I came down with a case of "peritonsillitis"---it's basically a more severe form of tonsillitis, in which the area around the tonsils get badly swollen as well.

This happens this to me once or twice a year, when I'm extremely tired and my immune system gets in bad shape.

I was in bed this past week, making daily trips to the hospital to get intravenous administration of hardcore medication, and now I'm near the end of the recovering stage, but the problem with this condition is that I have to be very careful until it is completely take care of, as it tends to easily come back.

It was decided that I'm in no shape to be traveling and working for a while.

I'm trying to rest as much as possible, relax a little and take it easy.

I apologize to my fans who were looking forward to the events, and to everyone involved with organizing these events.

"This Is The One" IN STORES NOW!

Tue, 12 May 2009 02:13:14 GMT

Utada's latest album, This Is The One, is in stores all over America today, May 12, 2009! While the album was released digitally over a month ago, the physical CD is now available. Make sure you go out and grab your copy of the CD today! [Walmart] [BestBuy] [Amazon]

Included in the promotions, Island Def Jam has created a new website for TITO - www.Utada-ThisIsTheOne.com

Utada Appearances May 12-16 Canceled due to Illness

Mon, 11 May 2009 07:48:34 GMT

It looks like the promotional tours for May 12-16 are canceled. Due to illness, Utada has been advised not to travel or use her voice for two weeks. She has been diagnosed with a relapse of Acute Peritonsillitis. She will make a full recovery.

Hikkiちゃん、早く良くなってください!

Utada.com Quote:

INTERNATIONAL POP STAR POSTPONES U.S. PROMOTION FOR ALBUM RELEASE
Renowned international singer and songwriter, Utada, who is set to release her new album This Is The One on May 12th (the Island Def Jam Music Group), has been forced to postpone her promotions to launch the album along with a series of in-store appearances. The 26 year-old artist, who had planned to arrive today May 11th to promote and drive the album release, has been diagnosed with an acute case of left relapsing peritonsillitis.

Utada, who is Japan's best selling artist ever, was set to make highly anticipated in-store appearances in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Honolulu to promote the May 12th album. Upon consultation with doctors and a brief hospitalization, she's been advised not to travel or use her voice for at least two weeks. A full recovery is expected.

According to the artists representative, Utada was very much looking forward to sharing her new album with her U.S fans and is very disappointed that her illness has forced her to postpone these promotional activities. She looks forward to rescheduling them as soon as she can."

Fans are encouraged to check www.utada.com for more information.

[UPDATE]:
Hikki has updated with a new message:

U3music.com Quote:

To my fans in America!
5.12(Tue) 19:25

I suppose a lot of you have heard already; I've had to cancel the instore events that were scheduled for this week.

The reason is, I'm sick. I came down with a case of "peritonsillitis"---it's basically a more severe form of tonsillitis, in which the area around the tonsils get badly swollen as well.

This happens this to me once or twice a year, when I'm extremely tired and my immune system gets in bad shape.

I was in bed this past week, making daily trips to the hospital to get intravenous administration of hardcore medication, and now I'm near the end of the recovering stage, but the problem with this condition is that I have to be very careful until it is completely take care of, as it tends to easily come back.

It was decided that I'm in no shape to be traveling and working for a while.

I'm trying to rest as much as possible, relax a little and take it easy.

I apologize to my fans who were looking forward to the events, and to everyone involved with organizing these events.

Utada Appearances in NYC, LA, SF, Seattle and Honolulu, May 12-16th 2009

Mon, 11 May 2009 07:32:31 GMT

Utada is coming to town!
Utada is having another round of appearances set for the physical launch of her upcoming album, "This Is The One". This will be another crazy week with Utada doing four cities in four days! Remember to arrive early, don't push, and be courteous!

From Utada.com News:
Quote:

UTADA IN STORE APPEARANCES
Tuesday, 5.12 @ 7:00 PM
Best Buy
529 5th Ave
New York, NY 10017-4608
For more info call: 212-808-0309

Wednesday, 5.13 @ 6:00 PM
Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood & FYE
1000 Universal Studios Blvd
Ste. 99
Universal City, CA 91608
For more info call 818.622.ROCK (7625) or 310.641.7170

Thursday, 5.14 @ 6:00 PM
Best Buy
1717 Harrison
San Francisco, CA 94103-4272
For more info call 415.626.9682

Friday, 5.15 @ 6:00 PM
FYE @ Southcenter Mall
2636 Southcenter Mall
Ste. 2110
Seattle, WA 98188-2823
For more info call 206.439.3636

Saturday, 5.16 @ 3:00 PM
Sam Goody
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Ste. 1049
Honolulu, HI 96814-4607
For more info call: 808.945.9027

[UPDATE:]
Best Buy NYC, May 12 has been canceled:
http://stores.bestbuy.com/1028/

New Japanese Single - "9 Sai no Omoide"

Fri, 08 May 2009 01:53:06 GMT

According to this Yahoo! Music page, Utada Hikaru will be releasing a new single called "9歳の想い出" ("9 Sai no Omoide") or "9-Year-Old Memories". The single will be released August 21, 2009.

'This Is The One' for $5!

Sat, 02 May 2009 00:03:32 GMT

Amazon.com is featuring the digital version of Utada's "This Is The One" album in it's 50/$5 (a monthly feature of 50 selected albums for $5 each). So get your digital copy of "This Is The One" for only $5 now!

[She is currently ranked #10 in the Amazon bestsellers list and rapidly rising at the time of this writing]

Utada Yahoo Japan Interview

Fri, 01 May 2009 03:45:00 GMT

Utada.jp has posted news of a long interview done by Yahoo Japan. The interview and features will be available in Japan only on May 7th in Yahoo! Music Magazine, Yahoo! Video, and available as downloads on mobile phones.

VIBE.com Website Interview with Utada

Fri, 01 May 2009 03:42:36 GMT

After the previous blurb in the May issue of Vibe Magazine, their website Vibe.com has posted a short interview. In the article "REAL TALK THURSDAYS: Utadas Popping" they mention her recent Sephora NYC appearance, talk about her 'genre', her fashion and beauty tips.

Utada.com Exclusive Q&A

Fri, 01 May 2009 03:24:30 GMT

Utada.com is hosting a Q&A session to get your Utada questions answered! Post your question in the Utada.com comments here.

UPDATE: Utada on Ryan Seacrest

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:22:50 GMT

After the initial announcement that Utada would be performing for Ryan Seacrest, we have not seen any broadcast of said performance or any other details other than pictures and vlog messages. Today we get an update with a video uploaded to the ryanseacrest youtube. The video shows part of Utada's performance for Ryan and chronicles her uber-busy appearance schedule in late March. It also includes UtadaNet member, ufofreek's fan video of her meeting Utada at Sephora NYC.

UPDATE: On ryanseacrest.com there is a new post about the video calling her the Japanese Madonna, and peaking our interest by telling us to check back to see her other performances.
Photos of the performance are now also available.

ひえ〜

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:30:00 GMT

近況の話したいんだけどいろいろありすぎてめんどくせ〜！（笑）

明日マイアミに移動する飛行機の中でメッセ書こうかな。

とりあえず、昨日か？ちがう、おととい？アメリカのiTunesでアルバムの配信が始まったんだけど、いきなりポップのチャートで２位、３位あたりにいるよ！なにげにすごいんじゃね？レコード会社（アイランドデフジュム）がびっくりしててウケた（笑）

ロス、NY、と、アメリカで有名な大きな化粧品屋さんでインストアイベントやったんだけど（ファンと交流する的な）、今日やったNYのお店は五番街に面してるとこで、到着したらお店の周りに何百人も人が集まっててなんかすごかった！日本でもこんなに大騒ぎになったことねーよ、みたいな（笑）

来日したヨン様状態だった（笑）

予想を遥かに超える数の人と熱気で、これまたレコード会社の人たちびっくり、みたいな。っていうか私もびっくりだよ。

店内に入れない人がものすごいいっぱい、道路にあふれてというか群がってというか・・・出入りする時も車が人で囲まれてなかなか動き出せなかったりしたんだど、NYPD（警察）も協力してくれたからトラブルにはならなくてよかった！NYそういうの厳しいからすぐイベント中止になったりするんだよね。

いやはやアメリカのファン激しすぎてビビる！日本人がいかに控えめでおとなしいか気づかされるプロモです（笑）

なんだ、結局いろいろ書いちゃった。

あ、先日ロスの朝のニュース番組（日本でいうと朝のワイドショーみたいな）に出演する前のメッセで、KISSのジーン・シモンズもゲストらしいって書いたじゃん？

待ち時間がずいぶん長かったんだけど、楽屋でずっと一緒だった（笑）めちゃくちゃ面白い人で私のバンドもみんな大笑いさせられた。

日本語も女のくどき文句だけはきっちりおさえててさすがです。とりあえず「オハヨゴザイマス　アナタワ　ウツクシイ　デス」って挨拶してきて最初はびっくりしたけど、ほんとにノンストップでギャグを連発する人で、楽しかったよ。

普通の話もしたけど、インターネット大嫌いなんだって（笑）音楽の違法ダウンロードとかばっかりでミュージシャンに金が全然入らなくて、新人もかわいそうだしみんな大変だ、ってことで。ブログも嫌いだ！って言ってた（笑）

それにしてもシュールな朝だったなあ・・・

So much!

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:43:00 GMT

It feels like there's so much going on I don't know where to start!

So the album is out digitally on iTunes and Amazon? I believe? It's dancing between no. 2, 3 on the Pop chart on iTunes, AWESOME :)

I came back a little while ago from the NY Sephora Event. There were so many people outside the store, on 5th Avenue, it was pretty insane! Actually, it may have the craziest outing I have been to, in terms of being nearly mobbed by a huge crowd.

This is the first time for me and my management to do appearances like this, outside of doing concerts, just interacting with fans, I mean, so we were a bit overwhelmed yesterday, but we learned a lot and made revisions today, so I think things were a little better organized. Got to spend more time answering questions from the crowd, sign a few autographs along the way, and I even got to say a proper farewell! Quite an improvement LOL

Usually, when I'm stopped on the street, places outside, for autographs, I always do it gladly (I even signed a girl's passport once... isn't that illegal??) but during official outings, in the past, my management had a policy for me not to sign stuff randomly because it can get out of hand... but I made it a point today to sign things when I can, even if it's just a few, it made a big difference for me. I'm glad I did.

There were a lot of people at the LA store that I wished I could have signed autographs for... there were a couple of times when I could've and really wanted to, on my way in and out of the store, but I hesitated and then I was ushered by security to keep on going.

There was this one guy who stood out, right as I was exiting, if you're reading this, please forgive me! I hope I can see you again somewhere...

I usually don't dwell on things, but I felt so bad , especially when I found out later that the photos I presigned (100 for the LA store) weren't enough to go around for everyone. And I know many of my fans in the US have been waiting for years for an opportunity like this.

Am I just caring too much?! I do feel like I am stressing too much over this... it's just hard for me to look at my fans as "a bunch of fans", it's like a one to one, person to person interaction for me... I mean with each person, you know?

Aye, I have to get more used to doing this kind of stuff, though, otherwise I'll die of guilt, trying to make everyone happy and be fair, which is impossible.

I was much happier with how things went today, though! I shall sleep better :)

good night!

So sorry!

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:18:00 GMT

I'm at the airport right now, about to get on a jet to fly to NY.

To everyone who came to the Sephora event, thank you so much for coming!! I apologize for the confusion, things were a bit disorganized, and a little awkward!

I'm so sorry I had leave before finishing taking pictures with everybody, without saying good bye!!! My crew told me I had to go, to get to the airport, and it was very confusing, I should have demanded to get my microphone back to say good bye. I regret having had to leave like that. The individual photo thing was unplanned and I am really sorry for the people that were still waiting for their shot.

We'll work things out so that things are a little smoother for tomorrow, in the Sephora store in NY.

Again, to everyone who came out today, and waited so long for me, thank you so much for coming, and please forgive me for leaving without a final farewell, I thought it was a very rude way to leave... I have to get on the plane now, I'll write again! Good night!!

KTLA

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:21:00 GMT

Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm going to be on the KTLA morning news? show, early tomorrow morning. I start make up at 5pm. Yikes! Better go to bed early tonight!

Kuma連発！

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:12:00 GMT

アメリカのテレビで「クマ、クマ」って連呼してるよ！

（イワクマ、だけど）

WBCの韓国VS日本戦をテレビで観ています。くまちゃんとまくらさんと。

英語発音で「イワクマ」って言うと、「ク」に一番強いアクセントがおかれるから、「クマ」っていう部分がえらい際立って聞こえるよ（笑）DA・I・KO・U・HU・N☆

今日も早朝からテレビ番組の収録したり、アジア用のビデオコメントとか撮影したりインタビューやったりしてよく働いたぜ！

明日はもっと早くからロスの朝のニュース番組で生放送のパフォーマンスだぜ。同番組の他のゲストコーナーに、KISSのジーン・シモンズが出るみたい（笑）

KISSメークでCome Back To Me歌おうかな

嘘です

「試合面白いね、くまちゃん！野球のルールわかる？」

『よく　わかんないけど　やきゅうってすばらしいね　くま　くま　いってるよ！』

Ku-ma!

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:58:00 GMT

I did a taping of the Ryan Seacrest Green Room performance this morning at the E! building, I believe it was---did Come Back To Me, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence -FYI, and Me Muero. Me Muero is so fun to do live!! It definitely is my favorite song on the new album :)

In the afternoon I did a bunch of interviews and little messages on camera for Southeast Asia, like for MTV and Channel V and stuff like that... I was really tired from doing an early morning taping, and it might have come across on film, but, oh well, that's the way the day was; I can't fake being over-energetic when I'm not.

Now I'm watching the World Baseball Classic Championship with Korea and Japan, with my bear Kuma.

The pitcher for Japan is called "I-wa-ku-ma"---I've never heard the word "Ku-ma" repeated so many times (or ever, for that matter) on national television in America! LOL

(I-wa) Ku-ma! (I-wa) Ku-ma!

I'm having palpitations every time the announcer enunciates those two syllables :)

Yes, I am probably the only person in the world watching this game with that as the main focus LOL I guess I am cheering for Japan, but team sports don't really excite me so I'm just enjoying the game :)

new messages :)

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:22:00 GMT

Forgive me for not posting blogs here lately, I just put up a couple of new english messages on my message site.Ku-ma!I'm going to be on KTLA, the morning show in LA, early tomorrow morning :)

Radio Ga Ga

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:01:00 GMT

Hallo hallo from Sacramento!

I'm in the middle of doing a bunch of radio station rounds in the West coast.

I started out in Seattle yesterday morning, did a few radio interviews including a live one, then flew to Portland to do some more, then to Reno, Nevada, to do another live one, then flew to Sacramento and checked in to a hotel.

I visited a really interesting dance radio station (big on the internet) in Seattle, called C89.5---it's located inside a regular, local high school!

We took some group shots with the students who take the radio class, and it was hilarious because I looked just like another high school student LOL I was the smallest kid, too LOL I'll get one of those shots to post here, too.

I'm about to take a shower and get ready for a live radio show here, in Sacramento, on the station 107.9 The End. I think I'm appearing sometime between 9-10am.

I'll be doing some recorded interviews in other stations here too (KSFM/102.5 and KBMB/103.5), and in the afternoon I'll be in San Francisco to do some more (KNGY, KYLD, and KMVQ), then end the day in LA.

Alright, the lady's gotta go and get ready!

３月病

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:22:00 GMT

久しぶりにNYの友達何人かと会ったら、みんな精神的に大変そうだった！

経済関係の仕事してる人は経済の悪化（というか崩壊？）とともに急に忙しくなってちょー疲れてて、普通のデスクワークをしつつ画家を目指してる子も「３月病」（長い冬の終わり、まだ春が来ない）で気が滅入って、やる気が出ないんだとか。

なんだか自分のことも考えさせられた！

仕事が大変すぎて休みたくなったら、休めばいいんじゃね？

やる気がない時は、なにもしなければいいんじゃね？

そんな心持ちで、自分の感覚に素直に、自然に生きることって大事だなと思った。無理するよりも、勇気がいるかもしれないね。

くまは、無理しないらしいよ！

『ぼんじゅーる』

ばたばたじゃ

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:49:00 GMT

( ´_ゝ`)ﾉﾎﾞﾝｼﾞｭｰﾙ♪

日本のiTunes Storeで今、Come Back To Meのビデオが一週間限定で先行配信されてるみたいだね！

あとMステでアルバム曲の"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence -FYI"が流れて、少しだけだったのにすごい好評みたいで嬉しい！

utada.jpで試聴できるみたいだよ。

日本の発売１４日か。もうすぐじゃん！アメリカでのアルバム発売は、もっとプロモしてからの方がいいよねって話になって５月に出すことにしたよ。あと海賊版対策とかいろいろあってそれくらいがちょうどいいってことで。最初からそれも考えてくれよ（笑）

でもアメリカでもデジタル配信は当初の発売予定日だった今月の２４日から始まるみたい！早く"FYI"みんなに聴いてほしい〜。

あそうそう、昨日、"This Is The One"の日本版CDサンプルもろた！！でなぜかタイ料理屋さんで開封した！！（笑）
一通り目を通して満足して、テーブルの上にほっぽってごはん食べてたら、店員のタイ人のおばちゃんがCDをまじまじと見て、「コレ、オキャクサン？」って聞いてきたから、「はひ！ほうでふ！もぐもぐ」（「はい！そうです！もぐもぐ」）と元気よく答えました(●＾口＾●)

日本で発売するオフィシャルブックも校了して、今月の１９日に発売できるよ。スタッフみんなですごいがんばりましたよほんと。今んとこ関係者で本を見た人たちにはすごい評判が良い。『点』も『線』もすごい面白い、良い本になったから、早く世に送り出してあげたい。

アルバムが完成して、本二冊が完成して、燃え尽きてるんだけど、脱力してる暇もなく仕事がどんどん続くから、しんどいっす＿|￣|○　休みてぇ＿|￣|○

今月もアメリカで怒濤のプロモっすよ。ラジオ、ネット、テレビ、いろいろ決まってます。

ガクンとこないことを祈ってがんばろっと！

しかしタイ料理まじうめぇな。なんでこんなに好きなんだろっていうくらい好き。あとベトナム料理とインド料理。でも一番は和食かな（*´ー｀*）

P.S. Tokyo

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:07:00 GMT

By the way, I just found out today that there's a city in Papua New Guinea called "Tokyo"!I must look in to this further.... :)

Video's done!

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:01:00 GMT

I posted a new english message with a stillshot image from the video :)Video's done!

An interview

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:05:00 GMT

I've been doing a lot of interviews the past couple of weeks, and they've all been very nice, but here's one that I personally found interesting to read. (I figured out how to put up a link! Hurray!...

iTunes US store!

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:08:00 GMT

"Come Back To Me" is now available on the iTunes US store!Whopee :DThere's like 47 reviews already and I've got 4 1/2 stars as of now. I am so blessed.And apparently, my past work (in Japanese) as Ut...

Combless, But With Pouch

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:55:00 GMT

I went to the Annual Post-Grammy Party hosted by LA Reid last night. I wrote about it on my message site (url below) with a couple of pictures (I know, the pictures are huge, I don't know how to chan...

THIS IS UTADA

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:52:00 GMT

Ok, so, I can now announce that the title of my new album is "This Is The One"I am a little upset right now because I think a staff member of IDJ posted the previous blog entry. It's not me, but it's...

New Album Title

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:25:00 GMT

I want to be the first to tell you that the name of my new album is “This Is The One” and I can’t wait for all of you to hear it.Thank you for all the comments!

Favorite comedian

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:37:00 GMT

Holy mackerel! Steve Martin is on Saturday Night Live!He's been my favorite comedian since childhood. "The Jerk" is the best comedy flick of all time, in my opinion... this is more exciting for me th...

This is Utada

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:06:00 GMT

Thank you for all the comments! Posting a blog for the first time is making me a tad nervous; I am so completely new to MySpace. Maximizing its full features may take a little time but please bear w...