Utada
Who is she?
In Japan, she is known as Utada Hikaru. The daughter of a pair of Japanese 
musicians, it was only natural for this young woman to develop a love for music and to pursue it as her passion. Born in America, Hikki grew up fluent in both Japanese and English as she was shuffled back and forth between NYC and Tokyo. In 1999, she released her debut album, First Love, in Japan. Though she was virtually unknown then, the album broke records, sold millions of copies and pushed Utada Hikaru into the spotlight.
In 2001, she collaborated with rapper Foxy Brown for the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack, but her first major breakthrough in North America came in 2002, when the English language version of her single, "Hikari," was used for the Disney Interactive video game, Kingdom Hearts. The song, "Simple and Clean", was quickly used for the game's television advertisements and was seen as a sign that perhaps Utada was ready for the American market.
She signed a contract with Island Def Jam Records in 2002 and began working on her English language debut shortly after. Citing a desire to keep her Western and Japanese projects separate, she adopted her surname, Utada, as her official stage name in the States.
On October 5, 2004, Utada's debut studio album, Exodus, was finally released. Its energy-filled single, "Devil Inside," quickly climbed the Billboard dance charts. Though the album's sales were mediocre, it nevertheless marked the beginning of Utada's rise.
Utada's next English album would come years later. After refocusing on her Japanese music after Exodus's release, material began coming together in 2007. The new album's first single, "Come Back to Me," was released in early 2009. It was clear that Utada's music was taking a more mainstream direction; the track contained heavy R&B influences and was produced by Utada along with the Grammy-award winning songwriting team, Stargate.
On March 14, 2009, This is the One was finally released. It has so far peaked at #69 on the Billboard 200.
As her success soars, Utada continues to grow musically and individually as an artist. The journey certainly doesn't end here.
