Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

TheyCallMeBruce · 06-02-2008, 08:04 PM

For my 8th pick, I select Ayumi Hamasaki in the music category.

Ayumi Hamasaki, born October 2, 1978, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also known as "Ayu" to her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of pop" or "the Empress of J-Pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan. Born and raised in Fukuoka, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment. In 1998, Hamasaki, under the tutelage of Avex CEO Max Matsuura, released a string of modestly performing singles that concluded with her 1999 debut album A Song for XX. The album debuted atop the Oricon charts (Japan's primary music charts, similar to the Billboard charts) and held that position for four weeks in a row, establishing Hamasaki's popularity in Japan.

Since her 1998 debut with the single "Poker Face", she has sold around 50 million records with the releases of her nine full-length studio albums, one mini-album, four compilation albums, forty-four singles, and numerous non-studio albums. With the release of her thirty-ninth single, "Startin'/Born to Be...", in 2006, Hamasaki became Japan's female solo artist with the most number-one singles. In addition, the release of Hamasaki's 2008 single "Mirrorcle World" made Hamasaki the only Japanese female artist to have a number-one single every year for ten consecutive years. She is also the first Japanese artist to have her first original eight studio albums top the Oricon charts, as well as the Japanese female artist with the most number-one singles, most Top 10 singles, highest singles sales, and most million-seller singles.

**Her music video**
http://www.megavideo.com/?v=R6KX1WEC

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=BA8EYZ65

06-02-2008, 08:04 PM	#1605
TheyCallMeBruce Likes Cartoons Join Date: Apr 2004 Exp:	For my 8th pick, I select Ayumi Hamasaki in the music category. Ayumi Hamasaki, born October 2, 1978, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also known as "Ayu" to her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of pop" or "the Empress of J-Pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan. Born and raised in Fukuoka, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment. In 1998, Hamasaki, under the tutelage of Avex CEO Max Matsuura, released a string of modestly performing singles that concluded with her 1999 debut album A Song for XX. The album debuted atop the Oricon charts (Japan's primary music charts, similar to the Billboard charts) and held that position for four weeks in a row, establishing Hamasaki's popularity in Japan. Since her 1998 debut with the single "Poker Face", she has sold around 50 million records with the releases of her nine full-length studio albums, one mini-album, four compilation albums, forty-four singles, and numerous non-studio albums. With the release of her thirty-ninth single, "Startin'/Born to Be...", in 2006, Hamasaki became Japan's female solo artist with the most number-one singles. In addition, the release of Hamasaki's 2008 single "Mirrorcle World" made Hamasaki the only Japanese female artist to have a number-one single every year for ten consecutive years. She is also the first Japanese artist to have her first original eight studio albums top the Oricon charts, as well as the Japanese female artist with the most number-one singles, most Top 10 singles, highest singles sales, and most million-seller singles. Her music video http://www.megavideo.com/?v=R6KX1WEC http://www.megavideo.com/?v=BA8EYZ65 Last edited by TheyCallMeBruce; 06-02-2008 at 08:11 PM.