Namie Amuro is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of the Japanese entertainment industry since the early 1990s, Amuro is known for breaking the youthful idol stereotype of J-Pop, changing the fashion trends and lifestyle of women in Japan, her experimentation across music styles, and for her visual imagery in music videos and live performances. Due to her career longevity, resilience, professionalism, efforts behind-the-scenes in the music industry, and her way of life, she is considered a pop culture icon in Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as "Diva of Heisei Era" and the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and has been recognized as having the influence and career impact domestically equivalent to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western music and pop culture.
First Love is the debut Japanese-language studio album by Japanese-American recording artist Hikaru Utada, released on March 10, 1999, by Toshiba-EMI.
The discography of Japanese R&B singer Misia consists of nine studio albums, three compilation albums, one extended play (EP), one live album, six remix albums, twenty-six singles, twelve promotional singles, eighteen video albums and thirty-seven music videos. In 1997, Misia signed a recording contract with BMG Japan and joined the then up-and-coming talent agency, Rhythmedia. Under the sub-label Arista Japan, Misia released her first single, "Tsutsumikomu Yō ni..." in February 1998, followed by "Hi no Ataru Basho" in May. In June, her debut album, Mother Father Brother Sister, opened at number three on the Oricon chart. The album peaked at number one three weeks later and stayed in the top five for eleven consecutive weeks. Mother Father Brother Sister was certified double million and won a Japan Record Award for Best Album, as well as a Japan Gold Disc Award for Pop Album of the Year. In 2000, Misia's second studio album, Love Is the Message, debuted at number one and was certified double million. It won a Japan Record Award for Best Album and a Japan Gold Disc Award for Pop Album of the Year. The album spawned three top ten hits: "Believe," "Wasurenai Hibi" and "Sweetness." Misia's first remix album, Misia Remix 2000 Little Tokyo, was released three months later and shot to number one. It sold over 800,000 copies and is the second best-selling remix album of all time in Japan.
"Baby Don't Cry" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro for her eighth studio album, Play (2007). It was written, composed, arranged, and produced by Japanese musician Naoaki Yamato, under the alias Nao'ymt. The single also included the B-side track "Nobody", a re-recorded version of her single "White Light". It premiered on January 24, 2007 as the third single from the album in Japan. It was also released worldwide on February 21, 2007 through Avex Entertainment Inc. Musically, "Baby Don't Cry" is a pop ballad, influenced by R&B music.
"Flavor of Life" is Hikaru Utada's 18th Japanese single. The physical single was officially released on February 28, 2007.
"Climax Jump" is the 13th single by the Japanese group AAA, released by Avex Mode on March 21, 2007. The song was composed by Shuhei Naruse with the lyrics by Shoko Fujibayashi. The song is the first opening theme for the 2007 tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Den-O. For the release of the single, the band temporarily changed their name to AAA DEN-O Form for Den-O.
"Chu-Lip" is Ai Otsuka's 14th single under the avex trax label. It is also her first single released in 2007.
"Love Phantom" is the eighteenth single by B'z, released on October 11, 1995. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon chart. The song was used as ending theme for The X-Files during the height of its popularity in Japan. The single sold over 950,000 copies within one week. It sold over 1,862,000 copies according to Oricon. The song won "the best five single award" at the 10th Japan Gold Disc Award.
"Kon'ya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" is the twenty-seventh single by B'z, released on February 9, 2000. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon chart, and sold over a millions copies, with 1,129,000 copies sold. It was used as the main theme for the TV drama Beautiful Life.
"Ultra Soul" is the thirty-first single by B'z, released on March 14, 2001. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon charts. As B-Sides, the single features "Rock Man" and "Suima-Yo 2001!!", a remix of the song "Suima-Yo!!" previously released on the album Survive. "Ultra Soul" was featured in the arcade drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin 2, sequel to the first version of the game that featured another B'z song, "Atsuki Kodō no Hate". This Song was featured in the International Television Intro of 2001 FINA World Aquatics Championships.
"Ocean" is the thirty-ninth single by B'z, released on August 10, 2005. This song is one of the duo's many number-one singles in the Oricon charts, and has sold over 505,000 copies. As B-sides, the single features "Dear My Lovely Pain" and "Narifuri Kamawazu Dakishimete", which is an outtake from The Circle. "Ocean" was used as the theme of Umizaru Evolution, a Japanese television drama adaptation of the manga Umizaru.
"Triangler (トライアングラー)" is Maaya Sakamoto's sixteenth single. The title track was used as the opening theme for the popular mecha anime Macross Frontier and won the 2008 Animation Kobe award for best theme song. The single reached number 3 on Oricon weekly chart and so far is the best selling single of Maaya Sakamoto.
"Ichibu to Zenbu/Dive" is the forty-sixth single by B'z, released on August 5, 2009 as a double A-side. This is one of the many number-one singles by B'z at Oricon Singles Chart. It was a long hit, staying in the top 5 and the top 10 for 8 consecutives weeks. It also reached number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and the Top Singles Sales chart. On December 10, 2009, it was announced that the single won the "Hot 100 of the Year" award at the Billboard Japan Music Awards.
Hilcrhyme is a Japanese two member hip-hop group. The band's name is a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of hillclimb and the word rhyme. They are best known for their 2009 hit song "Shunkashūtō", which has been certified for 1,000,000 cellphone digital downloads and 1,000,000 ringtone downloads separately. The group was named the New Artist of the Year at the 24th Japan Gold Disc Awards.
SoulJa is a Japanese hip-hop musician and songwriter best known for his collaborations with singer Thelma Aoyama, "Koko ni Iru yo" and "Soba ni Iru ne" – the latter of which was the former Guinness World Records holder for the best selling digital single of all-time in Japan.
To Love is Japanese R&B singer-lyricist Kana Nishino's second studio album. It was released on June 23, 2010, by SME Records. The album spawned four Oricon Top 10 singles, "Motto...", "Dear.../Maybe", "Best Friend" and "Aitakute Aitakute".
"Hello, Again " is a song by Japanese band My Little Lover. It was released as a single on August 21, 1995, and is currently the band's biggest hit single.
"Jet Coaster Love" is the third Japanese single of South Korean girl group Kara. The single was originally set to be released on March 23, 2011, but following the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, the physical single was rescheduled to April 6, 2011. In order to help out the areas affected by the disaster, the group had decided to donate all proceeds from the sales of this single, both physical and digital, to relief efforts. It eventually became the group's first single to reach #1 on Oricon Daily and Weekly charts.
"Shōjo S" (少女S) is the third major single released by Japanese pop rock band Scandal. The title track was used as the tenth opening theme for the anime Bleach, as well as the opening song for the Nintendo DS game Bleach DS 4th: Flame Bringer. The single was released in three versions: two limited editions and a regular edition, all with different track lists. Limited edition A came with a Bleach notebook while limited edition B came with a fold-out poster of Scandal on one side and Bleach on the reverse. Both limited versions came with a Bleach sticker. The single reached #6 on the Oricon weekly chart and charted for thirteen weeks. Because it sold 33,881 copies in 2009, it was the #194 single of that year. It was certified gold by the RIAJ for selling over 100,000 digital copies in August 2009.
Japanese singer and songwriter Miliyah Kato has released eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, two EPs, one remix album, one cover album, one tribute album, 51 singles, and 15 promotional singles. She has sold over 9 million records in Japan, making her one of the best-selling and most-downloaded artist in the country of all time. Kato has been named as "the charisma of the high school girls" and "the queen of the unrequited love songs" by several media.
