Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia, as well as being referred to as "the voice of the lost generation". Due to her success and relevance throughout her career, she is considered one of the top solo female artists of the Heisei era for her influence on the music industry and various fashion trends.
I Am... is the fourth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on January 1, 2002 by Avex Trax and was distributed throughout Asia in both physical and digital formats. Hamasaki enlisted long-time collaborator Max Matsuura to assist with the album's creation, and was inspired by the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks to emphasise lighter themes in contrast to her previous work.
Ayumi Hamasaki's Arena Tour 2005 A: My Story was a nationwide tour of Japan that took place in early 2005 in order to promote her album, My Story and was released on DVD on August 24, 2005. Almost all the tracks on her My Story album were performed during the tour.
(Miss)understood is the seventh studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on New Year's Day 2006, by Avex Trax. Hamasaki acted as the album's sole lyricist, as she had on all of her preceding albums. (Miss)understood marked new musical directions for Hamasaki: she explored new influences such as funk and used gospel choruses in some of the songs, foreign to her previous works. This was the result of her having heard compositions by Geo from the German based pop music project Sweetbox and asking him for his works. Subsequently, Hamasaki rewrote the lyrics entirely to fit (Miss)understood. Lyrically, the album was a departure from her previous work, My Story, which had been primarily autobiographical.
"To Be" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It served as the third single from Hamasaki's second studio album Loveppears (1999). The track was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Taiwan on May 12, 1999, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. It was Hamasaki's final single to be distributed as a Mini-CD, a format that debuted at the start of her career in April 1998. "To Be" was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, it is a J-Pop that was written in third person perspective, much like the content from the parent album.
"Boys & Girls" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, serving as the fourth single for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Hong Kong on July 14, 1999, and through Avex USA in North America in early 2001, while being re-distributed in 2003. "Boys & Girls" marks Hamasaki's first single to be made available for purchase as a maxi single with additional remixes. The track was written by the singer herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, the song is a dance recording, a genre that heavily influences Loveppears. The single's lyrical content is written in third-person perspective.
"Appears" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax on November 10, 1999 as the sixth single from her second studio album Loveppears (1999), which was released on the same day. Alongside this, it has been released in several other territories with different release dates under her Western alias Ayu. It also served as Hamasaki's first limited edition single, limiting physical sales to 300,000 copies. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, "Appears" is a dance song written in third person perspective, and is about the third person watching what appears to be a happy and loving relationship. Upon its release, "Appears" received positive reviews from music critics. Alexey Eremenko, writing for AllMusic, selected the track as the best song from the album and her career. However, an editor from CD Journal criticized the amount of remixes on the CD single.
"Evolution" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist and lyricist Ayumi Hamasaki, released on January 31, 2001, as the second single from her fourth studio album I Am... (2002).
Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2005–2006 A is a DVD issued by a Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on 23 March 2006. It is well-known for its performance of Boys & Girls in which Hamasaki forgets the lyrics.
Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A DVD was released on January 29, 2003, the same day as Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A was also released.
Secret is the eighth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki, released November 29, 2006, by Avex Trax. As with all of her previous works, Hamasaki wrote all of the lyrics on Secret. The album's composition was handled largely by Dai Nagao and Tetsuya Yukumi, both of whom were frequent collaborators with Hamasaki. Generally a rock-pop influenced album, Hamasaki said that the meaning of the album was itself a secret, and that it incorporated secrets she was keeping about herself that the public did not know.
A Best 2 is a two-part greatest hits album by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. Both albums, titled Black and White, were released on 28 February 2007 on various formats by Avex Trax. Produced by Max Matsuura, they follow Hamasaki's compilation album A Best, which was released in March 2001. A Best 2 are concept albums, with Black focusing on darker and more serious tones and White on lighter and more upbeat themes. The albums contain 31 songs, including an unreleased track titled "Part of Me" on the Black edition, that were released between the periods of her albums I Am... (2002) and (Miss)understood (2006).
Asia Tour 2007 A: Tour of Secret is the first Asia-wide and ninth overall concert tour held by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, in support of her album Secret (2006). The tour started March 10, 2007, and ended in mid June of the same year, with legs not only in Japan but in other Asian countries as well, making it Hamasaki's first concert tour with non-domestic stops.
Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary was a concert tour of Asia held by Ayumi Hamasaki to celebrate her tenth anniversary as a performer under Avex Trax. The tour had stops across Japan as well as in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei. This was also the first time the whole performance was filmed outside Japan.
Rock 'n' Roll Circus is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on April 14, 2010, by Avex Trax. It was also released just a little over a year after her 2009 album, Next Level. Rock 'n' Roll Circus marks Hamasaki's eleventh consecutive album to be fully produced by Japanese producer and manager Max Matsuura, while she contributes to the album as the lead vocalist, background vocalist, and songwriter to all songs. Recorded in Japanese with minor phrases in English, Rock 'n' Roll Circus is a rock album with numerous musical elements such as electropop, J-pop, rock, pop ballad, and dance music.
Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A: Next Level is the twelfth concert tour DVD by the Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on April 14, 2010, the same day as the release of Rock 'n' Roll Circus. On the Oricon weekly chart, it peaked at second place and is currently still charting. The tour consisted of 32 shows across Japan and played to over 300,000 fans.
Ayumi Hamasaki Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour is the thirteenth concert tour by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, held in support of her eleventh studio album, Rock 'n' Roll Circus (2010). The concert tour, which began at the Saitama Super Arena on April 10, 2010, spaned 41 performances throughout Japan. It concluded at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium on October 11, 2010, drawing an audience of approximately 400,000 people.
Ayumi Hamasaki A 50 Singles: Live Selection is 27th live DVD by Ayumi Hamasaki, released on April 20, 2011. It is the compilation of her 50 best live performances selected from each of her singles, from her 1st single, Poker Face, to her 50th single, L. It was released on the same day with Ayumi Hamasaki Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour Final: 7 Days Special. It was originally scheduled to be released at March 30, but was pushed back till April 20 due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It charted strongly at #2 while Ayumi Hamasaki Rock 'n' Roll Circus Tour Final: 7 Days Special charted at #1, making her the first artist to hold #1 and #2 positions on the Oricon DVD Weekly Chart. The sales of this 2 DVD make her the female artist with the highest DVD sales of 2,313,000 units sold, behind Arashi. As her song, Kanariya, had not been performed live before, it was replaced as a video clip.
Ayumi Hamasaki 15th Anniversary Tour: A Best Live is Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki's 36th DVD/Blu-ray release. It was released on October 30, 2013. The tour was held to celebrate Hamasaki's 15th anniversary in the music industry, with her performing 28 shows in Japan from mid-April to late July. The tour started on April 13, 2013 at Saitama Super Arena and finished with two final shows at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on July 27 and 28, 2013.
Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2015 A: Cirque de Minuit – The Final is Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki's 40th DVD/Blu-ray release. It was released on October 28, 2015. The tour started on April 11, 2015, at Saitama Super Arena and initially ended on June 7, 2015, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium. However, four additional dates - promoted as "The Final" - were added and the tour finished on July 5, 2015, at Yokohama Arena.
