Ballada | ||||
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![]() CD/DVD and digital download editions' cover | ||||
Compilation album by | ||||
Released | June 4, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 1996–2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 1:16:21 | |||
Language | ||||
Label |
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Producer | Various
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Namie Amuro chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ballada | ||||
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Ballada is the sixth compilation by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released by Dimension Point on June 4, 2014 in three physical formats, and for digital consumption. It works as a concept album that compiles ballads released during her time with Avex Trax, including three re-worked tracks. Additionally, the album features its only single "Tsuki". Upon its release, Ballada received positive reviews from music critics, most whom praised Amuro's maturity and vocals, alongside the re-worked tracks.
Commercially, it was a success in Japan, reaching the top spot on the Oricon Albums Chart and Billboard Hot Albums Chart. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), recognizing shipments of 500,000 units. In order to promote the album, Amuro conducted her annual Live Style tour in August 2014, and finished it four months later. A live release—titled Namie Amuro Live Style 2014—was issued inside Asia, and was a commercial success in Japan.
In early 2013, Amuro had started her own record label titled Dimension Point, offering her 11th studio album Feel (2013) as its first commercial work. [1] [2] She then release a series of digital singles: "Neonlight Lipstick" and "Ballerina". [3] [4] These tracks were included on her January 2014 recording "Tsuki", a ballad written for the Japanese film Dakishimetai: Shinjitsu no Monogatari (2014). [5] A month later, the singer revealed a special website that included a voting poll with all her ballad songs on it; this would later be revealed that selected tracks would appear on Ballada. [6] Not long after, Amuro announced the release of Ballada. Out of 38 ballads listed on voting poll, 15 were selected. [7] All apart from four tracks were featured in their original form; "Sweet 19 Blues" and "Can You Celebrate?" were re-recorded for the compilation; "Tsuki" being the only new recording added to the release; and "Contrail" being re-recorded and re-arranged by Nao'ymt, whom produced the original version. Japanese composer, Taro Hakase, was credited as a featured artist on "Can You Celebrate?", performing the violin. [8]
Ballada was released by Dimension Point and Avex Trax on June 2, 2014 in three physical formats, and for digital consumption. [8] [9] The three physical formats include a standard package that includes a 15-track compact disc, and the other two are DVD and Blu-Ray bundles that include 17 music videos, respectively. Included in the DVD/Blu-Ray formats are re-created visuals of her singles "Sweet 19 Blues"—blending a mixture of the original video and new footage of Amuro in the same setting—and a completely re-done video of "Can You Celebrate?". [10] [11] [12] [13] The cover art and photoshoot was photographed by Yasunari Kikuma, which has Amuro sitting in an empty room, wearing a red plaid dress and military-esque hat; additionally, art direction and the album's booklet was designed by Masaru Yoshikawa from AEI. [8] First-press editions come with a digipak and a special lenticular photographic print, alongside a generic poster of the album's photoshoot. [7]
Upon its release, Ballada received positive reviews from music critics. Japanese magazine CDJournal praised Amuro's "subtle vocal techniques" and "rich emotional expression" displayed in the ballad collection. [14] Kanako Hayakawa of EMTG felt that no matter which era of Amuro's music the songs were from, her ballads showcased the strength of women, where fragile parts of herself were sung with boldly real vocals. She felt that her ballads had similar lyrical matters to her up-tempo songs, such as the joy of feeling loved or someone starting again after a loss. Hayakawa felt that many of the songs on the compilation were not strictly ballads, such as the mid-tempo R&B "Sweet 19 Blues", the 1990s UK club jazz "Dreaming I Was Dreaming", and the slow R&B "White Light". Hayakawa praised the album's re-recorded tracks, noting the "divine beauty" of the Taro Hakase pairing and the dignity in her voice. [15]
Commercially, the album was a success in Asia. Ballada debuted at number one on the daily and weekly Oricon Albums Chart in Japan, opening with a six-day sales of 254,944 copies; this made it her highest-selling first week sales for a compilation since Best Fiction in 2008. [16] It remained at number one on the weekly chart for a second run, but only shifted 66,274 units. [17] In total, Ballada lasted six weeks in the top ten, and stay in the top 300 chart for 40 weeks. [18] Additionally, it was ranked the fourth best-selling album of 2014 with 431,356 copies sold in Japan, making Amuro the highest-selling solo artist in terms of album sales that year. [19] Ballada was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 500,000 units. [20]
Ballada reached number six on the Taiwanese G-Music chart, and topped the East Asian category for a sole week. [21] [22] In September 2017, Amuro announced her retirement from the music industry. Because of this, her music catalogue skyrocketed on several digital stores; Ballada was included, and debuted at number 7 on the Oricon Digital Albums Chart with sales of 1,933 copies. In total, the compilation has achieved 3,541 recognized digital downloads. [23] [24]
In order to promote the album, Amuro announced her annual Live Style tour in early April 2014. The dates were confirmed via a flyer given out with the purchases of Ballada, enclosed in the album's booklet. [8] Tickets were offered to the public that were subscribed to the singer's Fan Space fan club, which gave them early access and a unique code to submit to secure tickets; the entire ticket system was handled as a general lottery. [25] A total of 36 shows in thirteen different cities were scheduled in Japan, spanning from August 22 at the Shizuoka Eco-Pure Arena, and finishing on December 23 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo. [26] [27] One show in Kobe was cancelled for unknown reasons, but rescheduled two extra dates. In order to promote the material from Ballada, Amuro added a particular song from the album on the setlist of every performance. [28]
A live album and DVD/Blu-Ray were recorded at the Yoyogi National Gym on November 6, alongside a bonus disc that featured the selected ballads performed. A total of 30 songs were added on the track list, alongside the bonus disc that included an extra 11 live recordings. [29] Titled Namie Amuro Live Style 2014, the formats were a success in Japan; it reached the top spot on the Oricon DVD and Blu-Ray Chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 100,000 copies. [30] [31] [32]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "Sweet 19 Blues" (new vocal) | Tetsuya Komuro | T. Komuro | 5:33 |
2. | "Can You Celebrate?" (featuring Taro Hakase; new vocal) | T. Komuro | T. Komuro | 6:16 |
3. | "Dreaming I Was Dreaming" | Marc Panther, T. Komuro | Cozy Kubo | 4:43 |
4. | "Never End" | T. Komuro | T. Komuro | 5:15 |
5. | "Himawari" (Sunflower) | T. Komuro | T. Komuro | 4:46 |
6. | "Think of Me" | Dallas Austin, Junko Kudo | D. Austin | 4:28 |
7. | "I Will" | Namie Amuro | Hiroaki Hayama | 5:34 |
8. | "Wishing on the Same Star" | Diane Warren, Kenko-P | D. Warren | 4:25 |
9. | "Four Seasons" | Jusme | Monk | 3:50 |
10. | "All for You" | Natsumi Watanabe | Ryoki Matsumoto | 5:58 |
11. | "White Light" | Nao'ymt | Nao'ymt | 5:17 |
12. | "The Meaning of Us" | Momo "Mocha" N. | Momo "Mocha" N., U-Key Zone | 4:26 |
13. | "Love Story" | Tiger | T-SK, Kim Tesung, Liv Nero, Mim Nervo | 4:44 |
14. | "Let Me Let You Go" | Shelly Peiken, JD Walker | S. Peiken, JD Walker | 4:03 |
15. | "Tsuki" (Moon) | Tiger | Zetton, Fastlane, Lisa Desmond | 3:36 |
16. | "Contrail (Ballada Ver.)" (bonus track) | Nao'ymt | Nao'ymt | 3:19 |
Total length: | 1:16:21 |
No. | Title | Director | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sweet 19 Blues" | Wataru Takeishi | 5:38 |
2. | "Can You Celebrate?" | W. Takeishi | 6:15 |
3. | "Dreaming I Was Dreaming" | Masashi Muto | 4:43 |
4. | "Never End" | M. Muto | 5:15 |
5. | "Himawari" | YKBX | 4:46 |
6. | "Think of Me" | M. Muto | 4:28 |
7. | "I Will" | M. Muto | 5:34 |
8. | "Wishing on the Same Star" | M. Muto | 4:25 |
9. | "Four Seasons" | YKBX | 3:50 |
10. | "All for You" | M. Muto | 5:58 |
11. | "White Light" | M. Muto | 5:17 |
12. | "The Meaning of Us" | Shigeaki Kubo | 4:26 |
13. | "Love Story" | Kensuke Kawamura | 4:44 |
14. | "Let Me Let You Go" | Daisuke "Nino" Ninimoya | 4:03 |
15. | "Tsuki" | Naokazu Mitsuishi | 3:36 |
16. | "Sweet 19 Blues" (new video) | Kanji Suto | 5:33 |
17. | "Can You Celebrate?" (new video) | K. Kawamura | 6:16 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Japan (RIAJ) [35] | 2× Platinum | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue codes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Japan [36] | June 4, 2014 |
| Dimension Point | AVCN-99010/B, AVCN-99011/B, AVCN-99012 |
South Korea [37] | June 5, 2014 | Digital download | SM Entertainment | |
Hong Kong [38] [39] | June 17, 2014 |
| Sony Music | 88843093622, 88843093832 |
Japan [40] | June 21, 2014 | Rental CD | Dimension Point | AVCN-99012 |
Namie Amuro is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a teen idol, and transitioned into a leading pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentation. Due to her career reinventions and longevity, she is known as an icon across Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and her influence domestically has drawn equivalent comparisons to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western pop culture.
"White Light" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on November 16, 2005, as a double A-single with "Violet Sauce". "White Light" was supposed to promote Amuro's eighth studio album Play (2007), but it was scrapped from the final track list. Instead, an alternative version of "Violet Sauce" appeared. A demo version of the song was sent to Amuro, who decided it needed a warmer tone and reworked it as a Christmas song. It was modified by Nao'ymt, the song's sole composer, producer, and writer. Musically, it's a midtempo Christmas song with lyrics about love and holiday festivities.
"All for You" is the 27th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on July 22, 2004, by Avex Trax, and serves as Amuro's second single from her seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). The lyrics were written by Natsumi Watanabe, who had translated "Stop the music" into Japanese for Amuro's 1995 single. The music was composed by Ryoki Matsumoto, known for composing other hit songs at the time such as Rui's "Tsuki no Shizuku" and Mika Nakashima's "Yuki no Hana." Musically, "All For You" is a synthesizer-heavy power ballad.
"Sweet 19 Blues" is the seventh single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was composed, written and arranged by Tetsuya Komuro for her debut album of the same name. A month after its release, her label Avex Trax released the song as a recut single due to overwhelming demand. The song's subject and the album in general was about the melancholic passing of another sweet year of youth, which is a particularly Japanese obsession.
"You're My Sunshine" is the sixth single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on June 5, 1996, by Avex Trax and was produced by Tetsuya Komuro. The song was the image song for the Bristol-Myers Squibb "Sea Breeze '96" commercial in which she appeared. The version used in the initial commercial had a different tempo and tune from the CD package version. The following year, 1997, she was used for the second consecutive year in a "Sea Breeze" commercial, this time using her hit song "How to Be a Girl".
Play is the eighth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on June 27, 2007, by Avex Trax and was made available in both physical and digital formats. Following the success of her previous album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005), Amuro enlisted long-time collaborators Nao'ymt and T. Kura to produce the album. Play, like its predecessor, is an urban contemporary record with elements of pop music, rock and dance-pop. Lyrically, the record explores themes of love, frustration, and relationships.
Best Fiction is the third greatest hits album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 30, 2008, by Avex Trax and features seventeen singles released between 2002-2008, which included five new songs, three of which were released as a triple A-side single called "60s 70s 80s." Furthermore, the album tracks "Do Me More" and "Sexy Girl" were released as digital singles.
Past<Future is the ninth studio album by Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro. It was released on December 16, 2009, through Avex Trax. This was her first original album to be released in two and a half years. The record came after the release of her blockbuster greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008), which sold over a million copies. Unlike her previous studio albums, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005) and Play (2007), Past<Future features a more electropop and synth-pop sound that was prevalent in the Western music charts at the time.
"Sit! Stay! Wait! Down! / Love Story" is an extended play by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her tenth studio album and debut bilingual album Uncontrolled (2012). The EP contains the songs "Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!" and "Love Story" from the parent album and two new tracks "Higher" and "Arigatou". The EP was produced by Michico, T. Kura, Miriam Nervo, Olivia Nervo, T-SK, Tesung Kim, and Nao'ymt, and is divided into two dance-pop songs and two pop ballads.
Feel is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on July 10, 2013, in both physical and digital formats, and it is her first studio release through Dimension Point, a sub-division of Amuro's label Avex Trax. Feel, like its predecessor Uncontrolled (2012), features a diverse range of producers and songwriters from outside of Japan, including collaborations with Zedd, Dsign Music, Anthony Maniscalco, and Steven Lee.
"Contrail" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, taken from her eleventh studio and second Japanese–English bilingual album Feel (2013). The singer was approached by the Tokyo Broadcasting System team to record the official theme song for their television series Flying Public Relations Office, which resulted into the process of "Contrail". The track was written, composed, arranged and produced entirely by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt, and recorded at Daimonion Studios in Shibuya, Tokyo. Musically, "Contrail" is a dance number that includes instrumentation of synthesizers, keyboards and a drum machine. A self-empowerment anthem, the title derives from the literal term, and is delivered as a metaphor for confidence and hope.
Genic is the twelfth studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on various physical and digital formats on June 10, 2015 by Amuro’s label Dimension Point, and serves as the singers final studio album before her retirement in September 2018. Amuro began working on the album in 2014 and received over 200 demo recordings from her team, which included a diverse group of collaborators. Finally, she chose tracks based on their introductions and what was trending in music at the time.
"Tsuki" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Namie Amuro for her ballad-inspired concept compilation, Ballada (2014). It was distributed by Avex Trax and Amuro's record label, Dimension Point, on January 29, 2014 in Japan, and released worldwide as a digital single by Avex Music Creative Inc. The physical and digital formats included the two B-side tracks "Neonlight Lipstick" and "Ballerina", which later served as promotional singles online. "Tsuki" was written by Tiger, whilst production was handled by Hiro Doi and Zetton. Musically, the single is a J-Pop ballad with instrumentation consisting of synthesizers, bells, and chimes.
"Brighter Day" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. Released as a single on November 12, 2014 by Amuro's label Dimension Point through Avex Trax, the release contained the B-sides "Sweet Kisses", and "Still Lovin' You". It received mixed reviews from music critics; many commended Amuro's vocal abilities while some criticized the song's composition and production. Charted as a single on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart, it reached number eight, becoming her lowest chart single since "Alarm" which peaked at eleven. The title track was certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for digital sales of 250,000 and all three tracks charted on the Japan Hot 100.
"Go Round" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her tenth studio album Uncontrolled (2012). It was released as a double a-side single with another album track "Yeah-Oh" and was served as the fourth single on March 21, 2012 by Avex Trax. "Go Round" was written by Aili, produced by T-Sk and co-composed by Tesung Kim and Australian duo Nervo. With a cover sleeve, photographed by Takaki Kumada, showing Amuro in front of a blurry window pane, "Go Round" was recorded both in English and Japanese language and is a dance-pop song.
"Hero" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released as a stand-alone single on July 27, 2016 by Avex Trax and Amuro’s own label Dimension Point; it was distributed physically in Japan and Taiwan, and digitally worldwide. The song was written by Ryosuke Imai and Sunny Boy, whilst production and composing was handled by the latter collaborator. Originally slated to appear as a B-side track to her previous single "Mint", it served as the official Japanese theme song to the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, broadcast by the NHK. Alongside this, a B-side track titled "Show Me What You’ve Got" appeared on the release of "Hero".
"Dear Diary" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. Dimension Point released it as a double A-side single with "Fighter" on October 26, 2016. Furthermore, it serves as the fourth single from Amuro's seventh greatest hits album and final music release, Finally (2017). Both served as themes songs for the 2016 Japanese live-action film Death Note: Light Up the New World, which was inspired by the manga series Death Note. Takahiro Sato, the film's co-producer, approached Amuro about providing theme songs to help her music gain international exposure. "Dear Diary" was written by Matthew Tishler, Felicia Barton, Aaron Benward, and Tiger, and produced by Tishler. Frequent collaborator Emyli provided backing vocals to the track.
"Fighter" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Namie Amuro, released as a double A-side single with "Dear Diary". It was released on October 26, 2016 via Dimension Point and Avex Trax in two CD formats, and a DVD package; a digital release was made available for consumption on November 16. The single serves as the insert song to the Japanese drama–horror film Death Note: Light Up the New World, and the theme song to its accompanying spin-off series Death Note: New Generation (2016). "Fighter" was written, composed and produced by Japanese vocalist Emyli, with additional production credits to Reason.
Finally is the seventh greatest hits album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released in a variety of formats by her label Dimension Point on November 8, 2017, and was later distributed to other markets in Asia. It is the singer's final music release upon announcing her retirement from the entertainment industry in September 2018.
"Dr." is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, taken as the only A-side single from her ninth studio album Past<Future (2009). The track was written, composed, arranged and produced entirely by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt, and recorded at Azabu-O Studios in Minato, Tokyo. Musically, "Dr." is a dance number that is influenced by modern club music, and also samples an orchestral section from the musical piece "Boléro", composed by French conductor Maurice Ravel. Lyrically, it is a love song that uses the titular term to metaphorically describe Amuro's lover.
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