I Am... is the fourth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on New Years Day, 2002 via Avex Trax and their Taiwan-based headquarters. It was distributed in two physical formats—a standard CD and Playbutton—and for digital consumption. After the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, United States, Hamasaki, whom started working on her new project, changed the original music and design direction by emphasizing lighter themes than her previous work. As a result, the record delves with hope, peace and love, superimposed on J-Pop-inspired rock music.
Loveppears is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999 through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distributed worldwide on April 10, 2001 by Avex Entertainment Inc. It was entirely written by Hamasaki herself, while the production was handled by Japanese musician Max Matsuura. Musically, Loveppears is a dance album and lyrically focuses on themes of love, frustration of life, loneliness, and individualism.
A Best is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001 by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc.. Hamasaki had originally planned to release a greatest hits album after her 2002 studio album I Am..., but the idea was denied by Avex head staff. Instead, Avex released the album in 2001, which caused conflict between the label and Hamasaki. The compilation was released in two different formats including a physical and a digital release. Seven different artworks were released in several editions of the album. The album includes one new track, three re-recorded tracks, and the rest previously released singles.
"Surreal" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, taken from her third studio album Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki and produced by Max Matsuura. The song is a rock with elements of alternative rock. "Surreal" describes Hamasaki's madness and sense of confusion, while the themes of "Surreal" are based on Hamasaki's concept of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of her responsibilities, aimed mostly toward her public image as a recording artist. It was released as the fourth single from the album on 27 September 2000 by Avex Trax and Avex Taiwan.
"Whatever" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. The track is Hamasaki's sixth single with Matsuura since her debut single in April 1998, "Poker Face". "Whatever" premiered on February 10, 1999 as the lead single from the album. It was re-released on February 28, 2001 as a CD single.
"Love (Destiny)" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, serving as the second single for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Taiwan on April 14, 1999, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Three versions of the recording have been made available—a ballad version arranged by Tsunku, an edited version with vocals by Tsunku, and a dance-influenced version included on Loveppears.
"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.
"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.
"Fly High" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on February 9, 2000, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. The recording served as Hamasaki's third and final limited edition single from her second studio album, Loveppears (1999), limiting physical units to 300,000 copies. The track was written by the singer herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Two versions of "Fly High" were made available for consumption—a radio edit composed by HΛL, and the album version produced by Dai Nagao. Lyrically, the song was written in third person perspective.
"Vogue" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on April 26, 2000 as the lead single from the album. Her third consecutive lead single to be produced by Matsuura, the song is part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Far Away" and "Seasons".
"Far Away" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on May 17, 2000 as the second single from the album. The song is part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Vogue" and "Seasons".
"Seasons" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on June 7, 2000 as the third single from the album. The song is the final part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Vogue" and "Far Away".
"Audience" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki from her third studio album Duty (2001). It was released as the album's fifth and final single on 1 November 2000 by Avex Trax. Hamasaki wrote the track and Max Matsuura Lewis produced it. Dai Nagao and HΛL composed both the single and album version. The single artwork was shot by Japanese photographer Toru Kumazawa and features duplicate clones of Hamasaki, resembling an audience. Musically, "Audience" is a dance–pop and disco song.
"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).
Olivia Lufkin, professionally known as Olivia, is a Japanese-American bilingual singer and songwriter. She was born in Japan to the daughter of a Japanese mother and an American father. Her two younger siblings are Jeffrey Lufkin, a musician she regularly collaborates with and Caroline Lufkin, an independent musician. Lufkin began her solo career after singing in the Japanese girl group, D&D. She gained mainstream success in 2006 after creating songs for the fictional band Trapnest under the alias of Olivia Inspi' Reira (Trapnest). The songs were used for the popular anime adaptation of Nana.
D&D was a Japanese eurobeat idol group, featuring vocalist Olivia, and dancers Chikano and Aya. They debuted in 1996 with the single "In Your Eyes," and disbanded in 1999. Vocalist Olivia debuted as a solo musician in 1999, and sung several theme songs for the anime Nana in 2006.
"Dekinai" is Olivia Lufkin's 5th solo single released on July 26, 2000. There were two promotional versions of this single released: a cd version and a vinyl version. The vinyl record version contains one extra remix of "Pass me the sugar" in place of "Escape the Flames". The song features Kochi Korenaga and Luna Sea drummer Shinya Yamada.
Guilty is the ninth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on January 1, 2008 by Avex Trax. Guilty marks Hamasaki's ninth 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, Guilty is a rock album with numerous musical elements such as rock, heavy metal, electronic music, and pop ballad melodies.
"Reincarnation" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki for her second greatest hits album, Ami Selection (2011). It was written by Emi Hinouchi and production was handled by Taku Takahashi. The track is Suzuki's first collaboration with both Hinouchi and Takahashi. "Reincarnation" premiered on February 25, 2009 as the lead single from the album. The CD and digital cover sleeve has a close-up of Suzuki hovering a GCI bubble. The DVD cover sleeve features a slightly altered version of the former.
Colours is the fifteenth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on July 2, 2014, in Japan by Avex Trax, worldwide by Avex Entertainment Inc., and on July 18 in Taiwan by Avex Taiwan. The songs on the album were entirely written by Hamasaki, while production was led by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura; it also included a variety of Western producers such as Armin van Buuren, members from RedOne Productions De Paris and Rush, Darkchild, and Fedde Le Grand, among others. This became Hamasaki's first studio album to have not been fully produced by Matsuura, and her first album to incorporate a large amount of English language. Musically, Colours is an electronic dance music album.
