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.
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.
Rainbow is the fifth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, released on 18 December 2002 by Avex Trax. Production of Rainbow had commenced after the release of Hamasaki's fourth studio album I Am... that January; All lyrics were written by Hamasaki, and Japanese producer Max Matsuura returned to produce the album. The album was Hamasaki's first to feature conversational English lyrics, where in her previous works she had only used single words.
(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.
"I Have Never Seen" is the twelfth single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax on December 23, 1998, as the lead single to her fourth studio album Genius 2000 (2000). The song was written and composed solely by Tetsuya Komuro. It was the first single released after Amuro's return from her yearlong maternity leave, and was released approximately one week before her well-publicized official comeback at the 49th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. Musically, the song is a melancholic power ballad.
Cheryline Ernestine Lim, known by her stage name Che'Nelle, is a Malaysian-Australian singer-songwriter. She gained popularity in Japan with the release of her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007).
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.
"I Fell In Love With the DJ" is a song by Australian recording artist Che'Nelle from her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007). The song was chosen as her first commercial single release. The song was originally written and recorded by Che'Nelle. The artist gained attention of US record producers and later signed an album deal. "I Fell In Love With the DJ" was remixed ahead of its release and Jamaican rapper Cham's vocals added. The song samples the 2005 song "Reggae Bump Bump", performed by American singer R. Kelly. It features "cheeky" lyrics about falling in love with a DJ at a nightclub. To promote the single Che'Nelle completed a US radio tour in forty states. The song did not perform well in the US, only peaking at number 98 on the Pop 100. It fared better in Japan and Europe, with it charting in several countries in the latter territory. Che'Nelle also refocused her efforts on promoting the single and album in Japan and its success helped her forge a long-standing career in the country.
"Hurry Up" is a song by Australian singer Che'Nelle from her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007). The song was released as the second single from the album. A music video was released for the song. The song was written and produced by both Sean Garrett and Warren Felder and was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia. The song received an official remix for its UK release featuring the rapper Tinchy Stryder.
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.
Supreme Show is the seventh studio album by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki. Avex Trax distributed it in CD and DVD formats on November 12, 2008. It was released ten months after her previous studio album, Dolce, and was promoted to commemorate the singer's tenth career anniversary. Yasutaka Nakata, who had previously appeared as a featured artist and produced on Dolce, handled the album in its entirety. Crafted to re-invent her sound and image, Supreme Show is an electronic album with additional dance notes, and includes tracks in English and Japanese language.
Next Level is the tenth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released through Avex Trax on March 25, 2009 in five physical formats, and for digital consumption. The album was solely produced by Avex Trax owner Max Matsuura, whereas the album's content was written by Hamasaki herself. Additionally, it marks a return for several composers that helped construct her previous records, including Dai Nagao, CMJK, Kazuhiro Hara, HΛL, amongst others. Stylistically, Next Level is a departure from her previous albums, focusing on electronic music with elements of rock and dance.
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.
Feel Good is the second studio album by Malaysian-Australian recording artist Che'Nelle. It was first released on 10 February 2010 by EMI Music Japan. It is a follow-up to her internationally released debut album "Things Happen for a Reason" (2007). The singer's manager Sir Charles Dixon served as the album's executive producer. "Feel Good" contains songs which were written by Che'Nelle herself and features production from Jason Gill, Toshinobu Kubota and The Insomniax. The album features collaborations with Jamaican artist Shaggy, the American singer Colby O'Donis and Japanese act Lecca. Two songs originally featured on her debut made it onto the album. It received a physical CD release solely in Japan and charted at number forty-one on the Japan Oricon album chart.
The discography of Malaysian-born Australian singer Che'Nelle consists of seven studio albums, two cover albums, four extended plays (EP), two compilation albums, one mixtape, and numerous solo and collaboration singles. Signing with Virgin America Music in 2005 after being discovered by Charles Dixon, Che'Nelle released her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007). Although the album was a commercial failure in the United States, it saw success in Japan, charting in the top ten of the Oricon Albums Chart. She later was nominated for and won the Japan Gold Disc Award for Top New Artist. Following this, Che'Nelle re-located to Japan and signed with EMI Music Japan. Her second studio album, Feel Good (2010), saw moderate success, peaking at number 41 on the Oricon charts.
Luv Songs (ラブ・ソングス) is the third studio album by Malaysian-Australian recording artist Che'Nelle. It was first released on 20 July 2011 by EMI Music Japan. Luv Songs is the singer's first cover album. Most of the songs were translated from Japanese into English by Che'Nelle and her team. She worked with past collaborators Derek Brin, Emile Ghantous and Erik Nelson who produced and recorded songs for the album. Che'Nelle worked with EIGO, who produced additional tracks. "Luv Songs" peaked at number 3 on the Oricon albums chart and spent 107 weeks in total on the chart. A digital deluxe edition was released on 30 November 2011 containing additional versions of "Baby I Love U". To promote "Luv Songs", three official singles were released "Sakura", "So Sick" and "Baby I Love U". The latter becoming one of her most successful singles to date selling more than 500,000 digital downloads alone by October 2013, according to RIAJ. The album was certified gold and later platinum by RIAJ in Japan. In 2013, it was re-released as "Luv Songs -Special Edition" with four additional versions of "Baby I Love U", including remixes by DJ Kaori and DJ Komori.
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.
Moriagaro is the tenth studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, released on July 17, 2013, by EMI Records Japan. Musically, Moriagaro expands on the dance-pop sound found on Ai's previous studio album, Independent (2012), with R&B and hip hop sensibilities. Alongside long-time collaborator Uta, Ai worked with various American producers. On November 20, 2013, the album was reissued as Motto Moriagaro.
"Trust Your Love" is a song recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi and was used as the second single from her debut album Affection (2002). It was released on May 9, 2001 via Rhythm Zone in two physical editions: a CD single and 12" vinyl. Additionally, Sounday and Orpheus Records distributed the song in North America with the same formats, but was remixed as a dance number by Hex Hector. The song was written by Kumi herself, whilst composing and production was handled by Kikuchi Kazuhito and Max Matsuura respectively. Musically, it is an R&B song that incorporates synthesizers and keyboards, and describes two lovers believing in each other.
"Baby I Love You" or "Baby I Love U" (ベイビー・アイラブユー) is a song by Japanese singer TEE. It was released via Universal Sigma on 27 October 2010 and is included on TEE's debut album "Kido I Raku". The song was written by TEE, Hiro and Ryosuke Imai and was produced by Akira. Australian artist Che'Nelle translated and rewrote the song in English for inclusion on her third studio album "Luv Songs". EMI Music Japan released the song on 22 June 2011, as the third single taken from her album. Released by TEE, "Baby I Love You" peaked at number two on the Japan Hot 100 and has been certified triple platinum by RIAJ, selling over 750,000 copies. Che'Nelle's "Baby I Love U" peaked at twenty four on the Japan Hot 100 and remained on the chart for twenty four weeks. The version sold more than 500,000 ringtones, 500,000 PC downloads and 250,000 mobile downloads. RIAJ issued one platinum and two double platinum certifications to "Baby I Love You", indicating it had sold in excess of over 1.25 million copies by October 2013.
