Ayumi Hamasaki
Olivia Irvin
Early Life
 Ayumi was raised by her mother and grandmother
 She was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
 Born October 2, 1978
 At just seven years old, she began her modeling career
 She was eventually dropped because she was “too short”
 After being dropped by her agency, she dropped out of school and began singing and
dancing at disco clubs
Early Life
 Ayumi was originally inspired by the rap genre, which explains the Western influence in her
music
 She met Max Matsuura at one of the disco clubs she danced at, and he became her
producer
 She was sent to New York to start vocal training
 Max suggested she try writing her own lyrics
Rise to Fame
 “Poker Face” was the name of Ayumi’s first single
 The song was a hit
 She released three other singles following this, all of while were more popular than the first.
 Her third single made it to the top ten on the Oricon weekly charts
 Her debut album “A Song For xx” was a hit with her fans
 They loved the heartfelt lyrics she wrote
 It remained on the charts for weeks
September 11
 The reason I chose Ayumi as my favorite artist, is because she has such good intentions for
her music and isn’t afraid of the consequences of what the critics might think
 For example, after September 11 occurred, she completely shifted the theme of her
album “I Am…” and dedicated it to those who died or lost loved ones in the event.
 The album had themes of faith and world peace
 Some of the songs incorporated English in them , and some had characteristics of rock music
Ayumi and Her Fans
 During the time Ayumi was at her peak, 12 cm disks were becoming a trend
 She was able to store more data in them, and included remixes of her singles in the disks
 She also launched a promotional campaign for “Rainbow”
 Those who bought the album online could access a password-protected website that had the
instrumental version of the track “Rainbow”
 Today, her music is available on iTunes or to stream on websites such as YouTube or
Google Play.
Influences
 As stated before, Ayumi was influenced by Western music from the start
 She originally tried to get into the rap game, but was unsuccessesful
 Regardless, Western influences are still very apparent in her music
 She constantly tried to keep up with the current trends in music
 It is hard to find the Japanese influences in Ayumi’s music because keeping up with the
current trends does not always mean including Japanese influences in her music.
Ayumi Today
 Today, Ayumi is known as the queen of J-Pop
 She continues to release new music
 Her most recent album is titled “Colours”
 Within the first week of it’s release, it has sold 39,295 copies
 It placed 5th on the Oricon album chart
 She has 15 albums to date, and has appeared in 10 films
Conclusion
 Ayumi had to go through many hardships to get where she is today
 She was dropped by several agencies before she found her calling
 The queen of J-Pop is still releasing music and touring the world for her fans
 She has a big heart and continues to show that through her music