entertainment

Utada’s blog receives 1 million views in 24 hours

32 Comments

Singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada, 27, announced on her official blog at 8 p.m. last Monday that she will suspend her musical activities for an indefinite period starting next year. Within the next 24 hours, access to her blog surpassed 1 million views.

There has been a lot of online speculation about why Utada had decided to take a break. Writing on her blog on Wednesday, the singer denied retiring, and claimed that her decision was not based on marriage plans or sickness. Although she has not decided how long her hiatus will be, she promised her return with the words “I will come back more mature.”

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32 Comments
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As long as she "ComesBack" in KEY!!! Lovely to look at ,though.

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She took a matured test on her fan base. She somehow has grown beyond her boundary of contents and melody to hit her fans' hearts and souls. Michael Jackson used to take a short break for a meditation in India before he released his new album totally beating at a different sound. Hoping Utada finds her inner tune in happiness of family, love, and friends. She can add another cultural sphere into her genre - Japanese-American style. Good Luck!

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@Tokyo, well she definitely is NO Michael Jackson, for one thing, Jacko could sing, dance and made timeless classics. A few years ago she worked with legendary "Terry Lewis" who (in the past) helped Janet Jackson become a household name, he helped Utada produce one of her albums to help her break out in the states, the album bombed seriously. So if Terry Lewis can't get her off the ground... Hopefully-when she comes back, she will rethink her career and go into something more suitable like perhaps "acting."

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Writing on her blog on Wednesday, the singer denied retiring, and claimed that her decision was not based on marriage plans or sickness.

Beating around the bush, are we? If you can write denials and what the reason for the 'vacation' are not, then why can't you just say what the reason is in black and white?

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@bass4funk

as if the American public was ready to welcome Asian artists such as Boa or Utada Hikaru, those two and others just lost time and energy in BritneyLand, that was the big mistake. Hopefully when she comes back she'll do something great for educated Asians or Europeans.

@Gurukun

you member of the Trollin' Stones?

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LOL the media. Girl reports something on her blog, which the media blasts to every J-entertainment news source, creating a stir, and drives up traffic to her site, which the media then reports on...

A self generated news story.

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@Balsa666

I will give you a bit of credit when it comes to BOA, she has somewhat of limited talent,with the right singing coach and teaching her to write more heavier lyrics, minus the poppy tunes, giving her a more Jazzy/R&B like sound, she could make it unlike Utada. I don't think race has anything to do with it, but it has a lot to do with raw talent. Case in point, "Keiko Matsui"Jazz artist, she is a legend in the states and in California particular. Originally from Japan, she has become a household name in the Jazz world! Great talent. As a matter of fact, when it comes to Jazz there are quite a few Japanese artists that hit it big in the states. I think for most Americans, the whiny, wolf howling that these so-called singers project is not quite palatable for most American or European tastes, let alone their ears! Hopefully, she will stay permanently retired.

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I'm responsible for about 100,000 of those. Sorry.

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People please understand that this young lady is one of the most prolific music selling artists(domestic)that this country has ever produced so of course an announcement like this is going to generate immense interest..please save the comparisons to Janet Jackson and well,she didnt make it in USA so she mustnt be much mentality,its nonsensical.

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Nobody cares about Hiccup Utada anymore. She's washed up. Lots of irrelevant web sites and blogs receive 1 million views on any given day, especially when you have hundreds of millions of users in Asia, particularly from China.

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@gurukun: I think it is entirely up to her how much she wants to tell us. I personally respect celebrities who try to maintain a bit of a private life. So she wants to take time off from music and "refocus" a bit, is that a problem? Our celebrity gossip-driven culture is frightening...

@american bengoshi: Obviously there are some who do, deshou?

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Nobody cares ?? Just dumb..

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It's Automatic.

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Perhaps she was feeling down in the dumps, and figured a "I'm Quitting," message would generate a lot of interest, and get her a lot of comments saying: "NO! We Love You! Don't Quit!"

Nothing wrong with that, just don't get all overly dramatic about it.

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What she needs to do now is.... Say that due to her fan's show of support she will do one last tour, but this will be the last one... Great business idea..

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@tranel: My point exactly. If she wants to keep it private, then keep it private. No heartburn here. But, if she gonna make a half-assed statement, then she should fill in the details. Don't let over 1 million people that view her blog guess why she's taking an indefinate vacation. That's how bad rumors get started. Right?

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american_bengoshi @ You cared enough to make a post.

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Nothing like people quiting or dieing for people to actually support the artist.

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isn't it odd that not one Japanese female celebrity, singer, actress has ever married a gajiin. Take Utada for example, she speaks fluent English, grew up in the states and then ended up marrying some Japanese guy 10 years older than her. it was a divorce waiting to happen.

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Take Utada for example, she speaks fluent English, grew up in the states and then ended up marrying some Japanese guy 10 years older than her. it was a divorce waiting to happen.

I think the fact that she was only 19 when she married had more to do with the divorce waiting to happen than what language she speaks, where she grew up or what nationality her husband was. And I wouldn't say she 'ended up' marrying him. More like she 'started out' marrying him.

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dano, what about that Japanese actress who married a french guy? They did a tire commercial together a few years back.

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coinlaundry: so funny, thanks.

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bicultural: That would be Goto Kumiko (or Gokumi) - at 15 she was a traffic stopper. Don't know how old she was when the married but he is (was) an F1 driver.

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...An F1 driver, Jean Alesi and they have 3 children.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

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Did I miss something? What's with all the hate for this girl?

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@The758 I don't think it is about hate, personally, I don't know the girl, she can be the sweetest girl you would ever want to meet. As far as her singing capabilities that is an entirely different subject.

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I love her work. Its not all gold, but there have been enough hits to make me a fan. I hope she marries a foreigner and gives the bird to the Japanese expectations on her to play by the usual rules (read: be a miserable 'my baka wife' and put up with all sorts of things).

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She's getting that old look to her face..

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@alphawolf : "She's getting that old look to her face.."

What old look are you talking about ? She looks fine.

A 39 years old women is an "obaachan" in another thread and here a 27 years old one with zero wrinkles gets an old looking face... You guys are so harsch to J-women and women's appareance in general.

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I don`t know why her blog has had more than a million views. She is not that great looking and she is not as smart as everyone thinks.

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@alphawolf

Now that you mention it, she does look a little withered. Maybe that's why she needs a lot of rest from singing. She's 27, but all the touring makes her look old.

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If Utada made the same records for the rest of the world that she makes for Japan, she would have no trouble making it elsewhere. But she tries to be far more 'urban' in her sound outside Japan and that is why her English records bombed.

As for the comments about her getting old, get a life.

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