^^ That's a lot of patience lol, I couldn't wait until August 29...I shall stop saying how great it is so that you won't have to fight the feeling.
I also uploaded the high quality Beautiful World onto youtube, it's a very boring video since I literally spent one minute making it, but you can hear the full song. The download link is also in the description, so no need to pm me anymoe .

Beautiful World

Seriously, it's such a nice song and it fits Evangelion very well.

i'm still waiting...
i wanna listen to the whole single.. with the instrumental ones...
i heard it's good... i'm so excited now..

i liked her eng album as well as her japanese albums...
i dunno.. the more i listened to the songs, the more i like it... hahahh

so, this whole single is for the remake of evangelion??
T_T i'm slow...
i can't wait to listen to it... and can't wait to watch the remake...

eermm.. does anyone know where i can find the whole song of Sanctuary?
i can only listen to it when i play the game... T_T

utada is just awesome!!
she is my No.1 japanese female singer!!!
i watched her UH UNITED concert and she was aweeesommmeee...
such a great singer!!!!!

^^ Rebuild of Evangelion is going to come out in Japan on September 1, and basically there will be three movies altogether.
The first three will retell the entire series with different sceneries, some new characters, etc, but the last movie will have a completely new conclusion . Beautiful World will be the theme song, and Fly me to the Moon is the song used in the trailer.
*CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT*
Oh, I have Passion but not Sanctuary (don't like the song )...I can go look for it and I'll pm it to you when I get it.

Ah...I always learn something new here xD

So her new single is actually an OST for Evangelion....I thought it was just a regular single release...haha...

Actually I sent her a fanmail on her website....she seems to get a lot from fans all over the world. And she updates her blog quite often lately too =D
She's so fond of Kuma Chang...does anybody know who gave her Kuma Chang? *was thinking it was her ex-hubby, but doubts it a bit*

ooo thanks ^^
I have the Japanese Albums, but don't have the English ones Anyone know where I can get them? I tried getting them on boajjang but they don't have the English album links anymore
The only two singles I have at the moment are "Flavour of Life" and "Sakura Drops", I really want the rest of them ^^

^^ I feel for you, I have just about all her singles. Which singles are you referring to?
Oops, I made a mistake in my post. Her two English ones are Precious and Exodus, I don't know how Ultra Blue ended up there lol. I saw Precious at BoAjjang, not sure if it's still up for grabs though. I can go look and I'll pm you if I find it .

Amydien, I don't think her single is the OST, but the song is probably included film's soundtrack though.

I dont have her album Precious, but I can rip my Exodus cd for you and pm you the link when I finished uploading....wait, I'll do it now...

-edit-
sent you the pm already!



^lol...yeah that's what I was trying to say..my bad for the wrong use of words

By the way, Im sooo digging her intro song for Exodus...it's got a beautiful rhythm...me likey! xDDD

Kayem, thanks for "Beautiful World"!! I didn't even know she had another single out.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Utada Hikaru!! :] I think she's one of the few artists who sings with real emotions and can get people to feel them too. Her ballads are overwhelmingly beautiful. I almost cried the first time I heard "Darekano Negaiga Kanau Koro" hahah I can't believe she's only 24! Her lyrics seem very mature. I think the only album I don't particularly like is Exodus ("You're easy breezy and I'm Japanesey"??? eeekk)..well I don't mean to bash on it so don't kill me yet haha but I'm just saying her Japanese songs are much more refined and meaningful whereas some of the songs from Exodus are more superficial. I guess that's because she was trying to appeal to a whole new audience (Americans ), but yea, it didn't work for me.

If she does release another English album, I hope it's more of her own style.

Anyways, I'm glad there's a thread for her here!

Thanks for giving me the Exodus album amydien ^^

Can anyone who has the "Precious" english album upload it? thanks ^^

and I just heard Beautiful World and love it!

I love her voice, its so girly.. haha

I just listened to Beautiful World. It's beautiful.. I love it.
This is from her upcoming single, yes? I haven't been keeping up recently. =x
urghh another CD I must buy. T_T

^^ Yep, but it won't be out until August 29th, so it's a ways away...I'm really curious to how well it'll sell, not only will it appeal to Hikki fans, but also nerds Evangelion fans. I'm hoping for another smash hit.

Amydien, I'm finally going to re-listen to Exodus, but I'm a bit sceptical...I will give it another go though since the rumors about a second English album is really heating up!

Midnightblues, no problem for the song, just wanted to share her wonderful new single!
Yeah, I don't like Exodus either, it was too...Typical for me, it wasn't Hikki, but something more manufactured.
We all know that she is an amazing singer, but man oh man, why were her vocals so limited in Exodus?
Oh well, it's in the past and no one seems to remember it (The American audience that is, such as me ) so they won't hold it against her...Hopefully.

<3 Kim, after searching far and wide I was finally able to find PRecious, so I'll send it to you right after this post.
Anyone else who wants it, let me know, too .
Wow, her early stuff was REALLY R&B, I'm actually a little surprised. Everyone said that songs from "First Love" were R&B, but these are like...Whoa lol. Her voice is so young and cute in the album though, you can see how much she's improved and matured over the years.

What's going on with Hikki these days, I want to know more!

I really like Beautiful World too! Utada is a great singer and her voice is really good!

I listen to her Exodus album whenever I just feel like playing random songs...lol. Usually I play music to keep me awake when Im reading. lol. Anyway what am I saying.....*mind wanders*

Her early works are very much RnB-ish...actually, Hikki introduced RnB music in Japan with her debut

Currently, Hikki (and should I say Kuma Chang too ) are battling the summer heat. A couple of days ago, she was talking about having internal struggle between using her air condition 24/7 & harming the polar bears by contributing to the global warming effect (through her AC lol). Today, she posted in her blog something about having loud thunder in Japan..apparently scared the crap out of her & Kuma Chang(the stuffed bear gets scared too?! LOL).

Coincidence, I was reading jrock band SID's blogs too, and they also said something about the thunder. Wish I was in Japan to experience it too xD

Then there's Kuma Chang being belly buttonless. LOL

Seems like Hikki's on a blogging galore these days...lol. That's all I know about her 'activities' these days.

Less than a month left before her Kiss & Cry single is released!! xD

BTW, has anybody tried singing her Flavour of Life ballad version? Im using the instrumental version, and I cant sing her low notes! She goes all the way down....then all the way up at the chorus! AMAZING!

^I wanna try to sing her flavor of life song..but i heard it goes soo high and low...lol just what you said

oh and i don't know how long ago this was but here's an interview she did in english about her exodus album!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHUDpdqIODU sorry if you guys saw it already lol.

i looove her music! and her exodus cd too. i hope her record company (if she's still gonna be under it) will promote her better if she's coming out with another english album.

aahhh... september? guess i'll have to wait patiently then... heheh
i like eva.. but ermm.. had to watch "end" & "Death & rebirth" to know the whole storyline..
didn't get to buy all those T_T

thanks for sharing the song with me!!!!!!

am waiting patiently for the beautiful word whole single <333

^ Might as well just watch the whole series, like I am right now !
I can't wait until it comes out, with Hikki's name attached, makes it even more exciting.
Just 30 more days until Beautiful World is released...

Amydien, I guess the reason why Precious was so different from First Love was because Japanese R&B seems a bit more subtle. I don't know what I'm trying to get at, but listening to Precious, it sounded like American music...Haha, I guess that's inevitable considering Precious IS an American album after all lol.

Awww...Hikki and Kuma Chang are sooo cute! I can totally imagine the both of them peeping from under the blanket during the storm *Yes, I'm personifying a stuffed bear *
At least she is enjoying her break and letting us all know about it <3.
I've tried singing Flavor of Life before, but only to myself . I totally get killed when she gets so low, it's unbelievable. For someone to transition from one note to the next so quickly, it baffles me really, but Hikki is just THAT wonderful...And some people debate whether she can sing or not .

Don't know if this was already mentioned here, but Utada is #1 in Oricon's "Favorite Artist Ranking" for 2007 :] yayuh! Well, I'm not surprised since "Flavor of Life" is the best selling single in Japan after all.

thanks to kayem7289 i finally got to hear "Precious" it's really different to her other stuff.

I'm currently trying to play "Flavor of Life" on piano. I <333 that song so much

Finally heard the Fly Me to The Moon -2007 mix- and I have to say it's much more soulful than the original with the synths in the background, which is ALWAYS a good thing.

Midnightblues, yep, the last time she was voted favorite artist was back in 2004 I believe.
Flavor of Life is the most successful single of all time (physical, digital sales), but I'm still not sure if it'll be #1 on Oricon's yearly charts. Since there's another single (Forgot the name) that has sold over 900,000 copies...

<3 Kim, no problem! Yeah, Precious was really cute. I wonder if she were to reproduce something like Precious, but with more updated music, if it'll do well on the American charts? Since R&B is hot again here.

Korawa, I agree, it's actually a really nice song. It has like...A nice classical feeling to it.

...

Okay, let's start something "fun."
I'm sure it's been done many times, but let's do it again anyway!
Time for another Hikki ranking, and this time we'll list our opinion of her top three best and worst singles .

Best:

1. Flavor of Life - Officially my favorite song of the year, and I don't see any song taking that spot away. It brought Hikki waaaay back into the limelight and revived her decreasing physical sales.
It's also the song that brought back my love for her .
2. Hikari - It's her signature song, the lyrics are wonderful, the arrangement is wonderful, it all equals masterpiece.
3. First Love - I read somewhere that this was Hikki's most overplayed song in the western world, and I can see why.
Again, wonderful lyrics and the melancholy is strangely heartfelt and inspiring...(If there was a way I could make it a five way tie here, I'd like to add Colors, Keep Tryin', Deep River and Can You Keep a Secret here )

Worst:

1. Passion - I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one, but yeah...I just did not like this song. I think that it's lyrically superior to some of her other songs, but I just did not like the melody or arrangement...It was awkward, and although I'm constantly singing it, and it's stuck in my head...I wouldn't consider that a blessing .
2. Letters - Pretty much the same reason as Passion. The melody wasn't appealing...
3. Easy Breezy - "Japaneezy" speaks for itself . (I know some people have named Be My Last one of her worst singles, but...I actually LOVE it, so I don't really know why people dislike it so much...Is it because of the "euhhhh--ayyhaahh--ooohwaaaa" part ?)

I hope no one gets offended by my choices...

yeah, I love utada <3;
First Love was the first song I heard, and then I just fell in love with her voice.
When I heard Utada's Flavor of Life in Hana Yori Dango 2, I always got moody-ish 'cause they play it in the sad parts u.u;
haha, but it's a beautiful song! She's so talented~*o*

not really a big fan of utada....

i like kuma chang better.... I love his first single, boku wa kuma. It is so great!

Well Lulu, if you're not a fan, then there's no need for you here...Haha, I'm totally kidding xD! Yeah, Kuma-Chang is quite the character, eh? I finally watched Boku wa Kuma like...Last week (I'm late, I know...) and it was really cute'n'funny. I'd probably watch the feature length movie if there were one lol.

best and worst 3 singles?

hmmm kinda hard to pick but my favorites are Flavor of Life, First Love, and Final Distance. They all start with "F"...how random.
I like most of her songs so I guess I don't have a worst 3 list haha but I don't particularly care for Easy Breezy (for the same reason as Kayem) and You Make Me Want To Be A Man

and I like Be My Last too hahah

she's got a very nice voice!^

I agree with your best choices. I'm one of the people that would disagree on "Passion" though. i don't know, but it's just something unique about that song that I love

Midnightblues, I really like Be My Last, it's like...A very heartwrenching song (well, not that extreme, but you know what I mean). I think it really is the "moaning" that turns people off, but I think it fits well with the songs. I don't really like any of the songs off of Exodus, except Exodus 04. I like the music itself of the tracks, but the lyrics and her vocals were just...Off :/.

<3 Kim, I don't know what it is about Passion that won't allow it to grow on me . I think it's because like most people, Simple and Clean was my first song from her, and I LOVED it sooooo much. However, even though I loved the song, I wasn't a big fan of Hikki yet. So after an absence of listening to her, KH2 came out and I was so excited to hear her new song expecting another Simple and Clean-like song. Well, we all know how different Sanctuary is from S&C, and I guess the first reaction and impression has stuck with me since then...

...

Just 20 more days until Beautiful World is released!!!

I see what you mean, my first song I heard was "Final Distance" and I really wanted to hear more of her songs since it really got me into her. I think the next one I heard was First Love then Sanctuary/Passion, and they all really grew on me ^^

btw, I feel so bad for asking for so much T__T

Does anyone know where I can download all her singles? I just got all her albums and love them <33 and now I really want to hear all her other songs

You could get all her albums by searching "Utada Hikaru album torrents" on google.

Most of the downloads on her fansites are the latest things she made but you can look in:

http://www.jpopmusic.com/forums/viewforum....0e3ffc709ca1a72
You can find Beautiful World/Kiss and Cry in one of the threads.

http://uotemp.cubic-k.net/index.php
This site has a download section after you register. If the links are dead than you can use the request thread.

<3 Kim, yeah...I have to admit that the first time I heard S & C, I was looking for all her other works to see if they would evoke the same feelings. Since it was rather western sounding, her Japanese stuff didn't really touch me...At first. Now I adore almost all her songs.

You can always just request at BoAjjang . There's someone there who has like...Everything Hikki and he/she could help you with singles.

~*BUMP*~

Hikki's single is coming out in just 12 days (August 29th, right?)! I'm so excited, I can't wait to see her conquer the charts again!

Utada's new music video for Beautiful World will be a collection of small clips from the Evangelion movie. Kiss & Cry's MV was enough with the same crap.

I'm sorta pissed which makes me hope that the soundtrack will sell more than her single.

edit* i heard that Utada did that to the BW PV so she can let the music be about Evangelion, instead of the focus being on her. She wanted that because she heard that Evangelion fans were upset about a mainstream artist singing the theme song.

wtf sorry but "mainstream" Utada Hikaru is way better than some crappy "indie" person, there's a reason why they're not famous/signed. rofl

^ That's what I was expecting as well, as soon as I saw Kiss & Cry, I knew that Beautiful World would be a compilation music video, too. That is total BS, Hikki is just being lazy >.<! She hasn't had a 'creative' music video since "Passion!"
Aish...How is she even supposed to promote Beautiful World if there's no legitimate PV to push around?
I know what you mean though, I've been watching a lot of Evangelion clips on YT and the fans seem to be doing nothing but whining about the songs. It's 2007, do the hardcore fans (I'm not quite hardcore yet, I'm a big fan though) really expect the same songs from the 90s to be used as well? It just seems like people have a hard time moving on from 95-96.
I mean...'Cruel Angel Thesis' was a great song, but it's sooooo outdated!

Oh well, I still have high hopes for the single to sell well. Since it's being released three days before the actual movie release, it'll get its promotion from that. I hope to see her perform this song onstage as well.

Ugh, I'm so pissed.
I really wanted a proper PV from Hikki.

^ I feel your pain, we all do .
Hikki, there are other directors out there besides your ex-husband!
It's time for a change .

I'm a fan of Utada Hikaru but...

Not famous / signed doesn't really mean a lot. There's a lot of good indie artists out there that beat out mainstream artists.

You probably listen to a few indie artists yourself...well before they sold out, changed their sound to please the record company and the masses, and became mainstream.

----------------

I guess I could understand the Evangelion fans....well its not so much her being a mainstream artist, but probably because she's a pop singer.

Evangelion is a more serious anime series that deals with more mature and complicated themes and ideas. They'd probably want someone more...gritty and authentic to the whole...feel of the anime. I hope thats understandable.


-----------------

My 3 favorites Utada songs are:

Can You Keep a Secret
Wait and See Risk
First love

My favorite newer songs of her is:
Keep Trying

My favorite english songs are:

Kremlin Dusk
Exodus 04
Take a Little While

Her 3 worst:
Easy Breeazy
Simple and Clean
You Make Me Want To Be A Man

really? Simple and Clean/Hikari is one of my favourite song of hikaru. Check out her Hikari performance it might change your mind.Hikari - United Concert

ive known Hikki for a long time, it wasnt until I saw her performance of "First Love" @ United Concert last month, and it got me hooked like really hooked...First Love - United Concert

I havent posted in here for quite a while now...

Let's see, my Best Hikki Songs are:
Sakura Drops - this is my forever favorite. I love the song, melody, lyrics, and of course...the PV. When I first saw the PV, I just WOW-ed in amazement.
Colors - I really like songs that have a 'dark' essence to it. And this song really gives out that impression to me, even without the PV
First Love - I dont think I need to explain this one. Who doesnt love it? XD
Simple and Clean - It sounded weird to me when I first heard the song, but it's the kind that grows on you the more you listen to it. Now I really like it more than Hikari.
Automatic - The song that started my love for Hikki I usually tend to forever like the first song that I hear from my fave artists. XD

The In-Betweens (so-so songs ):
Nichiyo no Asa (Sunday Morning?) - it's a really calming song, and I like listening to it. But there are times when I feel restless when I listen to it, unlike my Best Hikki songs above.
Hotel Lobby - I think this is one of the best songs from her english album, but I wasnt really into her english music. I still like it, but it's a so-so kind of like.
Distance Album - Her songs were still good, but I was really into her First Love album that by the time she released Distance, I had a higher expectation for her music and I thought this was somewhat half-heartedly done album. I still love some songs from this album (Distance, Time Limit, Can You Keep A Secret), but there are tracks that I skip when I play the cd. It's bad since I consider skipping tracks a sin when I love the artist >_< lol

The Worst Songs
Easy Breezy - it's catchy and it's fun when you feel like goofing around with music, but I was kinda sad that it was her debut song for her english album.
Exodus Album? - Overall, another half-heartedly done album.....in my opinion. But maybe it's just the language barrier when it comes to music, that this album turned out like this. However, I LOVE the fact that she added a touch of her Japanese style-music in the songs.

I dont know, there's no song or album that I really hate or dislike from Hikki. I seem to love them all. The Worst songs arent really Worst. It's more like...least liked songs? XD And I still listen to them from time to time =)

So, those are my choices. I hope nobody is offended, since this is just my opinion. We love Hikki, aiight?!

New single is coming out soooooon! XDDDDD

Mugetsu, I completely understand where you are coming from. It's a bit strange that people are complaining about her status [as a popstar] rather than the actual song itself. I'm sure if it were a more 'serious' artist, people wouldn't be complaining so much. Oh well, I love Hikki and Eva, and I'm not complaining a bit. The creators of the show loved Hikki as well and that's why they wanted her to be a part of the show, the hardcore fans should just...Deal with it...
I'm glad you like Keep Tryin', too, I don't know why people didn't like it. The whole feel and ambience of the song is very uplifting.

Mouse1, Simple and Clean is one of my favroite songs as well, but I think he/she meant that the song was lyrically inferior to some of her other works. "When you walk away, you don't here me say, please, oh baby, don't go." It sounds a bit cheesy, eh? I still love the song since it's what brought me to Hikki, but I agree that the lyrics are a bit too typical.
The verses are pretty creative, in my opinion. Hikari has wonderful lyrics, though.

Amydien, I agree with your list as well. I actually didn't like Sakura Drops at first very much, but after listeningto it more, it grew on my. The arrangement and instrumentals are soooooo good. I think I like Deep River the most out of her albums.
It is pretty ssaid that UTADA HIKARU, one of the biggest stars and best lyricists of Japan would write something as horrid as Easy Breezy. No one would take those lyrics seriously, but I don't blame her that much though, her label company probably wanted something catchy and not as 'meaningful' as her Japanese works. It actually reminds me a litte bit about Jewel...
I don't HATE any songs from like you said, there's just some I'd rather not listen to frequently...

i love all her songs. she sings really well. i fell in love with automatic & first love.. then i got addicted to her other songs...

To be honest, it actually took me some time to get used to Automatic.
Since I didn't become a full-blown Hikki addict until this year, I had never heard her old stuff, so Automatic was soooo outdated to me xD. I'm so glad I learned to appreciate it though, since it's the song that made her a celeb overnight, and we wouldn't have Hikki if it weren't for that song .

I'm currently in love with her new single <333 Beautiful World took a while to grow on me, but it's an awesomely beautiful song <333 Kiss & Cry became an instant favourite :D
She's way too talented for words~ :D

^ I actually liked Beautiful World better than Kiss & Cry.. but yea, they're both great songs.

Hikki's songs are really good, but her unique voice makes it better ^^

^ Me, too, Beautfiul World I liked immediately, but Kiss & Cry took a while for me to appreciate.
Just one more week until it's released!

I really like Hikki's new single :D
all the songs are really good, my favourite is Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) -2007 MIX-

^ I think she did an amazing job singing that song, so it kind of irked me when people dogged on her so much.
Just six more days! Does anyone have predictions yet?

"Beautiful World" is an AMAZING song. asdlfkjasldfxcomg...
Loved it the first time I heard it. *_____*

wahh~ she sang for HYD [II]

i LOVE her voice.

and im getting to like her more everyday. :]

I love her songs and voice, It's good finally I found this thread.......