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A Song For ××
''A Song for ××'' (the "××" is silent) is the debut studio album by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released on January 1, 1999 by Avex Trax. It was entirely written by Hamasaki herself, while the production was handled by Japanese musician Max Matsuura. Primarily a pop rock album, it features musical composition and arrangements by Yasuhiko Hoshino, Mitsuru Igarashi of Every Little Thing fame, and others. In this album, Hamasaki wrote about her confusion and uncertainty about life, expressed her expectations and hopes for the future, and expressed her gratitude to the fans who love her. Upon its release, ''A Song for ××'' garnered mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics, with some praising Hamasaki's commercial appeal but others deeming the record cautious and childish. The album became a commercial success, debuting atop the Oricon Albums Chart with first-week sales of over half a million copies; it topped the chart for five weeks. The album was certified Million by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and producer. Nicknamed the "Empress of Pop" on account of her influence throughout Asia, she is widely recognized for her versatile music production, songwriting, and live performances. Hamasaki is the List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling solo artist in Japan, and a cultural icon of the Heisei era. Born and raised in Fukuoka, Hamasaki moved to Tokyo in 1993 to pursue a career in modeling and acting. In 1998, Hamasaki released her debut single "Poker Face (Ayumi Hamasaki song), Poker Face"Oricon does not count ''Nothing from Nothing (EP), Nothing from Nothing'', released by Nippon Columbia, among Hamasaki's albums. and debut major-label album ''A Song for XX, A Song for ××''. The album debuted at the top of the Oricon charts and remained there for five weeks, selling over a million copies. This rapid rise to fame was attributed to her lyrics, listeners praising her insight and relatability. Her next ten albums shipped over ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Every Little Thing (band)
Every Little Thing (also known as ELT by their fans) is a pop rock, pop/soft rock duo from Japan who debuted in August 1996 with the release of their first single called "Feel My Heart". Their name is usually written in English, and only rarely in ''katakana''. They gained massive popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As of 2013, Every Little Thing has sold over 23 million copies of singles and albums throughout Japan. Their second studio album, ''Time to Destination'', is the best-selling album of the band with over 3.5 million copies sold, and became the 10th best-selling album of all time in Japan. Every Little Thing was originally a trio but became a duo in 2000 with Kaori Mochida as the singer and Ichiro Ito as the guitarist. Mitsuru Igarashi left ELT following the release of their third original album, ''Eternity (Every Little Thing album), Eternity''. Biography Early careers Ito began playing guitar in local bands around the US Yokota Air Base in Fussa, Tokyo, pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and has a significant regional audience. The newspaper is published in the broadsheet format and online, the latter of which was launched in 1994. It is regarded as the newspaper of record for Singapore. Print and digital editions of ''The Straits Times'' and ''The Sunday Times'' had a daily average circulation of 364,134 and 364,849 respectively in 2017, as audited by Audit Bureau of Circulations Singapore. In 2014, country-specific editions were published for residents in Brunei and Myanmar, with newsprint circulations of 2,500 and 5,000 respectively. History Early years The original conception for ''The Straits Times'' has been debated by historians of Singapore. Prior to 1845, the only English-language newspaper in Singapore was ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nothing From Nothing (EP)
''Nothing from Nothing'' was the first mini-album recorded by Ayumi Hamasaki, featuring Dohzi-T and DJ Bass and released on December 1, 1995. After the album failed to chart, her talent agency and record label, Nippon Columbia, dropped her. Due to her subsequent success, it is generally considered a collector's item. Since her first album under Avex Trax, ''A Song for ××'' (1999), topped the Oricon charts, previously-sold copies of ''Nothing from Nothing'' have become sought-after items within her fan base. Musically, ''Nothing from Nothing'' is a hip hop album that features Hamasaki rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ... on all of the tracks, except "Limit". Track listing References 1995 debut EPs Ayumi Hamasaki EPs Japanese-language EPs 1990s Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mini-album
A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini-LP is not to be confused with the Japanese CDs issued in a " mini LP sleeve" or "paper jacket". Its running time is shorter than the typical album but longer than a single album. It is sometimes synonymous with extended play, especially in East Asia music market. However, some music distributors may classify mini albums with 7 or more songs as an album. In the United States, The Recording Academy's rules for Grammy Awards state that an album must comprise a minimum total playing time of 15 minutes with at least five distinct tracks or a minimum total playing time of 30 minutes with no minimum track requirement. In the United Kingdom, the criteria for the UK Albums Chart is that a recording counts as an "album" if it either has more than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dohzi-T
is a Japanese rapper, singer and songwriter who has been active since 1989. Biography Dohzi-T belonged to hip hop band "Zingi", formed in 1990. He debuted as a solo singer with the single "Shōnen A" (lit. "Boy A") on October 10, 2001. He associated with popular singers such as Shota Shimizu, Miliyah Kato and Hiromi Go. Since he has long career in Japan, he is called "Brother Dohzi" by other musicians. He is also known for his ability to find new singers. Dohzi-T and DJ Bass were featured in Ayumi Hamasaki's song " Nothing from Nothing", released by Nippon Columbia on September 21, 1995. However, Hamasaki soon left from the record label and became a pop singer under Avex Trax. In January 2008, he collaborated with Thelma Aoyama in a song "This Day" on her CD single "Soba ni Iru ne". In June 2008, he released his single " Mō Ichi do...", featuring Beni. It sold over two million ringtone downloads. Soon after "Mō Ichi Do..." released an album named '' 12 Love Stories'' including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hip Hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip-hop includes rapping often enough that the terms can be used synonymously. However, "hip-hop" more properly denotes an entire subculture. Other key markers of the genre are the disc jockey, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks. Cultural interchange has always been central to the hip-hop genre. It simultaneously borrows from its social environment while commenting on it. The hip-hop genre and culture emerged from block parties in ethnic minority neighborhoods of New York City, particularly Bronx. DJs began expanding the instrumental breaks of popular records when they noticed how excited it would make the crowds. The extended instrumental breaks provided a platform for break dancers and rappers. These breakbeats ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nippon Columbia
, often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks (the "Magic Notes") in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until October 1, 2002, when it became . On October 1, 2010, the company returned to its current name. Outside Japan, the company operated formerly as the Savoy Label Group, which releases recordings on the SLG, Savoy Jazz, and continues to operate as Denon. It also manufactured electronic products under the Denon brand name until 2001. In 2017, Concord Music acquired Savoy Label Group. Nippon Columbia also licensed Hanna-Barbera properties in Japan until those rights were transferred to Turner Home Entertainment sometime in 1997. Currently, these rights are owned by Warner Bros. Japan LLC. O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shūkan Bunshun
is a Japanese weekly tabloid ( shūkanshi) based in Tokyo, Japan, known for its investigative journalism and frequent clashes with the Japanese government. This has led to it being considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the country. History and profile ''Shūkan Bunshun'' was first published in April 1959. The magazine is part of Bungeishunjū, a publishing group headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. From October 2014 to September 2015 ''Shūkan Bunshun'' was the fourth best selling weekly magazine in Japan with a circulation of 680,296 copies. As of 2023, the total number of copies sold has dropped to 165,794. As a general-news magazine, ''Shūkan Bunshun''s major competitor is the more conservative '' Shukan Shincho''. The magazine has been praised, but also criticized for its investigative reporting which takes on both political scandals, as well as those from the world of entertainment, and these kinds of reports are colloquially known as the . In the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oricon Singles Chart
The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In Japan, physical sales decreased sharply in the 2000s, while download sales hit three to four times the amount of single sales. In November 2017, Oricon introduced its first digital songs chart, separate from its main physical singles chart. On December 24, 2018, Oricon launched a streaming chart, and introduced a combined singles chart that utilizes physical single sales, downloads, and streams. Original Confidence Inc., the original Oricon company, was founded by the former Snow Brand Milk Products promoter Sōkō Koike in 1967. That November, the company began publishing a singles chart on an experimental basis. Entitled . The chart became official on January 4, 1968. Charts are published every Tuesday in Oricon Style and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lead Single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut single", is the first single released by a new artist. Release strategies Artists often choose songs that are more up-tempo, yet representative of the album's sound, as lead singles. Such songs are often catchier and attract the attention of listeners. The subsequent single might then be slower in tempo, in order to demonstrate the range of the album. Female vocalists like Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera often maintain a formula of an up-tempo first lead single with a slow ballad follow-up. For example, two singles were released by Miley Cyrus before her album '' Bangerz'' – an up-tempo track, " We Can't Stop", was released as the first, and a slow-ballad song, "Wrecking Ball", as the second. This was a successful practice of 1980 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Single (music)
In Music industry, music, a single is a type of Art release#Music, release of a song Sound recording, recording of fewer tracks than an album (LP record, LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for record sales, sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standalone tracks or connected to an artist's album, and in the latter case would often have at least one single release before the album itself, called lead singles. The single was defined in the mid-20th century with the ''45'' (named after its speed in revolutions per minute), a type of 7-inch sized vinyl records, vinyl record containing an A-side and B-side, A-side and a B-side, i.e. one song on each side. The single format was highly influential in pop music and the early days of rock and roll, and it was the format used for jukeboxes and preferred by younger populations in the 1950s and 1960s. Singles in Digital distribution, digital form became very popular in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
