Change Myself
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''Change Myself'' is the debut Japanese-language
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by South Korean singer-born in Japan
Iconiq Lee Ayumi (born August 25, 1984), professionally known as Ayumi in South Korea and Yumi Itō in Japan, is a Japanese-born South Korean singer, actress and television personality based in South Korea. She debuted under the stage name Ahyoomee i ...
, released on March 10, 2010. The album was initially planned for a February 24 release, which was postponed for two weeks.


Background

Iconiq originally released music in Japan and South Korea as a member of South Korean girl-group
Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
. Iconiq previously released two solo singles under the name Ahyoomee in South Korea in 2006, following Sugar disbanding in December 2006. In 2008, Iconiq moved to
West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...
, to study at dance and vocal schools. Iconiq cites this trip for the inspiration for the change/rebirth theme of her Japanese debut. Iconiq returned to Japan in 2009, signed as an artist to
Avex Entertainment Avex Inc. ( kabushiki gaisha , commonly known as Avex and stylized as avex) is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi ...
. The stage name ''Iconiq'' was chosen for her re-debut, due to its strong impact and personal meaning/goal, "to become an icon for the era." believing the name had strong impact.


Promotion

The bulk of the marketing for the album centred on Iconiq's
buzz cut A buzz cut, or wiffle cut, is a variety of short hairstyles, especially where the length of hair is the same on all parts of the head. Rising to prominence initially with the advent of Hair clipper, manual hair clippers, buzz cuts became increas ...
hair-style, often marketed as , along with the catch-phrase Her hair style was suggested by her management as a strong image to complement her desire for a theme of change. Large-scale billboards showcasing Iconiq's hairstyle started appearing in Japanese city centres in late November, 2009. At the same time, her song " I'm Lovin' You" (a duet with
Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
vocalist Atsushi) started airing in commercials for
Shiseido is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world an ...
's Maquillage cosmetics line, featuring actress
Juri Ueno is a Japanese actress. She first gained recognition in the 2005 film '' Swing Girls'' where she was a recipient of Newcomer of the Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. Ueno achieved mainstream success for playing the title role in the live- ...
. "I'm Lovin' You" was announced as Iconiq's debut digital single, first released as a ringtone at
Recochoku Avex Inc. ( kabushiki gaisha , commonly known as Avex and stylized as avex) is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi ...
on December 9. The ringtone was the most popular at Recochoku for an entire week, the first time a debut artist has achieved this. By late January, the song had been downloaded as a ringtone approximately 300,000 times. On January 27, the song was simultaneously released as a cellphone digital download, as well as a special rental store only single. Iconiq's second Maquillage commercial for Shiseido featured her personally, and was first announced in a press conference with a mini-live on 19 January. The new commercial song, " Change Myself," was produced by
Hiro Hiro may refer to: People * Hiro (given name), includes lists of people with the given name * Hiro (photographer) (1930–2021), Japanese-born American photographer * Hiro (singer) (born 1991), French singer * Hiroko Shimabukuro (born 1984), Japa ...
, who is known for producing such artists like
Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emoti ...
and
Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ; born September 20, 1977) is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a Japanese idol, teen idol, and transitioned into a leading Pop music, pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentatio ...
. The change concept and catch-phrase are directly related to the lyrics of the song, such as the chorus line . The song was released as a ringtone through Recochoku on the 20th, and the commercial began airing on the 21st. Much like its predecessor, the song debuted at #1 on Recochoku's weekly ranking chart. It was released as a download to cellphones on March 3. " Bye Now!" followed as Iconiq's third Maquillage commercial in late February. Starting a day before the album's release, Iconiq was the featured spokesperson for
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...
, US fashion brand Kitson, Italian car manufacturer
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
,
Rhythm Zone (RZN) is a record label in the Avex Group that releases urban contemporary Japanese music. History The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura with a focus on urban music, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile. In 2000 ...
, music download site Mu-Mo, Shiseido and
Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...
. This was the first time a single person had promoted seven companies simultaneously in Japan. Each commercial was marketed with Iconiq's marketing phrase "I change. I change through music"; however, the company name replaced "music" in each instance. Iconiq also appeared in many fashion and music centred magazines, most notably on the cover of ''Ginger''s February 2010 issue. She also featured in publications such as ''Anan'', ''Barfout!'', ''Bea's Up'', '' Classy'', ''Flava'', ''Frau'', ''Gekkan Exile'', ''Glamorous'', ''Jelly'', '' Junon'', ''Nikkan Entertainment'', ''Sōen'', ''Tokyo Headline'', '' Vivi'' and ''Voce''.


Chart reception

In the album's first week, it debuted at #3 on
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
's album charts, selling 32,000 copies. This was the first top three position debut album since
Yui Aragaki is a Japanese actress, model, singer and occasional radio show host. She has been selected several times as the most desired girlfriend and the most desired female celebrity face in Oricon's yearly survey. Early life She was born on June 11, 19 ...
's ''Sora'' in late 2007. The album one further week in the top 10, eventually charting in the top 300 albums for 10 weeks, and selling a total of 63,000 copies. Each digital single had moderate charting success. "I'm Lovin' You" reached #8 on
RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include prom ...
's full-length cellphone download Digital Track Chart in February. "Change Myself"'s special edit version charted at #20, with the full-length version later peaking at #34. "Change Myself" also received minor airplay the week of the album's release, enough to reach #73 on ''Billboard''s
Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
chart. "Bye Now!" saw success on ''Billboard'', peaking at #8 during the album's promotion due to strong airplay. It did not chart as highly as the other singles on the digital track charts, peaking at #47 (with the special edited version peaking at #49). A special medley of the three promotional singles used in Shiseido Maquillage commercials saw minor digital success, peaking at #58.


Track listing


Chart rankings


Reported sales


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2010 debut albums Avex Group albums 2010s Japanese-language albums