Ayumi Hamasaki - Japanese Singer

Japanese singer, songwriter and former actress Ayumi Hamasaki was born on October 2nd, 1978, in Fukuoka, Japan.

Her fans often refer to her as Ayu.
Ayumi began modeling at the age of seven to earn money for her family.
She moved to Tokyo at the tender age of fourteen to pursue a career.
(I'm assuming her parents approved)

After she was told that she was too short for modeling, she focused on music.
This worked out well for her, because today, Ayumi has sold over 50 million records in Japan and she has the highest singles sales, most number-one singles, and most million-seller singles of any Japanese female artist.
Ayumi is the only Japanese artist to have a number one single every year for ten years straight! Not too shabby at all.
She is also the first Japanese female artist to have her first eight studio albums top the Oricon.
(Oricon is kinda like the Billboard chart here in the states)
Her video for the song "fairyland" is the 9th most expensive video ever made, coming in at $2,000,000+!
Another video for the song "Jewel" came in at a paltry $1,100,000+, making it the 19th most expensive video ever made.
Ayumi has also been in several movies, Twins Teacher (1993), Battle spirits ryûko no ken (1993), Sumomo mo momo (1995), Miseinen (1995), Like Grains of Sand (1995) and Gakko II.

On March 25th, 2009 she released her tenth studio album, Next Level.
The first singel released from the album "Days/Green" became a number one hit.
The second single from the album "Rule/Sparkle" was used as the international theme song for the film Dragonball Evolution.
Next Level reached the top of the Oricon charts making Ayumi the only artist to have a number one album every year for eleven years in a row even though the album is actually her lowest selling album ever.

Ayumi released her forty-sixth single, "Sunrise/Sunset (Love Is All)" on August 12th, 2009.
The song is used as the theme song for the Japanese television drama Dandy Daddy?.

Ayumi Hamasaki, not too bad for a lady too short to be a model huh?

On January 1st, 2011, Ayumi married Austrian actor and model Manuel Schwarz.
The two had met in August 2010 on the set of her music video "Virgin Road".
Ayumi announced in February of 2011 that her "Arena Tour 2011 A: Hotel Love Songs"would start in April, but after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit, it was announced that the tour was rescheduled to start in late May.
Ayumi changed the name of the tour to "Ayumi Hamasaki ~Power of Music~ 2011".
Ayumi released four new remix albums: Ayu-mi-x 7 Version House, Ayu-mi-x 7 Version Acoustic Orchestra, Ayu-mi-x 7 Presents Ayu Trance 4, Ayu-mi-x 7 Presents Ayu-ro Mix 4, and Ayu-mi-x 7 Limited Complete Box Set all at once on April 20, 2011.
They were released not only in Japan, but on iTunes as well, making those albums her first international and local releases.
On May 4th it was announced that Ayumi had broken another record, the female artist with the highest DVD sales at just over 2 million.
Ayumi also teamed up with the fashion magazine, Vivi to create shirts that were sold to help the earthquake and tsunami victims.
She also personally donated 30 million yen (371,000 US dollars) to the Japan earthquake relief efforts.

Nothing from Nothing (1995)
A Song for ×× (1999)
Loveppears (1999)
Ayu-mi-x (1999)
Duty (2000)
Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix (2000)
Ayu-mi-x II Version Jpn (2000)
Ayu-mi-x II Version US+EU (2000)
Ayu-mi-x II Version Acoustic Orchestra (2000)
Ayu-mi-x II Version Non-Stop Mega Mix (2000)
A Best (2001)
Ayu-mi-x III Non-Stop Mega Mix Version (2001)
Ayu-mi-x III Acoustic Orchestra Version (2001)
Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 2 (2001)
Cyber Trance Presents Ayu Trance (2001)
I am... (2002)
Rainbow (2002)
Ayu-mi-x 4 + Selection Non-Stop Mega Mix Version (2002)
Ayu-mi-x 4 + Selection Acoustic Orchestra Version (2002)
Cyber trance presents Ayu trance 2 (2002)
A Ballads (2003)
Memorial Address (2003)
RMX Works from Ayu-mi-x 5 Non-Stop Mega Mix (2003)
RMX Works from Cyber trance presents Ayu trance 3 (2003)
Rmx Works from Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 3 (2003)
My Story (2004)
My Story Classical (2005)
(Miss)understood (2006)
Secret (2006)
A Best 2: Black (2007)
A Best 2: White (2007)
A Complete: All Singles (2008)
Guilty (2008)
Ayu-mi-x 6: Gold (2008)
Ayu-mi-x 6: Silver (2008)
Next Level (2009)
Rock 'n' Roll Circus (2010)
Love Songs (2010)
Ayu-mi-x 7 Version House (2011)
Ayu-mi-x 7 Version Acoustic Orchestra (2011)
Ayu-mi-x 7 Presents Ayu Trance 4 (2011)
Ayu-mi-x 7 Presents Ayu-ro Mix 4 (2011)

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