Best Love Ayumi

Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎 あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi, also 浜崎歩) (born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former actress. Also called Ayu by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the “Empress of Pop” due to her popularity and widespread influence in Japan.^[2][3] Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment. In 1998, under the tutelage of Avex CEO Max Matsuura, she released a string of modestly selling singles that concluded with her 1999 debut album A Song for XX. The album debuted atop the Oricon charts and stayed there for four weeks, establishing her popularity in Japan.^{[fn 1]}

Because of her constantly changing image and tight control over her artistry, Hamasaki’s popularity extends across Asia; music and fashion trends she has started have spread to countries such as China, Singapore, and Taiwan. She has appeared in or lent her songs to many advertisements and television commercials. Though she originally supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, she later reconsidered and eventually opposed her status as an Avex “product”.^[4]

Since her 1998 debut with the single “Poker Face”,^{[fn 1]} Hamasaki has sold over 50 million records in Japan, ranking her among the best-selling singers in the country.^[5] As a female singer, Hamasaki holds several domestic records for her singles, such as the most number-one hits, the highest sales, and the most million-sellers.^{[6][fn 2]} From 1999 to 2009, Hamasaki had at least one single each year top the charts.^[7] Hamasaki is the first female singer to have eight studio albums since her debut to top the Oricon and the first artist to have a number-one album for 11 consecutive years since her debut.^[8][9]

Life and music career

Childhood and early endeavors

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Hamasaki was raised as an only child by her mother and grandmother. Her father had left the family when she was three and never again came into contact with her.^[10][11] Because her mother worked to support the family, Hamasaki was primarily taken care of by her grandmother.^[10]

At age seven, Hamasaki began modeling for local institutions, such as banks, to supplement the family’s income. She continued this career path by leaving her family at fourteen and moving to Tokyo as a model under SOS, a talent agency.^[10] Her modeling career did not last long; SOS eventually deemed her too short for a model and transferred her to Sun Music, a musicians’ agency. Under the name of “Ayumi”, Hamasaki released a rap album, Nothing from Nothing, on the Nippon Columbia label. She was dismissed from the label when the album failed to chart on the Oricon.^[12] After this failure, Hamasaki took up acting and starred in B-movies such as Ladys Ladys!! Soucho Saigo no Hi and television dramas such as Miseinen, which were poorly received by the public.^[11][13] Growing dissatisfied with her job, Hamasaki quit acting and moved in with her mother, who had recently moved to Tokyo.^[10]

Hamasaki was initially a good student, earning good grades in junior high school. Eventually, she lost faith in the curriculum, thinking that the subjects taught were of no use to her. Her grades worsened as she refused to put her mind to her studies. While living in Tokyo, she attempted to further her studies at Horikoshi Gakuen, a high school for the arts, but dropped out in the first year. Because Hamasaki did not attend school or have a job, she spent much of her time shopping at Shibuya boutiques and dancing at Velfarre, an Avex-owned disco club.^[10][11]

At Velfarre, she was introduced to her future producer, Max Matsuura, through a friend. After hearing Hamasaki sing karaoke, Matsuura offered her a recording deal, but Hamasaki suspected ulterior motives and turned the offer down.^[11] He persisted and succeeded in recruiting her for the Avex label in the following year.^[11][14] Hamasaki started vocal training, but skipped most of her classes after finding her instructors to be too rigid and the classes dull.^[11] When she confessed this to Matsuura, he sent her to New York to train her vocals under another method. During her foreign sojourn, Hamasaki frequently corresponded with Matsuura and impressed him with her style of writing. On her return to Japan, he suggested that she try writing her own lyrics.^[11]

1998–1999: Rising popularity

Hamasaki made her debut under Avex on April 8, 1998 with the single “Poker Face”. It—and the following four singles—were not major hits. Hamasaki’s debut album, A Song for ×× (1999), was likewise “unassuming”:^[15] the tracks, composed by Yasuhiko Hoshino, Akio Togashi (of Da Pump), and Mitsuru Igarashi (of Every Little Thing), were “cautious” pop-rock songs.^[11][15] However, Hamasaki’s lyrics, introspective observations about her feelings and experiences that focused on loneliness and individualism, resonated with the Japanese public.^[16] The songs gained Hamasaki a growing following, and the release of the album was a success: it topped the Oricon charts for five weeks and sold over a million copies.^[12][17][18] For her achievements, she earned a Japan Gold Disc Award for “Best New Artist of the Year”.^[19]

With Ayu-mi-x (March 1999), the first of a series of remix albums, Hamasaki began moving beyond the pop-rock of A Song for ×× and began to incorporate different styles including trance, dance, and orchestra.^[15] Hamasaki began to experiment with different musical styles in her singles as well, releasing dance tunes and ballads as well as remixes on the singles which spanned reggae and house. The singles were milestones: Hamasaki earned her first number-one single (“Love: Destiny”) and first million-selling single (“A”).^[7][20] Her second studio album, Loveppears (November 1999), not only topped the Oricon charts, it sold nearly 3 million copies.^[17] The album also showcased a change in Hamasaki’s lyrics. Though the lyrics of Loveppears still dealt with loneliness, many of them were written from a third-person perspective.^[16] In support of Loveppears, she held her first tour, Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 A.

2000–2002: Commercial peak

From April to June 2000, Hamasaki released the “Trilogy”, a series of singles consisting of “Vogue”, “Far Away”, and “Seasons”. The lyrics of these songs focused on hopelessness, a reflection of Hamasaki’s disappointment that she had not expressed herself thoroughly in any of her previous lyrics and a sense of shame of her public image.^[21] Likewise, many of the songs she wrote for her subsequent studio album, Duty (September 2000), involved feelings of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of her responsibilities. She described her feelings after the writing as “unnatural” and “nervous”.^[10][22] The musical style was darker as well; in contrast with Loveppears, Duty was a rock-influenced album with only one dance song, “Audience”.^[10][23] Duty resonated with fans: the “Trilogy” were “hit singles” (“Seasons” was a million-seller), and the album became Hamasaki’s best-selling studio album.^[24][25] At the end of 2000, Hamasaki held her first New Year countdown concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

In 2001, Avex forced Hamasaki to release her first compilation album, A Best, on March 28, putting the album in “competition” with Hikaru Utada’s second studio album, Distance. The “competition” between the two singers (which both claimed was merely a creation of their record companies and the media) was supposedly the reason for the success of the albums; both sold over 5 million copies.^[26] In support of Duty and A Best, Hamasaki held a tour of Japan’s domes, making her one of few “top-drawer” Japanese artists to hold a concert at the Tokyo Dome.^[27]

I Am… (January 2002) marked several milestones for Hamasaki. Hamasaki increased her control over her music by composing all of the songs on the album under the pseudonym “Crea”, of which the 2000 single “M” was the first. “Connected” (November 2002) and “A Song Is Born” (December 2001) were the exceptions.^[28] I Am… also showed evolution in Hamasaki’s lyrical style: it was a retreat from the themes of “loneliness and confusion” of some of her earlier songs.^[29] Moved by the September 11 attacks, Hamasaki revised her vision of I Am…, focusing on issues such as faith and world peace. “A Song Is Born”, in particular, was directly influenced by the events.^[29][30] The single, a duet with Keiko Yamada, was released as part of Avex’s non-profit Song+Nation project, which raised money for charity.^{[31][32][fn 3]} She also dropped the planned cover and opted instead to be portrayed as a “peace muse”, explaining,

I had a completely different idea for the cover at first. We’d already reserved the space, decided the hair and makeup and everything. But after the incident, as is typical of me, I suddenly changed my mind. I knew it wasn’t the time for gaudiness, for elaborate sets and costumes. It sounds odd coming from me, but I realize what I say and how I look has a great impact.^[30]

The outlook inspired by the September 11 attacks extended beyond I Am…. In 2002, Hamasaki held her first concert outside Japan, at the MTV Asia music awards ceremony in Singapore,^[30][33] a move interpreted as the beginning of a campaign prompted by a sluggish Japanese market.^[34][35] At the ceremony, she received the award for “Most Influential Japanese Singer in Asia”.^[33] In support of I Am…, Hamasaki held two tours, Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A and Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A.^[36][37] In November 2002, as “Ayu”, she released her first European single, “Connected”, a trance song from I Am… composed by DJ Ferry Corsten. It was released in Germany on the Drizzly label.^[38] Hamasaki continued to release singles (all of them remixes of previously released songs) in Germany on Drizzly until 2004.^[38]

In April 2002, Hamasaki released the single “Free & Easy”. In collaboration with the magazine Free&Easy, Hamasaki also released Hamasaki Republic, a photobook that was actually a special issue of Free&Easy, in conjunction with the single. “H”, Hamasaki’s next single, became the best-selling single of 2002.^{[fn 4][39]} Hamasaki released her last single of 2002, “Voyage”, on September 26. In lieu of a regular-length music video, the short film Tsuki ni Shizumu, starring Hamasaki, was created for “Voyage” and was released at a select theater in Shibuya.^[40] Hamasaki’s next studio album, Rainbow (December 2002) was her first to use English lyrics. After performing at the 2002 MTV Asia music awards, Hamasaki felt that by writing only Japanese lyrics, she was not able to bring her “message” to other countries. Realizing that English was a “common global language”, she included English lyrics in three songs.^{[41][fn 5][fn 6]} The album was stylistically diverse; Hamasaki included rock- and trip-hop-influenced tracks as well as “summery”, “up-tempo” and “grand gothic” songs and experimented with new techniques such as gospel choruses and the yells of an audience. The lyrics were also varied: themes in the album included freedom, the struggles of women, and “a summer that ends in sadness”.^[42]

2003–2006: Decline in sales

In 2003, Hamasaki released three singles, “&”, “Forgiveness”, and “No Way to Say”. To celebrate the release of her thirtieth single (“Forgiveness”), Hamasaki held the A Museum concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.^[43] Her mini-album Memorial Address (December 2003) was her first album to be released in CD+DVD format in addition to the regular CD-only format, a decision that came from her increased interest in the direction of her music videos.^[44] Like her previous albums, Memorial Address topped the Oricon chart and sold over a million copies.^[45][46] Sales of Hamasaki’s singles began to wane. Although all three of the album’s singles topped the Oricon charts, “&” was Hamasaki’s last single to sell over 500,000 copies.^[47]

By the end of her Arena Tour 2003–2004, Hamasaki had grown dissatisfied with her position in Avex: she felt that the company was treating her as a product instead of a person.^[48] Along with her dissatisfaction over her last two studio albums (which she thought had been rushed), this led her to begin work on My Story (December 2004) early. In contrast with her previous albums, My Story had no set theme, nor did Hamasaki attempt to write “something good” or even “something that would give people hope”; rather, she simply wrote freely and honestly.^{[48][fn 7]} As a result, the album contained mostly autobiographical lyrics about her emotions and reminiscences of her career. She approached the composition of the music with the same freedom per the lyrics. Because she liked rock music, the album had notable rock overtones.^[49] She was so pleased with the result that she declared My Story the first album she felt satisfied with.^[49] My Story and its singles, “Moments”, “Inspire”, and “Carols”, all topped the weekly Oricon charts; moreover, With sales of 1,131,776 units, My Story became Hamasaki’s last million-selling studio album according to Oricon.^{[fn 8][50][51][52]} From January to April 2005, Hamasaki held the nationwide My Story arena tour, her first album-based tour.^[48] Also in January, she began working with Lamoureux Orchestra to create My Story Classical, a classical version of My Story; the album served as an “alter-ego” of the mostly aggressive My Story. The orchestra also created a classical version of “A Song Is Born”, which was included on My Story Classical and which Hamasaki performed at the opening of the Expo 2005.^[53]

(Miss)understood (January 2006), Hamasaki’s seventh studio album, showed new musical directions.^[54] Wanting to sing a tune like those of the group Sweetbox, Hamasaki obtained the permission of Sweetbox composer Roberto “Geo” Rosan to use demo songs he had intended to use in Sweetbox’s upcoming album. She edited the songs to fit her personal vision, rewriting the lyrics and rearranging some of the songs.^[54] The result was more musically diverse than the previous album; (Miss)understood included ballads, funk, dance-pop, R&B, and rock songs.^[55][56] All of (Miss)understood’s singles reached the top of the Oricon; “Bold & Delicious” became Hamasaki’s twenty-fifth number-one single, tying her with Seiko Matsuda for the record of most number-one singles by a solo female artist.^[57] Though (Miss)understood also reached the top of the charts, Oricon stated that it sold fewer than a million copies—Hamasaki’s first studio album to do so.^{[58][fn 9][fn 8]} In support of the album, Hamasaki held the (Miss)understood arena tour, which spanned three months with thirty concerts, from Saitama on March 11, 2006 to Yoyogi on June 11, 2006.^[60]

Hamasaki’s first single of 2006, “Startin’”, became Hamasaki’s twenty-sixth number-one single, setting a new record for most number-one singles held by a solo female artist.^[61] The subsequent studio album, Secret, was released in November 2006.^[62] “Secrets” was, appropriately, the theme of the album; the album also explored strong female figures, love, and sadness; songs depicted the artist’s struggles and were written to encourage females.^{[63][fn 10]} Although Secret was originally intended to be a mini-album, Hamasaki “began brimming with things to say” while producing the album and wrote five more songs.^{[63][fn 11]} The album consisted mostly of rock songs and ballads; to complement these, Hamasaki experimented with new vocal techniques.^[62] The album also topped the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the only artist to have eight consecutive number-one studio albums.^[64] Her sales, however, continued to decline: according to both Oricon and the RIAJ, Secret failed to sell a million copies.^[58][65]

2007–present: Market beyond Japan

On February 28, 2007, Hamasaki released A Best 2, a pair of compilation albums containing songs from I Am… to (Miss)understood. The two versions, White and Black, debuted at the first and second positions on the Oricon weekly charts, making Hamasaki the first female artist in thirty-six years to hold the top two positions on any Oricon album chart.^[66] At the end of 2007, the pair became Japan’s fifth and seventh best-selling albums of the year respectively.^[67] In support of A Best 2 and Secret, Hamasaki held the four-month-long Tour of Secret from March to the end of June. It was her first international tour, and aside from Japan, she performed in Taipei, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.^[68] Her foreign fanbase highly anticipated the concerts, and tickets for the Taipei and Hong Kong performances sold out in less than three hours.^[69][70]

In July 2007, Hamasaki released her first single in over a year, “Glitter/Fated”. A short film, Distance Love, was used as the music video for “Glitter” and “Fated”. The film, shot in Hong Kong, co-starred Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue as Hamasaki’s romantic interest.^[71] “Glitter/Fated” and the following single “Talkin’ 2 Myself” reached the top of their respective charts, continuing Hamasaki’s streak of number-one singles.^[72] In December, Hamasaki released her first digital-only single, “Together When…”, which topped the RIAJ’s monthly download chart.^[73][74] Unlike its predecessors, the writing of Hamasaki’s ninth studio album, Guilty (January 2008), was not an emotional experience for her, nor did it have a set theme. However, she said later that the album’s tracks appeared to tell a story.^[22] Most of the songs were dark; the album had a notable rock tinge.^[22][23] It contained some upbeat dance tracks and ballads, though the latter also had rock overtones.^[75][76] Guilty peaked at the number-two position on the weekly Oricon charts, making it Hamasaki’s first studio album not to reach the top.^{[fn 12][79]} Guilty was later released as a digital album in twenty-six countries outside Japan, nineteen of them Western nations. That, along with Hamasaki’s decision to employ western DJs such as Armand van Helden for her 2008 remix albums Ayu-mi-x 6: Gold and Ayu-mi-x 6: Silver, has been interpreted as her first step into the global market.^[80]

In April 2008, to commemorate her tenth anniversary in Avex, Hamasaki released the single “Mirrorcle World”; it topped the Oricon, making Hamasaki the only female solo artist to have a number-one single every year for ten consecutive years.^[7] Hamasaki also held her second tour of Asia, Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary, to celebrate her tenth anniversary. From April until June, she toured Japan, holding seventeen concerts. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai were again the foreign stops after the domestic performances.^[81] On September 10, 2008, Hamasaki released A Complete: All Singles, a compilation album that includes the A-sides of all her singles along with previously unreleased footage from her A-nation concerts.^[82]

Hamasaki’s next two singles, “Days/Green” (December 2008) and “Rule/Sparkle” (February 2009), continued Hamasaki’s streak of number-one singles. “Rule” is used as the international theme song for the film Dragonball Evolution.^[83] The subsequent studio album, Next Level, was released on March 25, 2009 in several formats: CD, CD+DVD, 2CD+DVD and a two-gigabyte USB flash drive.^[84][85] Next Level reached the top of the Oricon charts, making Hamasaki the only artist to have a number-one album every year for eleven years in a row since her debut.^[9] However, the album was only certified double platinum, making it Hamasaki’s lowest-selling studio album.^[86] On August 12, 2009, Hamasaki released her forty-sixth single, “Sunrise/Sunset (Love Is All)”. “Sunrise (Love Is All)”, one of the A-sides, is being used as the opening theme song for the Japanese television drama Dandy Daddy?.^[87] The single reached the top of the weekly charts, making it her twenty-first consecutive (thirty-third total) number-one single. “Sunrise/Sunset” is also her forty-fourth single to enter the Top 10, making Hamasaki the artist with the most Top 10 singles ever.^[88] Hamasaki’s third single of the year, “You Were… / Ballad”, was released on December 29, 2009. Hamasaki’s eleventh studio album Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus was released on April 14, 2010. The album topped the charts, making Hamasaki the first female solo artist in twenty years to have ten number-one original studio albums.^[89] Hamasaki also began expanding her online presence, setting up accounts on MySpace, Ustream, and Twitter.^[90][91]

Image and artistry

Time magazine has noted that Hamasaki lacked talents such as the dance moves of Namie Amuro, the “supermodel allure” of Hitomi, and the “vocal pyrotechnics” of Hikaru Utada. Her own fans even considered her high-pitched voice screechy.^[35][92] However, her music is sometimes considered one of the major forces in shaping Japan’s current music trends; this has been attributed to her constantly changing image as well as her self-penned lyrics,^[35] though critics credit clever marketing strategies;^[13][35][92] because of the widespread influence of her music and her constantly-changing image Hamasaki has often been compared to Madonna.^[93][94] Hamasaki’s lyrics and image have gained a following predominantly among the Generation X of Asia, mainly because of the “conflicting or inharmonious beauty” of her fashion and lyrics; Hamasaki’s fashions combine Eastern and Western elements, and her songs, unlike those of many of her contemporaries, all have English titles but contained no English lyrics (until Rainbow).^[35] The popularity of her music extends beyond Japan;^[95] she has a “sizable [following] across Asia” and is one of the few Japanese singers whose albums have sold over 10,000 copies in Singapore.^[96][97] In 2002, however, Hamasaki’s domestic sales began declining due to a sluggish Japanese market and increasing piracy in Japan.^[98] As a result, she began moving toward the Asian market in 2002, performing at the 2002 MTV Asia awards in Singapore, at South Korea’s “Asia Song Festival”, and at a concert in Beijing to celebrate Sino-Japanese relations.^[99][100] With her popularity declining (due in part to the rising popularity of other singers like Kumi Koda), she made a foray into the Asian market, starting with her first tour of Asia in 2007.^[101]

Musical style

In the beginning, I was searching for myself in my music. My music was for me. I didn’t have the mental room to be conscious of the listener; I wrote to save myself. I didn’t understand what it was to write songs. But over time I began to see many things, my influence, the responsibilities that gave me.

— Hamasaki on the new lyrical directions in I Am….^[30]

Hamasaki’s lyrics, all her own,^{[fn 5]} have resonated among her fans, who praise them as being honest and heartfelt and “expressing determination”; in two surveys conducted by Oricon, respondents voted Hamasaki’s lyrics as their favorite aspect of her artistry.^[102][103] Steve McClure of The Japan Times noted that Hamasaki has “developed a reputation as a thoughtful, introspective lyricist”; Barry Walters of The Village Voice comments that Hamasaki’s lyrics “pack unlikely insights.”^[15][104] Because she has “trouble voicing her thoughts”, Hamasaki uses her lyrics as an outlet; she draws inspiration from her own (and occasionally her friends’) experiences and emotions and tries to put them “honestly into words”.^[105] She has stated that honesty is essential to her lyrics, saying, “If I write when I’m low, it will be a dark song, but I don’t care. I want to be honest with myself at all times.”^[105] Because of this, she did not use English lyrics until her album Rainbow, as she had felt that she could best express herself in Japanese.^{[fn 5]} As with her musical style, the themes of her lyrics have varied. Her debut album A Song for ×× dealt mostly with themes of “loneliness and confusion”, as did her second album Loveppears. Duty likewise expressed feelings of disappointment and confusion. Hamasaki began to take on a more global outlook with her following albums I Am… and Rainbow, branching out to wider themes such as faith and peace.^[29] As Hamasaki matured, her lyrics began to express more confidence; themes in her later albums included love and the struggles of women.^[42][55][63] In addition to personal experiences and feelings, Hamasaki bases lyrics on sources such as historical events. The life of Joan of Arc was the inspiration for “Free & Easy”, while a story told to her by her friend about a saint named Mary served as the basis for “M”;^{[fn 13]} the September 11 attacks inspired “A Song Is Born”.^[21][106]

In addition to writing her own lyrics, Hamasaki has also involved herself in other aspects of production such as artistic direction. Though Max Matsuura is officially credited as the producer of her records, he said of Hamasaki, “Ayu is a very meticulous worker behind the scenes. A lot of the work she does by herself is more in the producer’s arena. I think really we should say ‘Produced by [A]yumi [H]amasaki’.”^[108] Until her single “M”, however, Hamasaki left the task of composing to her staff; as she has explained, “I’m not a professional; I lack even basic knowledge about writing music.”^[28] However, she started to compose her own melodies after her staff had failed to compose a tune for “M” that appealed to her.^[10] Wanting to produce works faithful to her visions, Hamasaki took control of most aspects of her artistry.^[29][30] I Am… is representative of this stage in Hamasaki’s career; she directed the production of its songs, videos, and artwork. She began to compose less after I Am…: whereas nearly all of I Am… was her work, only nine of Rainbow’s fifteen tracks were composed by her. She was even less involved in the composition of subsequent albums, composing two tracks on Memorial Address, three on My Story, and one on (Miss)understood; since Secret, none of the songs on her studio albums have listed her as a composer. With later albums, Hamasaki also began to delegate to her staff tasks she had once handled herself.^[109] Hamasaki cites Madonna, soul musicians Babyface and En Vogue, and rock bands Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple as her influences and states that she admires Michelle Branch, Kid Rock, Joan Osborne, Seiko Matsuda, Rie Miyazawa, and Keiko Yamada;^[105][28] these diverse influences have led to the variety of her own music. Hamasaki began commissioning remixes of her songs early in her career, and this practice also influenced the diversity of her music.^[15] Found on many of her records, these remixes span different genres of electronic dance music including Eurobeat, house, and trance, as well as acoustic genres such as classical and traditional Chinese music. She has employed Western as well as Japanese musicians; among those she has worked with are Above & Beyond, the Lamoureux Orchestra of France,^{[fn 14]} and traditional Chinese music ensemble Princess China Music Orchestra.^[110] Hamasaki has released more than a hundred original songs; through them, she has covered a wide range of musical styles, such as dance, metal, R&B, progressive rock, pop, and classical.^[15] She uses different instruments and techniques including piano, orchestra, gospel choirs, guitars, traditional Japanese strings, music boxes, and effects such as yells, claps, and scratching.^[15][42]

Hamasaki is often involved in the artistic direction of her music videos. They are often artistic productions through which Hamasaki tries to convey the meaning or feeling of their respective songs.^[62] The themes of the videos are varied; she has made “sad and fragile” or “emotional” videos (“Momentum”, “Endless Sorrow”), “refreshing” summer videos (“Blue Bird”, “Fairyland”), surreal or “scary” videos (“1 Love”, “Marionette”), and humorous videos (“Evolution”, “Angel’s Song”, “Beautiful Fighters”).^[102][112] Additionally, many of the videos contain short storylines, some of which use symbolism to convey their respective messages.^[102] The video of “Voyage” depicts Hamasaki as a woman in a mental hospital whose previous incarnation was a woman in feudal Japan who was sacrificed to the moon; the video of “Endless Sorrow” features a young boy living in a society where speaking is forbidden by law. In the video for “Free & Easy”, Hamasaki portrayed a “twenty-first-century Joan of Arc” to convey her message “freedom cannot be easily obtained; there is a price to pay for it” and to express her opposition to her marrying at the time;^[113] the video for “Ourselves” featured masked people destroying “effigies of [Hamasaki's] past” such as photographs and album covers to symbolize destruction and rebirth.^[114][115] Additionally, the videos of “Fairyland”, “My Name’s Women”, and “Jewel” are among the top twenty or so most expensive music videos, making Hamasaki the only non-American artist to hold such a distinction.^{[116][117][118]} Hamasaki is also involved in the production and artistic direction of her live performances; they, like her videos, are often lavish productions and use a variety of props, extravagant costumes, and choreographed dances. She has used large video screens, fireworks, simulated rain drops, trick stage floors, and suspended devices.^[111]

Public image

Hamasaki’s influence goes beyond music; she is often considered a fashion icon and trend-setter,^{[109][119][120]} a status attributed to her tight control over her image.^{[3][121][122][123]} Besides her frequent appearances in fashion magazines, such as Vivi, Popteen, and Cawaii, Hamasaki has often been lauded for her trendy choices in apparels and accessories; Oricon has repeatedly named her the “Most Fashionable Female Artist”.^[1][92][124] Many aspects of Japan’s fashions—including clothing, hair, nails, and accessories—have in some way been influenced by her.^[92][125] As with her music, trends Hamasaki started have spread to Asian countries as Taiwan, China, and Singapore.^{[126][127][128]} Among the trends Hamasaki has started are hime-kei (a look inspired by the fashions of 18th century French aristocracy) and chapatsu; she has also heavily influenced the kogal subculture.^{[129][130][131]} Hamasaki’s constantly changing image is apparent not only in her fashion photo shoots and commercial endorsements but also in her record covers, an element she considers essential in conveying her message.^[29] She has portrayed herself as a vine-clad “peace muse” or “Greek goddess” (on her album I Am…), as a “twenty-first-century Joan of Arc” (for her single “Free & Easy”), and as a “funky Lolita”.^[106][132] Though Hamasaki has portrayed herself in earlier releases as a “girl next door”, she has adopted a more sexualized image since the release of Loveppears. The covers for records including Loveppears, I Am…, and Rainbow feature Hamasaki in states of partial nudity, for which she has generated controversy.^[133] Hamasaki also garnered criticism after she modeled bra for lingerie manufacturer Wacoal, though most of the criticism alleged that Hamasaki was only trying to “play catch-up” with Kumi Koda, who gained popularity for her overtly sexual image.^[134]

Hamasaki has been sought by numerous brands to endorse their products. Throughout her career under Avex, she has promoted products that ranged from electronics (Tu-Ka cell phones and Panasonic)^[13] to various snack foods.^[92] Among the products she has advertised on television are the Honda Crea scooter,^[135] Kosé cosmetics,^[92] Mister Donut donuts,^[136] and Boss coffee.^[137] As well as serving as background music for television advertisements, some of Hamasaki’s songs have been used as themes for video games, television shows and motion pictures,^{[fn 15]} such as Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, InuYasha, and Shinobi: Heart Under Blade.^{[138][139][140]} Although Hamasaki initially supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, saying that it was “necessary that [she is] viewed as a product”,^[28] she eventually opposed Avex’s decision to market her as a “product rather than a person”.^[4]

Other activities

Hamasaki has been described as having a “merchandise empire”. She launched her own fashion brand, MTRLG (Material Girl), in 2001; the clothes were sold at MTRLG boutiques and at Mise S*clusive stores.^[141] In 2002, Hamasaki created Ayupan, a cartoon version of herself that appeared in a line of merchandise (mainly figurines) and in a 2003 cartoon. For her 2007 tour Tour of Secret, Hamasaki collaborated with Sanrio to create a line of merchandise, “Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty,” that features Ayupan and Hello Kitty together.^[142] The merchandise included cell phone straps and Lumix cameras decorated with a picture of Hello Kitty behind Hamasaki’s “A” logo;^{[fn 16]} the former product was a result of a collaboration with Sanrio and Japanese fashion brand Ash & Diamonds, the latter a collaboration with Sanrio and Panasonic.^[143] She briefly hosted her own television show, Ayuready? (October 2002), on Fuji Television. The talk show, aired on Saturday nights from 11:30 to midnight, often featured her performing songs with guests, among whom were Goto Maki, Puffy, and Akina Nakamori. To promote the program (and her album Rainbow), Hamasaki opened a restaurant, Rainbow House, on Shōnan Beach; it was occasionally used in episodes of Ayuready?.^[141] After less than two years, the last episode aired in March 2004.^[144]

Personal life

Hamasaki dated singer-actor Tomoya Nagase since her brief acting career, and they publicly announced their relationship in 2001.^[121] Six years later, the media circulated rumors that the couple were about to get married; however, on July 13, 2007 Hamasaki announced that they had broken up. Though Hamasaki did not explain the reason for the split, she stated that they had parted amicably and the two remained friends.^[145]

In a January 8, 2008 entry on her TeamAyu blog, Hamasaki revealed that an inoperable condition, possibly tinnitus or Ménière’s disease, had caused complete deafness in her left ear.^[5][79] She disclosed that she had been diagnosed with the condition in 2006 and that the problem dated back to 2000.^[146] Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that she would “not give up” on her fans and that “as a professional”, she wanted to “deliver the best performance for everyone”.^[146][147]

Discography

Studio albums 1995: Nothing from Nothing (pre-Avex mini-album) 1999: A Song for ×× 1999: Loveppears 2000: Duty 2002: I Am… 2002: Rainbow 2003: Memorial Address (mini-album) 2004: My Story 2006: (Miss)understood 2006: Secret 2008: Guilty 2009: Next Level 2010: Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus Compilation albums 2001: A Best 2003: A Ballads 2007: A Best 2 (White/Black) 2008: A Complete: All Singles

Concerts

Concert tours 2000: Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1 2000: Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.2 2001: Ayumi Hamasaki Dome Tour 2001 A 2002: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A 2002: Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A 2003: Limited Team Ayu Live Tour 2003: A Museum 2003–2004: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2003-2004 A 2005: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2005 A: My Story 2006: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2006 A: (Miss)understood 2007: Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2007 A: Tour of Secret 2008: Ayumi Hamasaki Asia Tour 2008: 10th Anniversary 2009: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2009 A: Next Level[148] 2010: Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2010 A: Rock’n'Roll Circus

New Years countdown concerts 2000–2001: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2000-2001 A 2001–2002: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2001-2002 A 2002–2003: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2002-2003 A 2004–2005: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2004-2005 A 2005–2006: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2005-2006 A 2006–2007: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2006-2007 A 2007–2008: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2007-2008 Anniversary 2008–2009: Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Countdown Live 2008-2009 A 2009–2010: Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2009-2010 A: Future Classics

Filmography

• Twins Teacher (1993)
• Battle Spirits Ry?ko no Ken (1993)
• Sumomo mo Momo (1995)
• Miseinen (1995)
• Ladys Ladys!! Soucho Saigo no Hi (1995)
• Like Grains of Sand (1995)
• Gakko II (1996)
• Tsuki ni Shizumu (2002)

See also

• List of Ayumi Hamasaki awards
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of J-pop artists

Footnotes

References

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濱崎步（日语：浜崎あゆみ，1978年10月2日－），日本女性歌手，所屬公司為日本愛貝克思音樂。出生於日本福岡縣福岡市，中學時期就讀於福岡市立原中學校畢業、東京堀越高等學校肄業。濱崎 步在歌迷中最常見的被暱稱為「Ayu」，同時在新聞媒體上也有步姐、日本流行天后等稱號。濱崎步被美國時代雜誌譽為日本流行音樂樂壇天后^{[1] [2]}，同時在日本也具有一定的知名度以及影響力。

作為近年最著名的日本歌手之一，她的作品在日本持續刷新並保持著多項銷量紀錄，每年也至少都有一張登上榜首的單曲或專輯。在2006年，她成為了日本史上銷量最高的女歌手，至今所有作品的總銷售量已突破5000萬張。^[3]同時，她也是日本歌手於國外銷量的紀錄保持者之一。

自1998年以單曲《poker face》邁入歌壇以来，濱崎步所有的曲目作詞任務全部由自己獨立完成，歌詞具有其個人風格。濱崎步的影響力遍及亞洲與世界其他地方，她所衍生的各種商品也影響著日本社會上的經濟現象^[4]。雖然起初她對大量商業化營銷並不表示反對，但後來她卻開始表示抗拒。除了音樂以外，她亦是引领日本年轻世代流行潮流的时尚代表，並多次登上時尚雜誌的封面。濱崎步的收入曾使她成為日本排名第37的納稅者^[5]。

生涯與音樂路途

童年及早期

濱崎步在童年是由母親和祖母一起撫養長大的^[6]。由於父親在大約2歲時便離開了家庭，所以她對父親的印象很模糊^[6][7]。同時，她的母親亦要外出工作。在這樣的家庭環境下，濱崎步在童年時期的生活比較自由。她在7歲起，便已經為出生地福岡中央銀行和岩田屋擔任專用模特兒；直至14歲，她仍然擔任模特兒以幫補家計。在她就讀的高中學校時，由於經常忙於模特兒的工作，在校內的低出席率使她因此成為老師眼中的問題學生^[7]，亦由於她當時打扮新潮，既染髮又穿短裙，而且經常與暴走族為伍，附近的居民已暗封她為不良少女，更不准許自己的子女接近她。在中學2年級時，她參加了朝日電視台電視劇《twins教師》（雙胞胎教師）的演員招募。她擔演其中一個配角「立花桃」，當時她所屬的事務所是「SOS model agency」^[6]，在拍攝《twins教師》時，認識了前任男友長瀨智也，並且開始對演戲產生濃厚興趣，之後在完成初中後的她離開故鄉福岡，孤身遠赴東京正式進軍演藝圈。

1995-1997：進入演藝圈

於進入演藝圈初期，她開始參與一些低成本製作的劇集和B級片的演出^[7]，並開始使用「浜崎くるみ（濱崎來美）」的藝名直至到1995年9月正式改名為「浜崎あゆみ（濱崎步）」。她亦簽下了日本哥倫比亞唱片公司並推出了首張單曲及迷你專輯同名為《NOTHING FROM NOTHING》，碟內的歌曲全是以Rap為主，濱崎步就此踏出了成為歌手的第一步。單曲只能登上公信榜第198位，而專輯排於第200位^[8]。由於完全缺乏宣傳，唱片銷量不理想，所以很快便被唱片公司放棄。而濱崎步亦回到B級偶像的行列，繼續在劇集中演出。

由於作品都不太受歡迎，她很快便感到灰心，並從就讀的堀越高等學校退學，經常於澀谷街頭購物消磨時間和唱卡拉OK^[6]，也是這段時候，磨練了濱崎步對人生許多的看法。當時，她的唱片公司對員工的管理十分嚴格，禁止員工外出打工，於是濱崎步便在朋友家開的公司打工，但收入也未如理想，點餐也要跟朋友對分^[9]。濱崎步的名字彷彿在日本藝能界完全消失，但這亦不代表她演藝生涯已經終結。1997年，她被當時仍為音樂製片人的松浦勝人（日本愛貝克思音樂創辦人之一，現為該公司社長）發掘^[6][7]，並簽下一份試音合約。然而在初期，她因為感到歌唱訓練苦悶而萌生放棄想法^[7] 。及後，她被松浦勝人轉送到美國紐約繼續培訓，並準備再次出道^[7][10] 。與此同時，在松浦勝人的建議下，她亦開始嘗試作詞^[7]。

1998-1999：起飛期

1998年

於1998年，濱崎步在完成約一年培訓後再出道，於4月8日發行了在愛貝克思旗下的首張單曲《poker face》，登上了日本Oricon唱片公信榜第20位，獲得一個不俗的成績。之後的幾個月她密集地發行單曲，在第三張單曲《Trust》成功登上了公信榜第9位，這是她的單曲首次進入了公信榜頭10位。其後，她發行唱片的銷量節節上升，其中部分原因是因為一些歌曲被作為暢銷遊戲或劇集主題曲，使她的知名度增加。

1999年

在1999年，濱崎步發行了第一張專輯《A Song for ××》，在日本Oricon唱片公信榜專輯榜總共獲得五週冠軍，銷量超過145萬張^[11][8][12]，打破新人女歌手19年來的紀錄，這使她在日本廣受注目^[13] 。此張專輯的歌曲歌詞深受當時的女子高中生接受^[14] ，而當時她前衛時髦的打扮亦深受年輕歡迎，在日本形成了社會現象，更被稱為「女高校生流行教主」^[4]。在同年4月推出的單曲《LOVE ~Destiny~》，為濱崎步奪得了第一張唱片公信榜冠軍單曲，銷量逾65萬張。

而在同年7月發行的單曲《Boys & Girls》被譽為濱崎步的成名曲。此單曲發售時，當時日本樂壇上另一迅速冒起的新人鈴木亞美也同時推出了單曲《Be Together》，兩張單曲的銷量對碰成為了日本流行音樂界爭議的對像。後來此單曲銷量突破一百萬張^{[15][fn 1]}，藉著此支作品，也開始改變了日本有史以來單曲的形式，一張單曲包含10首以上的曲目（原曲加上混音）。緊接著於8月推出的單曲「A」為個人正式銷量統計第一張百萬單曲，刷新了濱崎步單曲銷量的最高紀錄，賣出了超過163萬張，此紀錄一直維持至今。

濱崎步於同一年內發行了第二張專輯《LOVEppears》，專輯歌曲風格變得多元化，由《A Song for ××》以流行搖滾為主，到此專輯中包括了迷幻音樂、歐陸舞曲、弦樂等元素^[13] 。這種歌曲風格變化在日後的作品中延續，使濱崎步的作品愈受歡迎。而歌詞內容仍與前作相同，以孤獨為主題，並且多出自她本人創作^[14]。而該專輯封面挑戰尺度的設計在當時引起了爭議。在同時也發行第一張限量單曲《appears》，《LOVEppears》為白人封面^[11]，而《appears》為黑人封面。儘管如此，該專輯銷量超過256萬張。銷量的屢創佳績，使濱崎步迅速攀上日本樂壇天后的地位。於同年底，濱崎步首次出席紅白歌唱大賽，並演唱《Boys & Girls》。

2000-2002：事業巔峰

2000年

在2000年的首張作品《Fly high》，為限量30萬張的單曲。濱崎步於4月底至6月初以間隔不超過一個月的時間發行三連發單曲「濱崎三步曲」《vogue》、《Far away》和《SEASONS》，此三張單曲的主題都圍繞著失望；而且也是她對之前的作品歌詞不盡其意，對自己的形象不滿的反映^[16]。其中《SEASONS》成為她第三張百萬單曲。

然後於9月，濱崎步再在同一週內發行了單曲《SURREAL》，專輯《Duty》及演唱會DVD《ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第二幕》，三項作品都獲得了冠軍，成為了日本第一個歌手同時達成了三項公信榜冠軍。《Duty》是一張以孤獨、混亂、罪責為題的作品，歌曲風格與上張專輯相比顯得深沉，多以搖滾樂為主，只包括了一首舞曲作品《AUDIENCE》^[6][17] ；而她也曾表示在完成作品後感到「不舒服」^[6][18] 。但這張作品深受歌迷歡迎，亦成為濱崎步至今最暢銷的原創專輯之一，銷量約300萬張^[19][20]。在當年年底，單曲《M》成為了濱崎步第4張銷量過百萬的單曲。在這張單曲中，濱崎步除一貫為自己的作品填詞外，還首次以「CREA」這筆名開始創作歌曲。

同時，她也成為當年全年最暢銷的歌手，囊括了當年年底大部份頒獎禮的獎項。濱崎步亦受到大量不同產業公司青睞，起用她為公司產品宣傳，在其他媒體上的曝光率因而不斷增加。她成為了日本KOSE化妝品公司的代言人，在她所拍攝的口紅廣告播出後，該品牌的口紅在2日內賣出了50萬支^[21]。但是在優良的銷量記錄背後，在本年舉行的日本巡迴演唱會《ayumi hamasaki concert tour 2000 A 第二幕》中，濱崎步卻患上了内耳性突發失聰，進而影響身體平衡，也使得部分演唱會延後演出時間。其後，濱崎步本人也證實了患上左耳聽覺衰弱的後遺症^[9]。

2001年

踏入2001年，濱崎步的唱片銷量依然處於高水平。年初發行的單曲《evolution》便獲得近100萬的銷量，而在同年內發行的其餘四張單曲亦保持著高銷量。

於3月推出的精選專輯《A BEST》是濱崎步事業的里程碑的第一章樂章。此張專輯替她取得了逾429萬張總銷量的紀錄，是日本史上銷量第六高的專輯^[9]。她在《A BEST》選用了一張自己流淚的相片作為專輯封面。在歌曲內容上，如《Who…》，《SURREAL》等抒情歌曲，在填詞上使用了直接抒情的方法，而在整張專輯中的歌曲編曲中，濱崎步歌唱的聲線都貫穿著對生命與感情的悲傷與不確定感。與過往其他抒情於景的歌曲相比，使得濱崎步的歌曲有一種震撼人心的感染力和共鳴。甚至有曲評者評論「這樣的歌詞由二十一歲的濱崎步唱出來，讓人感到無比地心痛」。^[22]2004年，濱崎步在接受日本電視台的個人專訪時，憶述選用該封面的其中一個原因，是因為當年並非自願推出精選專輯，而是受唱片公司脅迫。濱崎步當時認為一個歌手，應該是要引退了才能夠發精選輯，因此非常抗拒這項發行計畫。

同時，愛貝克思也進行了龐大的媒體宣傳。在《A BEST》發行其間，她的肖像在東京的流行文化中心澀谷街頭到處可見，也曾創下了登上同一期40本雜誌封面的紀錄，在當時引起了社會話題。愛貝克思進行龐大的媒體宣傳的主要原因，是另一公司東芝EMI的主力歌手宇多田光於同日推出大碟《Distance》，而且該次同日發售令雙方的支持者形成競爭氣氛，令他們透過購買專輯來表現出支持自己的偶像。雖然最後兩張專輯銷量皆破400萬張^[23]，卻同時使兩人在日本的唱片大戰頗受各界爭議。

在9月，她發行的第二張歐陸舞曲式混音專輯《ayu-ro mix 2》成為日本音樂史上，首張混音專輯登上排行榜冠軍的作品。

另外，濱崎步亦成為了一個在日本國內外影響力日漸重要的歌手。在同年，在精選專輯將發行的期間，愛貝克思公司的股價上升了百分之十六，而當愛貝克思公司宣佈將延期推出她的第4張專輯《I am…》時，股價立刻下跌^[24]。雖然沒有證據顯示專輯延期是直接導致股價下跌的原因，但濱崎步在愛貝克思公司的重要性卻日益提升^{[25][fn 2]}。她亦開始積極參與日本以外地區的活動，在摩納哥舉辦的世界音樂大獎中，獲得了「亞洲最佳銷售藝人」獎。9月，美國發生911恐怖攻擊事件，濱崎步作為愛貝克思公司的慈善籌款計劃的一員，推出單曲《A Song is born》（與地球樂團主唱KEIKO合唱）^{[26][27][fn 3]}。
同時濱崎步也成為日本史上首位連續兩年唱片總銷售金額突破200億日圓的藝人。年末，濱崎步於第45回日本唱片大賞演唱《Dearest》同時首次奪得金賞。繼2000年於演唱會期間罹患內耳性突發失聰，濱崎步在本年度的個人巡迴演唱會《ayumi hamasaki DOME TOUR 2001 A》途中亦發生意外。福岡場次開始前3小時，濱崎步在彩排當中不慎跌落舞台，但她並未取消該場演唱會，仍然負傷演出。^[9]

2002年

2002年被認為是濱崎步的歌唱事業與唱片銷量踏入高峰的一年。1月1日發行的第4張專輯《I am…》，在此張專輯中，濱崎步擺脫了過往作品的陰影^[28]，開始使用以自己思想創作的歌詞，由過往以孤獨、混亂為主，轉向以愛及和平為主^[29] 。歌曲風格方面，此專輯中黑人音樂和舞曲、搖滾及電子風格的音樂增多，是濱崎步一張集結了輕快歌曲的專輯。此專輯也繼續獲得逾230萬張的高銷量，成為當年專輯銷量第二位（當年年度銷售冠軍宇多田光《DEEP RIVER》）。從這張專輯之後，濱崎步也改變以往的輕快舞曲與抒情風，陸續增加後續專輯的搖滾歌曲及快節奏舞曲歌數量，開始了其他不同音樂風格的嘗試。
之後濱崎步推出的限量單曲《Daybreak》，未能獲得銷量冠軍；但從此以後，濱崎步的所有單曲亦都能獲得公信榜冠軍。於其後發行的單曲《Free & Easy》中，再次改變了單曲的形式，減少了混音歌曲的數量（之前的每張單曲大約都收錄10首歌以上）。於7月，《H》成為了濱崎步第5張銷量過百萬的單曲，也是日本女歌手至今最後一張銷量多於100萬的單曲^[30] 。

年底發行的第5張專輯《RAINBOW》，濱崎步再為自己的歌曲加入新元素。專輯中歌曲風格迥異：既有一貫的搖滾作品、Trip-Hop（Hip-Hop的一種）式作品，也有快板、哥德式作品。諸如福音唱詩式及叫喊等新式的混音技巧也是專輯中的音樂特色。歌詞方面以自由，「悲情之夏」等為作品主調^[31]。她更首次在歌曲中加入英語歌詞^{[32][fn 4]}，並首次讓歌迷參與新曲RAINBOW的作詞，完成作曲後的歌曲收錄在翌年春天發行的《A BALLADS》專輯中。而銷量方面，這張專輯是由專輯《LOVEppears》以來，首張無法突破200萬張銷量的原創專輯^[33]。

在日本當地及海外，濱崎步的歌唱事業亦繼續發展。於電影上，她的首部短篇音樂電影《沈月》限定公開上映10天的門票，推出後立即售罊。在年初，她更登上了時代雜誌封面，為亞洲區繼王菲後第二位女歌手，也是首位日本女歌手登上封面。而同時，她亦再度在於新加坡舉行的「世界音樂大獎」中獲得「亞洲最佳銷售藝人」獎^[34][35][36]。11月，她以「Ayu」的名義在德國發行了首張歐洲單曲《Connected》，由唱片騎師Ferry Corsten協助制作^[37]。 而於同年9月，濱崎步被選出日本代表，參加中日建交30週年紀念演唱會，與代表中國的王菲同時演出^[38]。

她亦於同年第46回日本唱片大賞再奪得金賞，並在節目現場演唱《Voyage》。但負面消息亦接踵而至，同年發生了「濱崎步岐視殘障」謠言，使濱崎步廣受日本社會輿論批評。

2003-2006：銷量下滑

2003年

從2003年起，受到SARS與日本唱片業不景氣的影響，濱崎步無論在唱片數量及銷量上都開始減少，事業也步向衰退期。全年發行了3張單曲和2張專輯。在3月，她發行了首張抒情精選專輯《A BALLADS》，但新唱片內只收入了兩首新曲，延用一部分曾出現於之前的精選輯《A BEST》中的曲目，最終售出近104萬張^[39]。

另外在單曲方面，除了於7月推出的單曲《＆》銷量達59萬張外^[40]，餘下2張單曲銷量都比以往下降。8月推出的第30張單曲《forgiveness》，歌曲風格以管弦樂式編曲為主，銷量獲22萬張，自此張單曲至今，濱崎步也沒有恢復至此前的的唱片銷量。於11月，推出了單曲《No way to say》，曲風為典型沉重而傷感的抒情曲風。03年底推出的首張迷你專輯《Memorial address》，仍取得逾106萬銷量，亦使濱崎步成為第一個以迷你專輯銷量突破100萬的女歌手^[41][42]。此外，本張迷你專輯也開始了她往後專輯和以單曲「CD+DVD」發行的形式^[43]。同年，濱崎步成為日本第一個被国际唱片业协会（IFPI）認證專輯獲3白金+1金銷量（《I am…》）的女歌手^[44]，亦於同年第47回日本唱片大賞第三度奪得金賞，演唱歌曲為《No way to say》，是日本唱片大賞唯一一位連續3年得獎的歌手。

2004年

於2003年的《Arena Tour》結束後，濱崎步開始產生了不滿愛貝克思公司的想法。她曾表示覺得當時愛貝克思公司把她當作一件商品，而不是一個藝人^[45]。這種想法從製作前兩張原創專輯時便一直存在，亦顯現在2004年底推出的第6張原創專輯《MY STORY》中。在此張專輯中，並沒有如之前的專輯般具有統一的主題；而是由不同的回憶式作品組成，以示濱崎步希望完全採用自己的思想來創作新作品^{[45][fn 5]}。後來她亦表示這張專輯是第一張自己滿意的專輯^[46]，而銷量也突破百萬張^[47][48]。

2004年起，濱崎步所發行的單曲《Moments》、《INSPIRE》、《CAROLS》都維持著穩定的銷量。於3月推出的單曲《Moments》，該曲以抒情曲風表達「自己希望永遠保持如同花朵綻放时最燦爛的剎那」的主題^[46]。7月發行單曲《INSPIRE》，收錄了兩首強勁節奏的作品《INSPIRE》和《GAME》。《CAROLS》於9月發行，也是典型的抒情曲風作品^[46]。但是因為日本樂壇普遍不景氣的緣故，單曲的銷量都無法回復到以往的數量，只維持在約30萬張左右。

在歌唱事業發展下滑的情況下，在同年8月，發生了震動日本藝能界的松浦勝人事件，顯示了濱崎步在愛貝克思公司的影響力。

2005年

2005年，濱崎步在眾多新人出道的激烈競爭下，人氣及唱片銷量日漸下跌。年初濱崎步被邀請為日本愛知縣萬國博覽會開幕儀式演唱《a song is born》一曲^[49]。

濱崎步在3月底發行首張古典混音《古典私物語》，此專輯繼萬國博覽會後，請來日本世界級指揮家佐渡裕擔任指揮，並由歐洲樂團伴奏^[49]。此專輯最終銷量約為八萬餘張。4月發行的首張雙主打單曲《STEP you/is this LOVE?》，是以「女人对愛日益渴求的心情」為主題的一張日本搖滾樂風單曲。8月發行了單曲《fairyland》，則以明快的J-POP曲风，帶出了「乌托邦」的主題，而此張單曲也是濱崎步首次以不同封面來區別唱片類型的作品。這張單曲的音樂錄影帶遠赴夏威夷拍攝，耗資超過兩百萬美金（約兩億五千萬日幣），是日本史上音樂錄影帶拍攝花費最高的作品，也是世界史上成本第八昂貴的音樂錄影帶^[50]。

9月發行的單曲《HEAVEN》，是濱崎步為電影《忍-SHINOBI》創作的作品，曲調中滲透著悲涼的抒情曲風，以「恋人的无奈」為主題的單曲。於年底，第38張單曲《Bold & Delicious / Pride》改變了以往的作品曲風，嘗試了由德國樂團SWEETBOX主音GEO所提供的靈魂樂創作曲調^[51]，而此單曲在銷量上為濱崎步近年以來的低點^[52]。

此年濱崎步在唱片銷量上變化不大，但對愛貝克思唱片公司的影響力，在「松浦勝人事件」後逐漸下滑，而她亦不再干預公司事務。同時，同公司及日本樂壇其他新歌手的興起，以及日本唱片業不景氣的因素，也在客觀上形成濱崎步人氣及唱片銷量日漸下跌的原因^[53]。

2006年

2006年是濱崎步在原有的事業基礎下，儘管人氣及唱片銷量仍呈下跌趨勢，仍刷新多項銷量紀錄的一年。本年濱崎步在歌曲風格上趨向多元化，由年初的西洋樂風，到年中回復到J-POP，再到年底的專輯嘗試日本搖滾樂風格。於元旦發行的第七張專輯《（miss）understood》，收錄了上一年濱崎步發行的所有單曲，還有多首嘗試抒情、舞曲、藍調、Funk风格的新歌^[51][54]。在各方評價不一的情況下，累積銷量只達到約87萬張，是濱崎步首張原創專輯的銷量未能超過100萬張^[55]，而此張作品也為濱崎步的專輯銷量再創新低。

於3月初發行的單曲《Startin’ / Born To Be…》，在曲風上承繼了上一張單曲的西洋樂格，加入了舞曲元素。而濱崎步憑藉此張單曲，再度奪下單曲部門銷量冠軍，以第26張單曲首周獲得公信榜第一的紀錄，超越了松田聖子成為日本史上擁有最多冠軍單曲的女歌手^[56]。而6月發行的單曲《BLUE BIRD（青鳥）》亦使濱崎步成為日本史上首位單曲銷量逾2千萬的女歌手。

於年底發行的第八張原創專輯《Secret》，是一張以「愛與恨」為主題的作品^{[57][fn 6]}。這張作品加入了以日本搖滾樂风格創作的新曲^{[57][fn 7]}，也使用了新的歌唱技巧^[58]。但銷量仍繼續下跌，總銷量累積約67多萬張^[59]。濱崎步在發行這張單曲時曾經在美國CNN接受採訪，並談到這張單曲時，她表示：「每個人心裡都有他自己的秘密，當然我自己也有。」。儘管在日本的唱片銷售量下滑^[55][60]，但在亞洲地區的總銷售量仍逾200萬張。

2007-現今：發展亞洲市場

2007年

於2007年2月，濱崎步發行第二張精選專輯《A BEST 2》。這張專輯在設計上採用黑白兩色主題，收錄曲目則從單曲《evolution》到《HEAVEN》時期為主，黑色版本所收錄的曲目主題以悲傷、自省為主；而白色版本所收錄的曲目則以歡愉、緬懷為主題。《A BEST 2》銷量打破了演歌歌手藤圭子（宇多田光之母）保持了36年半記錄，成為第二位佔據Oricon首兩位的歌手^[61]。而《A BEST 2》兩張專輯總銷量則超過了140萬張^[62]。

緊接著於3月至6月期間，濱崎步舉行首次亞洲巡迴演唱會《ayumi hamasaki ASIA TOUR 2007 A ~Tour of Secret~》，並於<台北，香港，上海等地舉行^[63]。濱崎步在亞洲保有相當高的知名度，在台灣，一萬張門票在兩小時內全部售罄，刷新了台北小巨蛋的售票紀錄^[64]。而在香港紅磡體育館的演唱會，最貴之七百八十元门票於短短五分鐘內全部售罄，其餘門票亦在三小時內全部銷售一空^[65][66]。

同年4月，適逢中國總理温家寶訪日，中央電視臺以「幫助中國公眾更加全面、理性的認識日本」為題，於著名新聞欄目「東方時空」內製作了「岩松看日本」新聞專題^[67]，並邀請濱崎步接受訪問。此次訪問為近年日本藝人首次接受中國官方媒體訪問。

7月發行的單曲《glitter/fated》，搭配了個人第二部短篇音樂電影《距愛 ～Distance Love～》，該電影為由香港電影工作人員所製作的全香港外景拍攝電影，並與香港演員余文樂合作拍攝^[68]。此張單曲令濱崎步成為連續9年獲得單曲銷量第1位的女歌手^[69]。而9月推出的單曲《talkin’ 2 myself》，為搖滾樂風格作品。此單曲也使她成為擁有最多前10名單曲的歌手第二名（第一名為「南方之星」的42張）^[70][71]；但同時卻是濱崎步自1998年的單曲《Depend on you》之後，首週銷量最低的作品。年底，她也發行了首張數位單曲《Together When…》，採取電腦或手機下載方式，並沒有發行實體單曲。

隨著日本唱片業持續萎縮^[72]，濱崎步的唱片銷量也不斷下降，但她仍憑著大量發行作品而以總額近70億日元的銷售額成為2007年間唱片總銷售額亞軍。於日本國內，濱崎步的人氣逐漸下滑，更於隔年年初的歌手好感度調查僅僅獲得第25位，然而在亞洲巡迴演唱會中各界媒體的報導也間接使她於國外市場的知名度増加。

2008年

2008年為濱崎步歌唱生涯具紀念性的第十年，但於年初卻發生了不幸的事故。事緣在2007年底，濱崎步在各大節目以及跨年演唱會部分出現偶爾失準的情況，使歌迷開始對濱崎步的狀況表示揣測。於歌迷仍然議論紛紛時，於2008年1月初，她卻突然在自己的歌迷會網站宣佈自己被診斷證實左耳完全喪失功能。在該項宣佈中她提到雖然獲悉沒有治癒的方法，但仍樂觀地表示：「會用剩下的右耳一直唱下去，直到它到達極限為止」^[73]。

2008年1月1日濱崎步發行了第九張專輯《GUILTY》^[74]。濱崎步曾表示這張專輯以故事為題，與以往的專輯以思想為題不同^[18]。專輯中收錄的曲目內容以消極為主^[18][17]，帶有濃厚的搖滾樂色彩，也有一些舞曲與抒情曲^[75][76]。此專輯雙周銷量排行第二，亦中斷了濱崎步連續八張原創專輯冠軍的紀錄^[77]。

而本年濱崎步的第二次亞洲巡迴演唱會《ayumi hamasaki ASIA TOUR 2008 A ~10th Anniversary~》未有受耳疾影響照常舉行，日本場次於4月開始，門票剛開售賣便立即售罄，創下出道10年來的最佳成績^[78]。而海外場次於香港、上海、台北三地舉行。

08年4月發行的《Mirrorcle World》為濱崎步首張出道十周年紀念單曲，以兩種曲目六種封面四個版本發行。雖然此單曲使她成爲首位日本女歌手連續十年獲得冠軍單曲，同時亦使自己締造的冠軍單曲紀錄達到30張，但周榜公佈前兩天的莫名銷量暴衝，使得此張單曲冠軍紀錄頗具爭議^[79]。之後她亦發行十張重新混音的黑膠唱片及兩張混音專輯《Ayu-mi-x 6: Gold》《Ayu-mi-x 6: Silver》，邀請了著名唱片騎師Armand Van Helden協助制作，以增加自己在全球市場的知名度^[80]

濱崎步於08年9月發行十週年紀念專輯《A COMPLETE ~ALL SINGLES~》，收錄濱崎步從1998年至2008年發行的43張單曲(《A Song Is Born》及 《Together When…》除外)^[81]，亞洲版則特別收錄單曲《Who… (Chinese version)》，是濱崎步首次在專輯收錄中文歌曲。此專輯銷量超過85萬。她於08年12月推出第二張出道十周年紀念單曲《Days/GREEN》^[82][83]。年末，她在平安夜當天由於太過疲累導致貧血，從高處摔傷，緊急進行手術，此意外迫使她辭退日本朝日電視台的歲末節目《Music Station 新春特別版》，但她仍然出席紅白歌唱大賽，是連續第十年出席。

2009年

1月11日，濱崎步的官方網站公佈了《ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2009 A ～NEXT LEVEL～》的場次，從09年4月開始，進行日本國內的巡迴演出。今年的巡迴演唱會不同於2007年與2008年的《ASIA TOUR》（亞洲巡迴），而命名為《ARENA TOUR》（體育館巡迴），所以並無國外場次之演出。 她也宣布將演唱龍珠電影版「DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION」的主題曲《Rule》，收錄於09年2月25日發行的第45張單曲《Rule/Sparkle》此張單曲如期登上公信榜冠軍，成功締造連續20張冠軍單曲紀錄 ^[84]。

3月25日，濱崎步發行第十張原創專輯《NEXT LEVEL》，其中一個形態以造型設計的USB儲存裝置作為儲存媒介造成風潮，成為日本史上第一位以USB隨身碟發行專輯的主流音樂女歌手。此張專輯運用許多創新元素，將電音、嘻哈等等元素融入原本的J-POP中，為濱崎步的曲風開拓出全新的領域。濱崎步在日本雅虎的訪談中談到，這張專輯許多歌迷第一次聽到時，都認不出來是她的歌。此專輯在發行首周順利登上公信榜冠軍，此張專輯使得濱崎步成為日本史上第一位連續十年有冠軍專輯的歌手，也是她個人的第十張冠軍專輯，但銷量仍不敵女性歌手唱片低靡的原因，至今銷量約37萬張。

半年過後的8月12日，濱崎發行了第46張單曲《Sunrise/Sunset ～LOVE is ALL～》，這是濱崎步首度嘗試以相同的作曲、做出不同的編曲以及作詞。《Sunrise ～LOVE is ALL～》收錄為日本電視劇《Dandy Daddy?》^[85]的主題曲，在電視劇的記者會上，濱崎步也做為特別來賓出場，她說到這首歌的作詞是她想著主角館廣志的形象所描繪的。此單曲首週成功登上公信榜冠軍，是自2002年4月發售的《Free&Easy》以來連續21張冠軍單曲紀錄，總計第33張冠軍單曲。此單曲使得濱崎步成為日本史上第一位共有44張作品進入公信榜前10名的歌手，而偶像團體SMAP於八月發行的新單曲順利奪冠後，成為繼濱崎步後第二位擁有44張單曲進入公信榜前10名的歌手。7月29日，官方網站公佈了英國化妝品品牌RIMMEL採用了濱崎步為亞洲代言人^[86]，該品牌表示濱崎步是第一個亞洲代言人，採用濱崎步是因為她追求完美的性格與RIMMEL的風格不謀而合，同時濱崎步的一雙招牌大眼睛亦十分適合該季化妝品。

12月29日發行第47張單曲《You were…/BALLAD》12月29日發行,雙週合併銷量10.3萬張，使得濱崎步再次刷新她本人保持連續21張冠軍單曲的紀錄，讓連冠紀錄達到22張單曲，而這也是她個人第34張冠軍單曲^[87]。作為宣傳，濱崎步在眾多音樂節目上現場演唱。其中在Best Artist上演出《You were…》及《evolution》兩曲，卻在演唱《evolution》一曲時歌詞斷斷續續，在句尾時氣也不足，只能以帶領台下歌迷的方式帶過。稍後濱崎步在她的官方後援會「Team Ayu」上的個人日記表示「今天所演唱的進化，是她在歌手生涯中所演唱最差的一場」。眾多歌迷推測是因為耳朵及聽力方面的問題，導致近年來她音域越來越窄，同時密集的現場演唱會，也使她的嗓子不堪負荷、高音也不如以往的高亢明亮，只能以顫音方式了結^[88]。但儘管如此，濱崎步還是如以往一般在12月02日公佈了2010跨年演唱會的行程^[89]，該次演唱會定名為『ayumi hamasaki COUNTDOWN LIVE 2009-2010 ～Future Classics～』。同時她還是積極的表示：

“

我必須要唱歌，必須要用歌声来传达我的感情，因為这是我存在的意义，以后我會繼續努力创造一个帶給大家歡樂的舞台。[90]

”

在亞洲市場方面，濱崎步專輯在台灣的銷售量因為唱片市場消退緣故，儘管不如以往，但專輯《NEXT LEVEL》仍以兩萬張的銷量獲得日本歌手在台灣銷售量第一^[91]。

2010年

濱崎步於今年邁入出道第12年，即使外界不斷質疑濱崎步的身體狀況是否有能力支撐大量的演出，但日本官方網站依然於1月15日公佈了2010年巡迴演唱會的場次，並在2月17日將該次演唱會命名為《ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2010 A ~Rock’n'Roll Circus~》，從10年4月開始，進行日本國內總計34場的巡迴演出，濱崎步本人更透露，今年度的巡迴演唱會會是史上規模最大的一次。另外，本年度a-nation也是全程參加。

3月5日，濱崎步的日本官方網站公布將於4月14日，發行濱崎步第11張原創專輯《Rock’n'Roll Circus》，新專輯收錄15首歌曲，包含已發行的單曲〈Sunrise/Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~〉以及〈You were…/BALLAD〉，DVD則收錄8首音樂錄影帶（4首已發行單曲+4首新曲）以及音樂錄影帶拍攝的幕後花絮，另外還特別收錄了《ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2009 ~NEXT LEVEL~》幕後花絮。當天也將同時發行《ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2009 ~NEXT LEVEL~》於東京最終場的演唱會DVD。

作品風格

濱崎步對日本流行音樂具有重大的影響，其中一個主因在於她成功以自已創作的曲詞，以及以具有「革新性的音樂」，影響了日本樂壇的音樂趨勢^[36]。也有評論認為成功的營銷戰略也為她創造了條件^[36][92][93]。

濱崎步的音樂大眾化不僅見於日本國內，更延伸到國外。在日本國外，尤其於亞洲^[94]，也有著一定規模的影響力。她是少數能於新加坡唱片能賣出超過10,000張的日本歌手之一^[95]；專輯《A Best 2 -White-》是韓國與台灣的2007年度最高銷量日本專輯^[96]。雖然她在2007年才首次在日本國外舉行巡回演唱會，但早於2002年， 濱崎步已經開始踏足亞洲市場：她於新加坡舉行的MTV Asia的頒獎禮上演出，也曾出席一個有關慶祝中日建交30周年的亞洲歌手聯合演唱會^[97][98]。也由於她的造型多變，亦經常被外界認為參考瑪丹娜^[99][100]，而她本人也承認受其音樂風格影響^[29]。同時靈魂音樂歌手Babyface、En Vogue；搖滾音樂歌手Led Zeppelin、Deep Purple也對她的音樂風格產生影響^[101]。同時，濱崎步也認同一些美國歌手，如Michelle Branch， Kid Rock ，Joan Osborne 和一些日本歌手，如松田聖子，宮澤理惠， Keiko等^[29][101]。

歌曲風格

濱崎步歌唱的音域，據統計於F#4至F6之間^[102]，絕大部分作品都以真音、顫音演唱，與同期的日本流行歌手，如宇多田光，MISIA等擅於使用假音及廣闊音域的歌手相比並不突出。而近年因聽覺受損等因素影響，她演唱的音域有減少的趨勢，而早期作品中經常出現尾音回勾的特點，亦轉變為近年作品的顫音。與其他歌手相比，她更著重於不同銷售的運用，也著重於以造型及音樂錄影帶吸引歌迷。

在濱崎步的前期事業， 她便開始委托其他作曲家重新混製她的歌曲， 這也是其中一項影響她音樂風格的因素^[13]。在濱崎步不同的作品中，包含各種多元多樣的電子舞曲，如浩室音樂、迷幻音樂、歐陸舞曲、以及混合了原音樂的原素，如中國古典音樂，西方弦樂等。在她的混音圑隊中，包括了來自日本與其他不同地區的著名音樂家與唱片騎師，常用的日本著名編曲者包括HΛL，D.A.I.（長尾大），中野雄太，多胡邦夫，菊池一仁等。而她亦外國的著名唱片騎師，如阿曼·凡布倫、Jonathan Peters、Junior Vasquez、Above & Beyond、Ferry Corsten合作。也有不少樂團曾與她合作演出，例法國拉慕魯交響樂團，中國響姬樂團^{[fn 8]}。她偶爾也會以「CREA」的名義參與歌曲的編曲與作曲。

濱崎步出道至今創作了逾百首單曲作品，當中包含了很多不同的風格，前期以抒情曲及輕快舞曲為主，近年也加入了大量其他音樂原素，包含搖滾和R&B等基本的流行音樂，和許多其他方式的表達，包括舞蹈系、重金屬、前衛搖滾、流行音樂、也有古典樂等^[13]。濱崎步也運用不同的樂聲器材創作樂曲，如鋼琴、樂隊、福音唱詩班、吉他、音箱、傳統日本弦樂， 或者甚至用叫喊、拍手， 和抓划的聲音相互混合^[13][31]。 這些風格混合起來，產生了她的音樂作品獨有的特色。但濱崎步並不是一位專業作曲家， 所以她亦會頻繁地使用其他音樂家混製她的歌曲^[6]。她解釋說：「我不是專家；甚至連基本關於作詞作曲的知識也沒有。^[29]」

歌詞風格

どうして泣いているの
どうして迷ってるの
どうして立ち止まるの
ねえ教えて
いつから大人になる
いつまで子供でいいの
どこから走ってきて
ねえどこまで走るの
居場所がなかった　見つからなかった
未來には期待出來るのか分からずに

為什麼哭
為什麼迷惑
為什麼裹足不前
請告訴我
什麼時候才會長大
要當小孩當到什麼時候
我從哪裡跑來
要奔向何方
沒有棲身之處 我找不到
不知道未來是否值得期許

— 濱崎步作品《A Song for XX》歌詞摘錄

濱崎步所有的曲目作詞任務全部由自己獨立完成。她的歌詞具有濃厚的個人風格，內容像一面鏡子清晰的將她對生活，工作、對自我的思考以及矛盾、對現實的不滿和控訴，毫無保留的呈現出來^[65]。其獨特的纖幼聲線在日本流行樂壇中也顯得甚為獨特。有曲評者及歌迷認為，她的作品歌詞「真率而自然的情感」^[101] ，常透過不同的詞匯描繪自己對現實的不滿和控訴；也擅以曲調帶出自身的煩惱，並真實地表達了自身的情感，得到大眾的共鳴^[103][104]。她本人亦曾表示自己的作品歌詞都具有這些特點。她解釋說：「當我在心情低落時作詞，那歌曲內容會顯得昏暗。但，這就是我當時最真實的感覺，我不能逃避。^[101]」所以，在大部分作品中，她沒有以其他語言作詞（直到專輯《RAINBOW》之前）^{[fn 9]}。在她的音樂創作生涯中，她的歌詞内容亦十分多樣化:前期的作品以孤獨和混亂作主題爲主，也包括一些以希望與和平的主題作品^[16][105]；後期則以愛和女性的抉擇為主題的作品居多^[31][106]。

在另一方面，就像在創作歌曲《M》的時候一樣，濱崎步全部的作品是完全由自己包辦歌詞的創作(除翻唱其他歌手歌曲外)。她解釋說：「我的詞曲創作只會直接反映自已的思想。^[105][107]」。例如在專輯《I am…》中，濱崎步便親手包辦了全碟的歌詞創作。此外，在同樣原因的影響下，她也藉此經常打理幾乎每個範疇的工作，不許公司過份干涉。但在近期，她已漸漸開始委派早先處理了的許多任務給其它的工作人員^[9]。

她的作詞靈感亦來自不同的來源：例如《M》的靈感來自一個朋友告訴她有關聖母瑪利亞的故事；《a song is born》以911事件為創作靈感等^[108]。她亦曾表示在創作生涯的前期她一直在摸索創作的方向。她說：

“

我的音樂是屬於我的。我沒空去思考聽者們需要我的曲子表達怎樣的情感，我創作歌曲，都是只想記錄自己的心路歷程。我開始的時候並不瞭解作詞是什麼，但隨着時間消逝，我明白這其實就是我的責任和影響。我要這樣做[107]。

”

演唱風格及其他

濱崎步的演唱會表演常常耗費龐大支出於大量道具、奢華服飾、精心的舞蹈場面等設計上。她的演唱會中也經常具有特大屏幕、煙火效果、人工造雨、大型噴泉、升降舞台、違禁設備等特點^[109]。濱崎步亦曾表示自己的演唱會「在上半場，我認為像是一個主場。這樣的表演，一般半途不會有主角和觀眾打招呼，所以我的主場，沒有和觀眾交流或者是講話的安排，就是專注做唱歌。然後在後半部，再換一個形式，和觀眾貼近，和他們直接交流。^[110]」

同時，濱崎步也經常為單曲拍攝音樂錄影帶。這些音樂錄影帶拍攝往往頗為豪華，也會作為賣點與單曲或專輯一同發售。而在撘配單曲發售的音樂錄影帶中，有三首（《fairyland》^[111]，《my name’s WOMEN》，《JEWEL》）都被列入有史以來成本最高的音樂錄影帶之中^[112]。

於大中華地區，有不少歌手曾經翻唱濱崎步的歌曲，如林曉培，安又琪等。而濱崎步本人也多次在自己的唱片或歌唱節目中翻唱一些日本或外國歌手的作品，如松任谷由實的《春來了（春よ、来い）》，《卒業寫真》、TRF的《teens》、甚至迪士尼動畫《白雪公主》片中的名曲《Someday My Prince Will Come》等^[113]。

其他

對流行文化的影響

濱崎步被視為當代日本流行音樂的象徵之一^[114][115]。於近年她亦幾近主導了日本的時尚風格^{[2][116] [117]}，許多日本的時尚物品如包括衣物、髮型、美甲、飾品都或多或少受著濱崎步帶動的潮流影響^[118]，並與她的音樂一樣，同時從日本風麾至其他亞洲國家，如臺灣、中國、新加坡等^[92][119]。 MTV 亞洲主管 Mishal Varma 解釋了她的影響：「她一舉一動都風麾著亞洲， 就像瑪丹娜一樣。」於亞洲各地風行的日本流行文化中，濱崎步也被視為象徵人物之一^[120]。她被視爲日本年輕世代（尤其指年齡介乎10至17歲的女性）的時尚代表，引領着日本的流行潮流，在日本瞬息萬變的流行文化中，扮演者中流砥柱的角色。在亞洲地區，高知名度的濱崎步被冠有許多著名的稱謂，包括「日本流行教主」、「日本天后」、「百變天后」、「亞洲小天后」、「步姐」，其中以「日本流行教主」與「步姐」最常見。也有評論指出，濱崎步對日本流行樂界對推銷和經營女歌手的方式及對所謂偶像歌手的定義最為深遠^[53]。

她在日本著名的流行雜誌，如《ViVi》，《Cawaii》和《Popteen》等的封面總是頻繁地定期出現，使她成為了流行衣著的指標^{[121][92][122]}。她也曾登上國際流行時裝雜誌《Vogue》，分別為著名品牌寶格麗（Bulgari）和Dolce&Gabbana（D&G）出任模特，同時也為另一著名品牌克里斯汀·迪奧（Christian Dior）的珠寶飾品代言。她也多次在日本的美容及衣著選舉中得奬，在Oricon於2006年的調查中，她被選為最有流行品味的女歌手^[121][123]。在衣著飾品方面，她以經常採用著名品牌，如路易·威登（Louis Vuitton）、亞歷山大·麥昆（Alexander McQueen）等的商品而著名。

同時，在各項商業因素考慮下，濱崎步所衍生的各種商品影響著日本社會上的經濟現象。因為她具有流行潮流的時尚代表特徵，所以在Avex推銷及經營下， 有不少日本産業樂意以她作為旗下產品代言人^[53]。她擔任由松下電器（Panasonic）等世界知名公司，到SUNTORY等零食生產商等大小各類不同的行業。如本田（Honda）^[124]，Mister Donut^[125]， 高絲化妝品，Boss咖啡^[126],SUNTORY等公司經常採用她拍攝旗下產品的廣告。雖然起初她對大量商業化營銷並不表示反對(她曾表示，「這是我的形象，我根本就是一件商品，自己只不過是去實現別人的夢想」^[127])，但後來她卻開始表示抗拒^[92]。曾有統計指出於濱崎步事業高峰期，日本人於一年內用於購買有關濱崎步的各種商品高達333億日圓^[4]。

外界評價與事故

在濱崎步的演藝事業中，至今有兩起較為日本社會注目而受批評的事故，分別為2002年的有關廣泛流傳「假濱崎步岐視殘障」的失言事件 ^[128]，以及2004年的「松浦勝人事件」。

假濱崎步岐視殘障失言事件

於2002年，在日本一些互聯網社群上，廣泛流傳著一段「濱崎步責罵殘障少女」的流言，並附帶著一段疑似紀錄事件經過的片段迅速散佈。在媒體廣泛報道後，在官方網站和歌迷網站上出現了大量網絡論戰。其後就此事件，艾迴當時的會長兼社長依田巽發表了聲明^[129]，但是卻因為濱崎步本人並沒有親自道歉，被認為沒有誠意，在如2ch網站等引起更大規模的網絡論戰。後來事態突然發生變化，該片段被發現實際上為某名大學生以錄音加工於濱崎步2001年除夕倒數演唱會的偽造片段^[130]，在證實事件後該名學生被警方逮捕。在事件過後，濱崎步在雜誌《Free & Easy》的協作雜誌《濱崎共和國》中發表了「比起自己被謠言攻擊的事，如果歌迷受這個謠言影響做了過激的行為，那並不恰當」的感想言論。受事件影響，濱崎步更改了原定在該年於日本四大巨蛋體育館的演唱會行程，而於2003年1月才發售的除夕倒數演唱會DVD中，該段問題部份亦被刪剪。

松浦勝人事件

及後於2004年，發生了濱崎步牽涉干預艾迴公司高層調動的「松浦勝人事件」(參見本條目轉型及過渡期一節相關記載)。事緣艾迴公司社長的依田巽於當年7月底，召開了一次艾迴公司內部的高層會議。並在會上以“松浦勝人在利用艾迴旗下的藝人們謀取私人利益”為理由，向負責艾迴常務運作的社長千葉龍平要求罷免松浦勝人，結果千葉龍平社長同意了此提議^[131]。這一舉動激怒了松浦勝人提出請辭。濱崎步面臨恩師出走，便在自己的官方網站留言表示：「若松浦的辭職被接納的話，我已決定與他共同進退^[132]。」此舉導致大量視松浦為恩師的歌手，如大無限樂團，Hitomi，SPEED及小事樂團等，以及支持松浦的員工紛紛要求辭職。翌日，艾迴公司股價立即大跌逾10%^{[133][fn 10]}。艾迴公司最後屈服於濱崎步的要求下，收回辭退松浦勝人的決定^[134]。於當時，作為一名對著艾迴公司的整體業務有著實際影響的歌手，濱崎步在事件中的表態成為決定的打擊，使艾迴公司的股價暴跌，並使母公司不斷收到來自股東的抗議，艾迴公司營運狀態亦陷入混亂。於同年8月3日，受到濱崎步表態的壓迫，艾迴改變原本的經營方計並召回松浦勝人，同時也使濱崎步離開公司的憂慮暫告一段落。但此次事件卻使濱崎步辭退了當年的日本唱片大獎，並表明不再領取歌唱方面的獎項。

個人生活

濱崎步成名後喜愛名牌，有報導曾要求演唱會主辦單位準備礦泉水洗澡的爭議事件^{[來源請求]}，至今唯一公開的男友，長瀨智也，為日本偶像樂團東京小子 （TOKIO）的主唱，與濱崎步同年出生。 2001年8月22日，濱崎步和長瀨智也同時在廣告記者會上發來了親筆簽名的傳真，公開自己熱戀的消息^[135]。 2007年7月13日，濱崎步在網誌上公佈了與長瀨智也分手的公告^[136]。 於2008年1月4日，濱崎步突然在自己的官方歌迷會網站宣佈自己被診斷證實左耳完全喪失功能（可能由美尼爾氏症候群或耳鳴所致）^[137]。在該文中她提到雖然獲悉沒有治癒的方法，但她仍樂觀地表示，「會用剩下的右耳一直唱下去，直到它到達極限為止」。同年12月27日，她意外從高處摔傷，並緊急進入醫院進行手術。經診斷證實為過度疲累導致貧血所致。

作品

截至目前為止，濱崎步在日本本土一共發行了10張原創專輯，1張迷你專輯，1張概念專輯，17張混音專輯，4張精選輯，46張實體單曲，1張數位單曲。所有作品的銷量超過8000萬張，其中單曲銷量超過3900萬張，專輯銷量更超過4500萬張。她是目前唯一一位擁有連續8張原創專輯奪冠、連續21張冠軍單曲，合計共9張專輯、33張單曲登上公信榜第一位的女歌手。

音樂及影視出版品

至2010年統計 單曲總銷售(至You were…/BALLAD):2102萬5916張 專輯總銷售(至NEXT LEVEL):2330萬4323張 混音專輯總銷售(至ayu-mi-x 6):431萬3878張 不包含影音作品共:4864萬4117張 於本條目末端備有作品目录面板以供快速查閱。

參考資料

視訊

1. スーパーテレビ情報最前線《浜崎あゆみ…光と影 25歳の絶望と決断》（中譯: 光與影-25歲的絕望與決斷），日本電視台
2. Ayumi Hamasaki（2006年12月8日）．Ayumi Hamasaki-Talk Asia- – 2006.12.08 6q.avi – AOL Video（FLV）［Television production］．CNN International．于2009年1月28日查阅．场景中事件发生于01:30．
3. Ayumi Hamasaki（2001年8月22日）．ayumi hamasaki- Japan Video Topics（FLV）［Television production］．日本外務省．于2010年2月1日查阅．

書目

1. 《濱崎步流行足跡（Ayumi Hamasaki now & then）》 (中譯: 濱崎步大百科)，吹上流一郎著，ISBN 957-10-2423-6
2. 《浜崎あゆみの秘密（Secrets of Ayumi Hamasaki）》，あゆ報道班著，ISBN 4-88718-851-X
3. 《浜崎あゆみPure Stories》，富坂剛著，ISBN 4-901226-99-1
4. 《今輝く歌姫たち 浜崎あゆみ物語》，本郷陽二著，ISBN 4-8113-7623-4
5. 《岩松看日本》，白岩松著，ISBN 978-7-80142-884-4

連結

1. （日文）濱崎步日本官方網站
2. （中文）濱崎步台灣官方網站
3. （中文）Ayumi Hamasaki – World Wide Web
4. （英文）（中文）滨崎步 Hamasaki, Ayumi MusicJapanPlus Database | 艺人资料库
5. （中文）《岩松看日本》专访滨崎步，人民网
6. （英文）日本金唱片大赏年表
7. （日文）Oricon Style
8. （日文）MSNスペシャル～浜崎あゆみ 10th anniversary～

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