Ayumi Hamasaki is a name that almost everybody in Japan will know but she is not as well known outside of Japan. Ayumi is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. The 33 year old has sold over 50 million records in Japan, making her the most successful solo artist in Japanese history.
Hamasaki released her debut single Poker Face, way back in 1998 and has since gone on to rack up a number of domestic records in Japan, including the most number-one hits overall by a female artist, the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist, the highest sales, and the most million-sellers. On August 31, Ayumi released the mini album Five, which topped the Oricon Charts for 2 weeks.
In August 2010, Ayumi Hamasaki met Austian actor and model Manuel Schwarz while filming the music video for her hit single Virgin Road. The couple started dating and on January 1, 2011 it was announced that Ayumi Hamasaki and Manuel Schwarz were set to be married. The next day it was revealed that they had gotten married while in the US the previous day.
Ayumi Hamasaki says of her music, “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.” Ayumi Hamasaki you are our Girl of the Week.
