Heart Station
Occupation
- Hikaru Utada (vocals )
Production
- Hikaru Utada
- Akira Miyake
- Teruzane Utada
Studios
- EMI Music Studios Japan
- Sterling Sound Studios New York
Heart Station is the fifth studio album by Hikaru Utada Japanese and was published on March 19, 2008.
Formation
With the title Heart Station Utada continued the tradition to name their studio albums for a to-find titles on it. This was the first album that moved his name from a previously published single and not only subsequently released singles like the albums First Love, Distance, Exodus or of pieces that are never released as a single as the album Ultra Blue with the Title Blue or the album Deep River. Utada stated in her public blog that it simultaneously works alongside her Japanese studio album on her next English studio album since 23 October 2007. According to her, dated 16 January 2008, two pieces on the album include string elements. Later it turned out that these Flavor of Life - Ballad Version should be and Prisoner of Love. On 1 February 2008, the last song was recorded under the pseudonym Desperation. Work on the album were completed on February 6 in the Sterling Sound Studios New York. On Utadas official website has announced that the announced twelve songs as bonus tracks the normal version of Flavor of Life has been added yet. Thus, it is Utadas third album with a bonus track. For all pre-orders of the album a B2 Poster Utada has been added. The album peaked at Amazon Japan, the number 1 in the pre-orders. On 15 February, two more song titles were announced: Celebrate (previously known as Desperation ) and Niji Iro Basu (Japanese虹 色 バス). The full track list was released on February 19 on Utadas official website, a day before the release of their twentieth Single Heart Station / Stay Gold, on their title the album was eventually named.
According to the reports on March 1 of EMI and Capitol Music Store is Utadas Japanese album in Canada are regularly released on April 8. Like their previous releases of albums and Ultra Blue Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol.1, also HeartStation in Canada will be available at a reduced price compared to the original Japanese version. Emi Music set the release date for Taiwan and Hong Kong on March 28 and for South Korea on March 29.
Title list
Singles
Album promotion
First fifth of Utadas Japanese album was reported on the E- hon.com page on 21 January 2008. It was announced that all singles from Boku wa Kuma (Japaneseぼくはくま) are represented and it is worked in addition to new songs and several TV commercials and billboards will be seen in many Japanese cities for the publication. On January 24, the title to E- hon.com of Unknown has been changed to Heart Station. The label EMI confirmed, two days later this speculation and so it will be the first album, whose title is derived from a previously published single.
Two weeks later, on 7 February 2008, Utada announced on her blog announced that they have already completed a photo shoot and an interview about the new album for the famous Japanese music magazine ROCKIN 'ON JAPAN and these will appear in the output by 20 April. Their last collaboration with the magazine was already six years back. February 19, 2008 Space Shower TV announced a 60 - minute program titled VIP Utada, which will air on March 8, and leg hold new interview clippings for upcoming release of the album. On the same day it was announced that the station Fuji TV will further reported on the show Domoto Kyoudai, which is headed by the successful pop duo Kinki Kids Album. Utadas Japanese website was updated on 21 February 2008 with all TV appointments in the coming weeks. The opening title of the album, Fight the Blues, was broadcast on the radio for advertising purposes before the release and was available on the platform USEN to download from 3 March. On 1 March 2008 published a list of 30 magazines in which promotion of the album will be released and four magazines in which each interview with exclusive photos are included, such as in the ROCKIN 'ON JAPAN, which also contained 20 pages Album info. On March 2, EMI Japan released a 45 -second promotional video for the song Fight the Blues.
In a recent article that appeared on March 2, it was announced that EMI could mix the digital version and normal physical version of the album differently, so as to be both formats in the quality and specificities. Both formats were mixed in the Sterling Sound Studios in New York by Ted Jensen and Tom Cohen. It was also announced that matching for digital release on 26 March 2008 cut-outs for iTunes and other platforms will be available to every song. It was announced that Utada on March 31 when HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ's Spring Live Special and occur on April 4 at the Music Station Special on channel TV Asahi will. In her long career were the first unscheduled Special Live shipments great music shows in which they participated. In addition to these two performances, she appeared in eight other television shows, 34 magazines and some online blogs and websites and thus the advertising campaign for Heart Station became the largest in Utadas entire music career. In the CX Domoto Kyoudai special show, which aired on 4 March 2008, she sang the song Flavor of Life. In an article dated 4 March GyaO Magazine's new song Celebrate and Prisoner of Love has been described both as a hot dance tune and the other as a sad ballad and the album album with a heart warmest allusion to the title Heart Station - designated by Utada Hikaru. In Music Station Special by TV Asahi Utada performed with the new song Prisoner of Love, and her first appearance on the show NTV Music Lovers, which aired on 22 March, she sang the song Fight The Blues, Flavor Of Life - Ballad version, Boku wa Kuma and Celebrate (Japaneseぼくはくま) from her album. It was recorded in the cut Utadas recording studio in Shibuya.
Utada released on March 8 in the chart Cobain Show SSTV and told more of her album Heart Station. She mentioned the particular softness of the music on the album and describes that their female identity was reflected in this album. She also explained that it was important to understand what role it assumes as a performer. She mentioned particularly the song Flavor of Life - Ballad Version - which is constructed as a Teeniedorama and its simplicity is its small role as an artist, but high role as a musician. In another article of the GyaO Magazines on 9 March the song Teiku 5 (Japaneseテイク5 ) is described as the most unusual of the album, while the song Niji -iro Bus (Japanese虹 色 バス) as the last normal title a sweet and shiny melody own. On March 10, appeared on the official website Utadas a list of other websites that included the article about the album and other promotional appearances and radio interviews.
According to an article from Yahoo! Japan, operates the well-known Japanese social network called Mixi, which is similar to Facebook, together with Utada Hikaru and EMI Music Japan on its tenth anniversary of her music career and also supports the campaign for her album. Through this collaboration, the normal logo has been replaced by Utada Hikaru 10th Anniversary of March 10 to March 17 at all Mixi mobile phones. In addition, links were sent to free ringtones from their first album First Love. Within four days, more than 700,000 downloads have been registered. In addition, customers were able to talk about their first love, what there was to win giveaways from Mixi and Utada.
Sales information
Oricon Style announced the sales figures for the first week for Utadas fifth Japanese album Heart Station on 24 March 2008 to approximately 480 081 units in Japan, making it 2008 has the highest sales of an album in its first week in Japan. This currently Utada brought five studio albums and a best-of album in succession to position 1 on the charts. In addition to her were the only Checkers, Hikaru Genji and Kinki Kids.
In the first week of sales it effortlessly reached the number 1 on the charts, as of 18 March 2008 to 24 March Shibasaki Kou's only album Best single sold more than 100,000 copies and Utada exceeded this value more than four times. In the first two days, the album reached a sales index of more than 224,000 units and this increased over the next two days until March 22 on 357 554. In the second week it fell on the first day to the position 2 of the charts, losing the top position to the new best-of album of EXILE Catchy Best Utadas titled album Heart Station sold in the second week 135 857 times and held in the weekly charts at # 2 It, beating Aoyama Thelma with their debut album Diary and against two remix albums of the successful J-Pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki by. On 27 March 2008 it reached the fourth album by Utada # 1 on the United World Charts and thus made it the Asian singer with most number - one albums in these charts. At the same time it was so in 2008 the best-selling album by a female singer in front of Kingdom of Koda Kumi and Ayumi Hamasaki Guilty of.
On March 25, HeartStation reached # 1 on the iTunes Top Albums chart. Beginning March 31, Utada took on Billboard Japan the No. 1 Hot 100 chart, the combined downloads and airplay and the Hot 100 Airplay charts that list only airplay. In the iTunes download charts for songs, reached this week sixteen songs from Utada within the top 100, with Prisoner of Love No. 1 ranked followed by Fight the Blues 7th place also in the iTunes album charts came alongside Heart Station No. 1 three more of their albums in the top 100 in the Taiwan G -Music Combo Charts was back the album number 1 of all Japanese imports accounted albums this week 19.17 % on Heart station. In the week of 30 March, the album debuted in the Hong Kong charts at # 4 and peaked in the second week of April 6, Place 2 On 4 April 2008 it gained position 8 in the Korean Hanteo Weekly pop album charts. The album was available on iTunes USA from 10 April and took there position 56 in the album charts. On May 13, Barks.jp announced that Heart Station has been downloaded over 15 million times legal.