Ayumi Hamasaki
COUNTRY: Japan
GENRE: Pop, Rock
LAST ALBUM/EP: Colours (2014)
INFO: Starting in 1998, Ayumi Hamasaki started off with a bang and has never slowed down. Having sold 53 million albums in Japan, she holds record for having the most consecutive number one albums (13 to date), the most number-one hits by a female artist, the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist, and the most million-sellers. She has also has at least one song top the charts each year between 1999-2010. She is also knows for her avant-garde videos and 37 video albums (that coincide with studio and concert albums) since the start of her career. Although she has recently lost all hearing in her left ear, she has vowed to continue singing and has had two number one albums since.
Hamasaki doesn’t have any English releases (as far as we know) and complete videos are hard to find on YouTube outside of Japan, so the two tracks we chose are Dearest, from her 2001 album I Am… (and what anime fans will recognize as the closing theme for the third season of Inuyasha) and a 2013 live performance of Real Me from her 2002 album Rainbow.
Dearest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBL7m7PvWQc
Real Me (Live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C5ZU4fs7E4
Kel & Mel Reviews 
I will. One thing I noticed Business Insider does that I appreciate is they have an option to view their slides all as one page for mobile devices.
That is how I first came upon Ayumi — watching InuYasha. I instantly fell in love with “Dearest” that night.
BoA’s “Eat You Up” was permanently in my playlist after I saw her perform it at Madison Square Garden. Boss! 🙂
Big Bang is definitely a favorite, though I lean more towards T.O.P. and Daesung. And then there’s Rain, who has spoiled me for other entertainers since 2006. It’s amazing to me that you choose his 2008 MKMF performance for this post. I’ve always felt that that performance is his absolute best TV stage that he’s ever done, to date (and that’s saying something).
We have a lot in common. I am a proud Cloud and MKMF 2008 showcases why he is The King of Kopp. T.O.P is a lyrical beast and I haven’t stopped playing “Doom Dada” since I first heard it. I was thinking of making this a series and posting some throwback tracks. Your comment makes me lean more towards that.
“T.O.P. is a lyrical beast.” You got that right! 🙂