Earlier this year, we reported that J-pop star Hikaru Utada is ending a five-year career hiatus by writing and singing a new song. It was supposed to be the theme song for a drama that will air starting April 4 in NHK, Japan’s national public broadcasting organization. She announced the news on Twitter the day after her 33rd birthday.
She’s also working on a new album, and below is a snippet of her song “Michi,” will be part of her upcoming album Fantome. It will be her first album since launching Heart Station in 2008.
The snippet is part of a commercial for a water brand, which she is endorsing. In the clips below, Utada is seen hiking in a forest. She said, “I think I did pretty good for a 30-something musician who’s really an indoors type.”
Watch the commercials below:
Utada was dubbed as the “most influential artist of the decade” in the Japanese landscape by the Japan Times in 2009. She is known for her 1999 album First Love, which holds the record for the best-selling Japanese-language album of all time. There are estimates that she has sold more than 52 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling musicians in Japan. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, she sang “First Love.”
Utada retired in 2011 to focus on her life. In 2014, she married an Italian bartender.
Are you excited for her comeback? Share your thoughts below!
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