Utada Hikaru Opens Up About Upcoming Sixth Japanese Album in Q&A
With her newly announced, as-of-yet untitled sixth Japanese language studio album due out this September (two months to go!), international pop superstar Utada Hikaru is slowly beginning to hint at what's to come.
Based on her brief-yet-telling answers from an ongoing fan Q&A on her official website, this is going to be a very different kind of record.
When asked what to expect from the new LP, Utada provided a somewhat chilly response.
"There’s no way in hell I’m gonna be able to make something like this again." (All English translations courtesy of @UBlog.)
One fan asked how she felt upon completing the album.
"Up until now, when I get the sample CD in my hands and go 'Oooo I really finished!!' I have this mix of sheer joy and relief," Hikki explained. "But this time, from the evening I finished recording all of the vocals, I cried."
Another wanted to know if she'll be starring in a music video for the album's lead single.
"Shiver and wait," she replied simply.
So, tears and shivers for an album experience she'll never be able to repeat again. Sounds kind of...morbid, no?
Some fans already speculate that the album will be more vulnerable and heavy-hearted, based on both the tragic loss of her mother, as well as the traditional-sounding soundtrack songs she released earlier this year: "Hanataba wo Kimi ni” (“A Bouquet For You”) and “Manatsu no Tooriame” ("Midsummer Shower").
If her favorite lyrics from her discography are any indication, Utada's feeling introspective — or perhaps enlightened. (She picked ULTRA BLUE's "Sunday Morning": “Things like happiness and unhappiness / are frankly incorrect concepts / It’s a celebration, it’s a funeral / It’s a relaxed and lazy Sunday morning.")
At least she's found an outlet when she's feeling too overwhelmed with the stress of being a mother: "I hold my baby and put on music I like and dance like crazy."
The upcoming record will be Utada's first Japanese studio album in 8 years. Back in March, Utada announced she would resume artist activities after taking an extended hiatus from the music scene beginning at the end of 2010.
To read the full fan Q&A (which updates regularly with new submissions), check it out in Japanese on her official website or via UBlog's translation.