Popularly known as the “Empress of the People”, Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, actress, model, and businesswoman who has not only entertained Japan but has become an inspiration to many. What is significant about Ayumi, who is considered one of the greatest Japanese singers of all time, is that she failed in almost everything she did, including music, before she finally earned her place. Beyond her music and her professional life, you can find out everything about her here.
Ayumi Hamasaki – Profile and Biography
The singer, popularly known as Ayu, was born on October 2, 1978, in Fukuoka, Japan. As she grew up, she did not have the smoothest of lives, as she was mainly raised by her mother and grandmother after her father, whom she never saw again, left the family when she was a little girl.
Her situation forced her to grow up quickly, and by the age of only seven, she had started her career as a model and made commercials for banks and other institutions. Due to her size, her career as a model ended at the age of 14 after she was signed by a talent agency in Tokyo, Japan. This led her to move to a music agency, Sun Music, to try a music career, but she was dropped with a debut album that failed in 1995.
Without a career as a model and with a failed music career, Ayumi Hamasaki’s next decision was to become an actress, but after some productions like Ladys Ladys! Soucho Saigo no Hi, Twins Teacher, and Sumomo mo Momo, she left acting because she was not successful there and her work was not well received.
The story of Ayumi Hamasaki’s failures is far from over, as she tried her hand at co-hosting shows but failed again and then tried to continue her training after moving back in with her mother, but failed again and finally dropped out.
ALSO READ: Josh Norman Height, Weight, Girlfriend, NFL Career, Biography
Still not the one to give up, she was introduced to Max Matsuura, who was a music producer, and after hearing her sing karaoke, he got her to sign a contract with the Avex label after convincing her that he was honest. Because she kept missing her singing lessons because she felt he was too rigid, she was sent to the United States to train. In letters exchanged between her and Matsuura, he told her that she could start writing her own songs, which gave her self-esteem a huge boost.
Her first single, Poker Face, was released in 1998. Even though it wasn’t a hit, it was a significant improvement on what she was doing, and with each work she released, she always managed to get into the hearts of fans, making her debut album, A Song for ××, a success with one million copies sold in 1999. Her next album Loveppears, released the same year, was even bigger with 3 million copies sold.
When she released her “Made in Japan” album in 2016, she already had 16 other albums and has already made it one of the biggest albums the country has ever seen with over a hundred awards, including several Japan Gold Disc Awards and MTV World Music Awards.
Family Life and Husband
Looking at her family life and the men in her life, Hamasaki was married twice. The first man who became her husband was the Austrian model and actor Manuel Schwarz, whom she met in 2010. The two married in 2011, unfortunately, the marriage ended in 2012.
One year after their divorce, the Queen of Pop met Tyson Bodkin and started dating him. Although she was 10 years younger than herself, Ayu Bodkin married, but just as in her first marriage, this was not to last forever, as the duo was divorced only two years later.
ALSO READ: Ryan Kerrigan Wife, Girlfriend, Height, Weight, Body Measurements
Other Facts About
- After her father left the family when she was only three years old, the responsibility for her upbringing fell mainly on the grandmother, as her mother had to work to provide for the family. She lost her grandmother in 1998.
- As an adolescent, the singer suffered from an overwhelming feeling of insecurity and low self-esteem as well as loneliness.
- The Empress of Pop is deaf. For the first time, she lost her hearing in one ear due to an infection she had been suffering from since 2000. Unfortunately, she announced in a blog posting in 2017 that she would become completely deaf, as confirmed by her doctors.
- After all the failures she has suffered, Ayumi Hamasaki is now the best-selling solo artist in Japan.
- Ayumi Hamasaki has worked with many brands such as Honda, AUBE, and Lycos Japan.
- Her net worth is estimated at 70 million dollars.
- The very beautiful singer Ayumi Hamasaki is 1,57 m (5 feet 1 inch) tall.