- For discography information, visit her artist page on the J-Pop Wiki.
Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ) is a Japanese singer, active from 1993 to present.
Career History[]
Ayumi Hamasaki moved to Tokyo at age 14 in 1993. She signed to avex in 1998 with her debut single Poker Face, which was not commercially successful. Hamasaki struggled commercially until her fourth single, Boys and Girls, which sold over 1 million copies. Hamasaki continued to sell millions of copies over the next two decades, placing herself as the fourth highest selling artist in Japan, and the best-selling female soloist in Japanese history.[1] She gained the nickname "Empress of J-Pop" due to her popularity throughout Japan and Asia.
In Gyaru Culture[]
Hamasaki, like Namie Amuro, popularised dyed hair in the 1990s, making it trendy to have blond or light brown hair.
She popularised several elements that are heavily associated with gyaru today: leopard print with the release of her album Duty in 2000[2], fur tail charms with the music video for Evolution in 2002[3], and camouflage patterns.
She is also known for helping to popularise Hime Gyaru in the 2000s and 2010s.[4] Hamasaki was largely associated with the cute, feminine style; this was reflected in her self-described "hime-kei".
Over her career as a singer and style icon, she appeared on the cover of many fashion magazines including: Vivi, Popteen, JELLY, Cawaii! and S'Cawaii! magazine.
Gallery[]
References[]
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