Hitomi Takahashi (singer)
Encyclopedia
is a rock
/pop
singer from Miyagi Prefecture
in Japan. After being selected as finalist in the Sony Music SD audition, which contained about 20,000 applicants, Hitomi entered the music scene in 2005 with her single "Bokutachi no Yukue". The single was an instant hit for her, and entered the weekly Oricon
charts at #1, making her the third solo debut singer to achieve this.
such as Eric Clapton
and the Beatles.
In 2002, she entered junior-high/middle school. Upon entrance, Hitomi joined the school softball team and joined Kendo
, where she obtained the level of sho-dan. It was during these years that she expressed an interest in becoming an artist's backup dancer, and began dancing with her friends.
During a karaoke singing event in 2003, Hitomi's friends encouraged her to sing live. Though she expressed a disliking for singing karaoke
in front of a large crowd, she eventually sang because of her friend's encouragement, and from that time on the desire to become a singer awoke in her. During her second year in junior-high school, in the middle of the summer of 2003, Hitomi applied for the Sony Music Auditions. Because of a change in interest, Hitomi moved from singing dance music
to singing rock music
.
In 2004, Hitomi was selected as the finalist for the Sony Music SD audition (Vo-che3); 20,000 others had auditioned. She had been worried that because of her height (147 cm), she would be overlooked, but her powerful voice attracted the attention of people while she sang live. The end of 2004 found her being chosen to sing the theme song for "Gundam SEED DESTINY". Recording of her song "Bokutachi no Yukue" began at the end of the year.
charts. This was a huge success, making Hitomi the second female singer to have a debut single in the #1 spot, and the third solo artist to have a debut single reach #1. The single ended up selling well over 100,000 copies.
Hitomi soon entered Shiogama Girls High School, and started her first radio personality on Date fm (FM Sendai) called "Takahashi Hitomi ~Sound D・N・A~".
The second single from Hitomi, "evergreen", was released on August 12, 2005. The song was used as the theme song for the Japanese TV drama "New Kids War". The single sales were much lower than her previous single, with the single debuting at #22 on the Japanese Oricon Charts, and selling a little less than 30,000 copies.
Takahashi's third single, "Aozora no NAMIDA
", was soon released on November 30, 2005, and it was used as the 1st opening theme song for the anime BLOOD+
. (It had originally been planned for an October 12, 2005 released, but was pushed back to the later date.) Its first week on the charts found it at #8 on the Oricon
charts with 44,629 copies sold, and it eventually sold over 80,000 copies. This was a huge leap from her past single "evergreen".
On February 22, Hitomi's Official Fan Club was revealed, the title being a play on the first letter of her name and her height, "H147." Hitomi also won an award at the 20th Japanese Gold Disc Awards for New Artist of the Year, and sang live at the event.
The first studio album from the singer, "sympathy
", was released on March 1, 2006. The album came in two formats, CD only and CD+DVD (limited edition), and contained 12 tracks in total, with 7 of them being previously unreleased songs. The album debuted at #10 for its first week on the Oricon Charts, and sold over 30,000 copies.
For the release of her first album "sympathy", Hitomi held her first live concert on April 1, 2006. Commenting on how much she enjoyed the concert, Hitomi soon decided to hold more concerts for her "sympathy" album. The concerts were named the Hitomi Takahashi Live "Sympathy" ~BOXX Series~, and became a way for her to promote new songs. In total, the Hitomi Takahashi Live "Sympathy" ~BOXX Series~ had six lives.
It was during the eighth month of 2006 that news of a new single surfaced. This single, titled "Ko·mo·re·bi
", was officially announced to be Hitomi's 5th single at the end of August, and was used as the theme song for the movie "Tegami", which features actors Takayuki Yamada
, Tetsuji Tamayama
, and Erika Sawajiri
. Similar to her past single, "Ko·mo·re·bi" failed to chart in the Top 30 Weekly Charts, and debuted at #50 for its first week on the charts, only selling about 300 more copies than "Communication". In spite of this, Hitomi was chosen to be one of many artists to take part in the new tribute album for the new Death Note
movie.
Following the release of her two unsuccessful singles was the song "Candy Line
," which was officially announced on Christmas Day. The song was chosen to be used as the 4th ending theme for the anime series, Gin Tama. When released, the single became her biggest hit since "Aozora no NAMIDA
", and reached #14 during its first week on the Oricon charts, and overall was reported as selling over 15,000 copies.
As her 2nd single of 2007, Takahashi released her 7th single, titled "Jet Boy Jet Girl
", which was released on August 1, 2007. The title song was the new opening theme song to the anime "Terra e...
", and her second single to be released in CD only and CD+DVD formats. The single did not receive the same success as "Candy Line", but sold over double of her 4th and 5th singles.
Takahashi also released a new single a little more than one month after "Jet Boy Jet Girl", with the title "Tsuyoku Nare
". The title song, aptly named "Tsuyoku Nare", was used as the ending theme song of the movie "Hōtai Club". As her past four singles, this song was produced by Takuya, and the lyrics were personally written by Takahashi herself. Though heavily promoted via the movie, "Tsuyoku Nare" failed to match the success of her "sympathy" era singles.
Continuing the speedy releasing of material, Takahashi released her 2nd album "Bamboo Collage". The album featured all the singles since the release of "Communication", and was her first album to reflect her change from pop/rock music to punk-rock, a change which was made because her voice was thought to be better suited to the latter genre. As most of the singles released for promotion of this album, "Bamboo Collage" failed to enter the Oricon Weekly Top 30. Despite this, though, Takahashi held her first tour, which consisted of four lives during the early parts of December.
, while another untitled song will be used as the ending theme of the NHK BS2 TV show "Digital Stadium". Along with Beat Crusaders
, Takahashi made Gin Tamas 14th ending theme "Wo Ai Ni".
|-
!rowspan="1"| Year
!rowspan="1"| Title
!rowspan="1"| Type
!rowspan="1"| Oricon Chart positions (JP)
|-
| 2006
| sympathy
| Studio
|align="center"|10
|-
|- bgcolor="#F0F8FF"
| 2007
| Bamboo Collage
| Studio
|align="center"|63
|-
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer from Miyagi Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
in Japan. After being selected as finalist in the Sony Music SD audition, which contained about 20,000 applicants, Hitomi entered the music scene in 2005 with her single "Bokutachi no Yukue". The single was an instant hit for her, and entered the weekly Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts at #1, making her the third solo debut singer to achieve this.
Profile
- Height: 1.49 m (4' 9")
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- Favorite things: Dancing, collecting hats, film festivals
Pre-Debut
Hitomi Takahashi was born on April 8, 1989 in the Miyagi prefecture of Japan. Because of her abnormally large eyes, her parents named her "Hitomi", meaning "pupil/eye" in Japanese. By the influence of her father, she grew up listening to his favorite music, which was classic rockClassic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
such as Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and the Beatles.
In 2002, she entered junior-high/middle school. Upon entrance, Hitomi joined the school softball team and joined Kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
, where she obtained the level of sho-dan. It was during these years that she expressed an interest in becoming an artist's backup dancer, and began dancing with her friends.
During a karaoke singing event in 2003, Hitomi's friends encouraged her to sing live. Though she expressed a disliking for singing karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
in front of a large crowd, she eventually sang because of her friend's encouragement, and from that time on the desire to become a singer awoke in her. During her second year in junior-high school, in the middle of the summer of 2003, Hitomi applied for the Sony Music Auditions. Because of a change in interest, Hitomi moved from singing dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
to singing rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
In 2004, Hitomi was selected as the finalist for the Sony Music SD audition (Vo-che3); 20,000 others had auditioned. She had been worried that because of her height (147 cm), she would be overlooked, but her powerful voice attracted the attention of people while she sang live. The end of 2004 found her being chosen to sing the theme song for "Gundam SEED DESTINY". Recording of her song "Bokutachi no Yukue" began at the end of the year.
sympathy era
In 2005, she was in the middle of high school entrance exams as the title for her 1st single "Bokutachi no Yukue" was announced. The single was released on April 2005, and debuted at #1 on the OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts. This was a huge success, making Hitomi the second female singer to have a debut single in the #1 spot, and the third solo artist to have a debut single reach #1. The single ended up selling well over 100,000 copies.
Hitomi soon entered Shiogama Girls High School, and started her first radio personality on Date fm (FM Sendai) called "Takahashi Hitomi ~Sound D・N・A~".
The second single from Hitomi, "evergreen", was released on August 12, 2005. The song was used as the theme song for the Japanese TV drama "New Kids War". The single sales were much lower than her previous single, with the single debuting at #22 on the Japanese Oricon Charts, and selling a little less than 30,000 copies.
Takahashi's third single, "Aozora no NAMIDA
Aozora no NAMIDA
is Hitomi Takahashi's third single under the Sony Records label. The single was released on November 30, 2005, in two different formats: CD only and CD+DVD. This is the third retail single to be released for her first album Sympathy.-Overview:...
", was soon released on November 30, 2005, and it was used as the 1st opening theme song for the anime BLOOD+
Blood+
Blood+, pronounced as "Blood Plus", is an anime series produced by Production I.G and Aniplex and directed by Junichi Fujisaku. The series premiered in Japan on Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax, as well as on terrestrial networks such as MBS, TBS, and RKB on October 8, 2005. The final episode...
. (It had originally been planned for an October 12, 2005 released, but was pushed back to the later date.) Its first week on the charts found it at #8 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts with 44,629 copies sold, and it eventually sold over 80,000 copies. This was a huge leap from her past single "evergreen".
On February 22, Hitomi's Official Fan Club was revealed, the title being a play on the first letter of her name and her height, "H147." Hitomi also won an award at the 20th Japanese Gold Disc Awards for New Artist of the Year, and sang live at the event.
The first studio album from the singer, "sympathy
Sympathy (Hitomi Takahashi)
sympathy is Hitomi Takahashi's first album to be released under gr8! records, a division of Sony Records. The album was released on March 1, 2006, and three singles preceded it.-Overview:...
", was released on March 1, 2006. The album came in two formats, CD only and CD+DVD (limited edition), and contained 12 tracks in total, with 7 of them being previously unreleased songs. The album debuted at #10 for its first week on the Oricon Charts, and sold over 30,000 copies.
For the release of her first album "sympathy", Hitomi held her first live concert on April 1, 2006. Commenting on how much she enjoyed the concert, Hitomi soon decided to hold more concerts for her "sympathy" album. The concerts were named the Hitomi Takahashi Live "Sympathy" ~BOXX Series~, and became a way for her to promote new songs. In total, the Hitomi Takahashi Live "Sympathy" ~BOXX Series~ had six lives.
Bamboo Collage era
Hitomi released her 4th single "Communication" on July 12, 2006. The song was the ending theme song for "MUSIC FIGHTER" during the month of July 2006. Once finally released, this single failed to make it in the Top 20 Daily Charts. It also failed to make it in the Weekly Top 30, and was revealed to debut at #60 on the charts, selling a little more than 2,000 copies in its first week.It was during the eighth month of 2006 that news of a new single surfaced. This single, titled "Ko·mo·re·bi
Ko·mo·re·bi
"Ko·mo·re·bi" is Hitomi Takahashi's 5th single under the Sony Records label. The single was released in one format on November 1, 2006.-Overview:...
", was officially announced to be Hitomi's 5th single at the end of August, and was used as the theme song for the movie "Tegami", which features actors Takayuki Yamada
Takayuki Yamada
is a Japanese actor and singer. He has two elder sisters and one son. At age 15, he was discovered by talent agency and made his debut in his acting career in the TV drama Psychometrer Eiji 2 in 1999....
, Tetsuji Tamayama
Tetsuji Tamayama
is a Japanese TV and film actor. He was born to a Korean father. He joined modeling competitions and was active in Checkmate and other fashion magazines. In 2001, Tamayama debuted in Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger as GaoSilver...
, and Erika Sawajiri
Erika Sawajiri
is a Japan-based actress, model, and musician. Her alias in her music career was Kaoru Amane, but she has recently started her own project under the name Erika...
. Similar to her past single, "Ko·mo·re·bi" failed to chart in the Top 30 Weekly Charts, and debuted at #50 for its first week on the charts, only selling about 300 more copies than "Communication". In spite of this, Hitomi was chosen to be one of many artists to take part in the new tribute album for the new Death Note
Death Note
is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
movie.
Following the release of her two unsuccessful singles was the song "Candy Line
Candy Line
"Candy Line" is Hitomi Takahashi's 6th single under the Sony Records label, and was released on March 7, 2007, four months after her previous single "Ko·mo·re·bi."-Overview:...
," which was officially announced on Christmas Day. The song was chosen to be used as the 4th ending theme for the anime series, Gin Tama. When released, the single became her biggest hit since "Aozora no NAMIDA
Aozora no NAMIDA
is Hitomi Takahashi's third single under the Sony Records label. The single was released on November 30, 2005, in two different formats: CD only and CD+DVD. This is the third retail single to be released for her first album Sympathy.-Overview:...
", and reached #14 during its first week on the Oricon charts, and overall was reported as selling over 15,000 copies.
As her 2nd single of 2007, Takahashi released her 7th single, titled "Jet Boy Jet Girl
Jet Boy Jet Girl (Hitomi Takahashi song)
"Jet Boy Jet Girl" is Hitomi Takahashi's 7th single under the Sony Records label, and was released on August 1, 2007 in two different versions - CD only and CD+DVD.- Overview :...
", which was released on August 1, 2007. The title song was the new opening theme song to the anime "Terra e...
Toward the Terra
is a Japanese science fiction manga series by Keiko Takemiya. It was originally serialized in Asahi Sonorama's Gekkan Manga Shōnen magazine, between January 1977 and May 1980...
", and her second single to be released in CD only and CD+DVD formats. The single did not receive the same success as "Candy Line", but sold over double of her 4th and 5th singles.
Takahashi also released a new single a little more than one month after "Jet Boy Jet Girl", with the title "Tsuyoku Nare
Tsuyoku Nare
"'" is Hitomi Takahashi's 8th single under the Sony Records label, and was released on September 12, 2007 just a little over one month after her 7th single "Jet Boy Jet Girl".- Overview :...
". The title song, aptly named "Tsuyoku Nare", was used as the ending theme song of the movie "Hōtai Club". As her past four singles, this song was produced by Takuya, and the lyrics were personally written by Takahashi herself. Though heavily promoted via the movie, "Tsuyoku Nare" failed to match the success of her "sympathy" era singles.
Continuing the speedy releasing of material, Takahashi released her 2nd album "Bamboo Collage". The album featured all the singles since the release of "Communication", and was her first album to reflect her change from pop/rock music to punk-rock, a change which was made because her voice was thought to be better suited to the latter genre. As most of the singles released for promotion of this album, "Bamboo Collage" failed to enter the Oricon Weekly Top 30. Despite this, though, Takahashi held her first tour, which consisted of four lives during the early parts of December.
2008 and beyond
Since the album release and tour, Takahashi kept a low profile in the music scene, but was recording for a few months. On March 1, 2008, Takahashi graduated from high school, and moved from Sendai to Tokyo. Her new song "Atashi no Machi, Ashita no Machi" is scheduled to be the first opening theme song of the anime, Toshokan SensōToshokan Senso
is a Japanese light novel series by Hiro Arikawa, with illustrations by Sukumo Adabana. There are four novels in the series, though only the first novel is called Toshokan Sensō; the subsequent novels are named Toshokan Nairan, Toshokan Kiki, and Toshokan Kakumei. The novels were published by...
, while another untitled song will be used as the ending theme of the NHK BS2 TV show "Digital Stadium". Along with Beat Crusaders
Beat Crusaders
were a Japanese rock band. During all promotional appearances, their faces are masked by drawings resembling themselves as printed by a dot-matrix printer.-History:...
, Takahashi made Gin Tamas 14th ending theme "Wo Ai Ni".
Discography
{| class="wikitable"|-
!rowspan="1"| Year
!rowspan="1"| Title
!rowspan="1"| Type
!rowspan="1"| Oricon Chart positions (JP)
|-
| 2006
| sympathy
Sympathy (Hitomi Takahashi)
sympathy is Hitomi Takahashi's first album to be released under gr8! records, a division of Sony Records. The album was released on March 1, 2006, and three singles preceded it.-Overview:...
| Studio
|align="center"|10
|-
|- bgcolor="#F0F8FF"
| 2007
| Bamboo Collage
Bamboo Collage
Bamboo Collage is Hitomi Takahashi's second album released under gr8! records, a division of Sony Records. The album was released on October 24, 2007, and, like its predecessor, the album came in two versions, CD Only and CD+DVD...
| Studio
|align="center"|63
|-
Concerts
- Hitomi Takahashi Live "Sympathy" ~BOXX Series~
- Hitomi Takahashi live tour 2007 "Bamboo Collage"