Ayu Biography =P

Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎 あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi^?,
also 浜崎歩) (born October 2, 1978) is a Japanese
singer-songwriter
and former
actress. Also called Ayu by her fans, Hamasaki has
been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" due to her popularity and widespread influence
in Japan.^[3][4]
Born and raised in
Fukuoka,
she moved to Tokyo
at fourteen to pursue a career in entertainment. In 1998, under the tutelage of
Avex CEO
Max Matsuura,
she released a string of modestly selling singles that concluded with her 1999
debut album
A Song for
XX. The album debuted atop the
Oricon charts
and stayed there for four weeks, establishing her popularity in Japan.^[fn
1]
Because of her constantly changing image and tight control over her
artistry, Hamasaki's popularity extends across Asia; music and fashion
trends she has started have spread to countries such as

China,
Singapore, and
Taiwan.
She has appeared in or lent her songs to many advertisements and
television commercials. Though she originally supported the
exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, she later
reconsidered and eventually opposed her status as an Avex "product".^[5]
Since her 1998 debut with the single "Poker
Face",^[fn
1] Hamasaki has sold around 50 million records in Japan, ranking her
among the best-selling singers in the country.^[6]
As a female singer, Hamasaki holds several domestic records for her
singles, such as the most number-one hits, the highest sales, and the
most million-sellers.^[7][fn
2] From 1999 to 2008, Hamasaki had at least one single each year top
the charts.^[8]
Hamasaki is also the first female singer to have eight studio albums that topped
the Oricon.^[9]
Childhood and early endeavors


Born in

Fukuoka Prefecture,
Hamasaki was raised by her mother and grandmother. Her father had left
the family when she was three and never again came into contact with
her.^[10][11]
Because her mother worked to support the family, Hamasaki was primarily taken
care of by her grandmother.^[10]
At age seven, Hamasaki began modeling for local institutions, such
as banks, to supplement the family's income. She continued this career
path by leaving her family at fourteen and moving to Tokyo as a model
under SOS, a talent agency.^[10]
Her modeling career did not last long; SOS deemed her too short and
transferred her to Sun Music, a musicians' agency. Under the name of
"Ayumi", Hamasaki released a rap album,

Nothing from Nothing, on the
Nippon
Columbia label. She was dismissed from the label when the album failed to
chart on the Oricon.^[12]
After this failure, Hamasaki took up acting and starred in
B-movies
such as Ladys Ladys!! Soucho Saigo no Hi and

television dramas such as Miseinen, which were poorly received by the
public.^[11][13]
Growing dissatisfied with her job, Hamasaki quit acting and moved in with her
mother, who had recently moved to Tokyo.^[10]
Hamasaki was initially a good student, earning good grades in

junior high school.
Eventually, she lost faith in the curriculum, thinking that the
subjects taught were of no use to her. Her grades worsened as she
refused to put her mind to her studies. While living in Tokyo, she
attempted to further her studies at Horikoshi Gakuen, a

high school for
the arts,
but dropped out in the first year. Because Hamasaki did not attend
school or have a job, she spent much of her time shopping at
Shibuya
boutiques and dancing at
Velfarre, an
Avex-owned
disco club.^[10][11]
At Velfarre, she was introduced to her future producer,
Max Matsuura,
through a friend. After hearing Hamasaki sing
karaoke,
Matsuura offered her a recording deal, but Hamasaki suspected ulterior motives
and turned the offer down.^[11]
He persisted and succeeded in recruiting her for the Avex label in the following
year.^[11][14]
Hamasaki started vocal training, but skipped most of her classes after
finding her instructors to be too rigid and the classes dull.^[11]
When she confessed this to Matsuura, he sent her to
New York
to train her vocals under another method. During her foreign sojourn,
Hamasaki frequently corresponded with Matsuura and impressed him with
her style of writing. On her return to Japan, he suggested that she try
writing her own lyrics.^[11]

ahhh~ thank you so much Yuri! I will do Namie's soon!

You're very welcome ^^, I will edit this when I can and make the complete biography.

Ah!! One thing.... I write the rules of my forum in english ^^ four you haha =P.

Bye Bye