In the 4 years since your advancement into America, lots of things have happened, haven’t they?

“My last interview with you, Shikano-san, was about 4 and a half years ago, wasn’t it? I’ve done lots of things since then.”

You’ve gone through a lot of important seasons, and right now you’re standing in an important phase. Today, I’d like to ask you things somewhat related to that system.

“All right! Bring it on!”

Yes. If you look back now, what do you think “Exodus” was to you?

“It’s a piece of work where I got to do lots of things and felt refreshed. I think it was the most power I’ve used to make something, well, the creation in which I felt I had the most sense of accomplishment. It’s an album where I got to do every single thing that I could do. Of course, while making it, my dad and I shared our opinions and mixed them, and stuff like that, but to the limits of what I could do: lyrics, writing the songs, arrangements, and singing, all the stuff that I could do, the stuff I should do, I did enthusiastically. It’s a work that was a little experimental and a little coarse, I guess.”

You had so many challenges, didn’t you? Since that time, you’ve been doing most of the sound and programming yourself. It feels like individual work has come out to the forefront as the actual piece of music. Plus, you went to fight in America. Differently than a person who was raised and started music in Japan, you kinda have a local feeling. On top of all of the things that were tied together, do you feel like it was a challenge to you?

“Yeah, everything looks really objective to me. I don’t think that both people who are raised in Japan and do music in America, or people who are raised in America and do music in Japan, normally can’t understand the way to see the country they’re not used to. But I’m able to see both, like two mirrors lined up that you can see off into infinity. And, my sense of accomplishment is due to the fact that I was able to give off the thickest color of myself. When people who have worked in Japan and have made a name for themselves say, “All right, let’s do this in America!” They probably think that “This is a huge step, so I don’t want to fail” or “I am the face of Japan, so I need to produce results that show that!” but I’m the opposite. If I wanted to make music that would be accepted in the streets of America, I could do it based off of my connections, and my record company was basically like “Which producer do you wanna use?” Therefore, I think I could’ve taken the track that would sell a lot, a little R&Bish or featuring a rapper.

That’s true, you’re working with “Def Jam Recordings” in America.

“Yeah yeah. But if you asked me if I wanted to do that, I would’ve said no, and I didn’t think there was any meaning to doing that. When you put out your first recording, that’s your “first impression,” right? If my first impression was along that track, then people would be like “another kid like that has come along.” If that’s the case, then not me, but wouldn’t it be more productive to get someone who can dance or who likes fashion, and is all cute to do it? Not only that, I can’t feel sympathetic to an artist on that track. It’s not that I’m looking down on them or anything, but I think our genres are completely different. That’s why I do what I want, even if people who like top-ranking music think that my music is weird, and don’t understand it, or think it’s unusual. I wanted to make music where people would see that “this is who I am.” But I wasn’t really thinking beyond that. With that now, the American record company keeps asking me “When are you gonna do the next one?” and while I’m being all vague and like “Well…” this and that are coming out in Japan, and for the time being, I’m saying “Once my stuff in Japan settles down.”

That’s a response like a Soba (Japanese Noodle) shop that’s received a reminder for a catering party.

“That’s why I have to start thinking about my next one, and we’re talking various things. It’s just, the next one I’m thinking will be ok if I make it more general. An album where my colors aren’t so thick as they were in “Exodus.”

Why is that?

“Because I have the assuredness of knowing my first level was “This is how I am” (Exodus), and in my current state of mind, I got to do everything I wanted to do in “Exodus.” Originally, the reasons for doing all of the arrangements myself weren’t necessarily because I was like “I want to do them!” It was because around me, there weren’t any people who I could musically connect with who I wanted to trust my music to.”

I was thinking you had really thrust yourself out. Was that not the case?

“In the end, it was a stretch…but, probably, even if somebody introduced me to somebody else during that time, I would’ve been like “No!” But now, without any relation to being my American works or Japanese works, as a feeling toward my music, in regards to doing all of the arranging on my own, it’s like “How troublesome! Thinking that hard makes me tired! Somebody do it for me!” Within myself, the important parts are the music writing and lyrical writing. I want to be able to make good songs.”

Honestly, how fresh is American show biz? How stressful? How emotional was it?

“For big things in my life, my debut or whatever, I’m the type where I somehow just leave it up to the flow of things, or the surrounding atmosphere, or timing. That’s why I really didn’t have the feeling of “All right! We’re going to America!”…but I did have a huge amount of stress. When it got down to the time to start thinking about the music I was going to make, I really didn’t like very much major American music. Actually, when it comes to the music scene in America, I really don’t feel any fascination for it. So whether doing it in Japan or doing it in America, either way I go, I don’t really fit in. That’s exactly why even if I’m in Japan now, it’s still pretty much normal. However, there is definitely some level of feeling left out. From the beginning, that’s how it is. That’s why even if my next thing in America is more “major” than my previous things, easier to understand, or even a little stupid, even if I made it with someone else, not me, whichever path I take, I’ll feel a little like I don’t fit in.”

Utada rocks!

http://hikkistation.net/?page_id=451

Complete interview It's amazing

By our talk now, I’ve really been able to understand why your sounds were so experimental, and why it became something that wasn’t really Beyonce or Missy Elliot. Merely, in “Exodus,” there were so many songs you sing about your own self where despair and uneasiness have been pushed up into the front. I really wondered about this, but why do you think that is?

“Probably because it was English and it was easy to say. English isn’t really taken that directly. With English lyrics, you really have room to work with the lyrics. No matter what kind of song it is, you can go wherever you want with it. People listen to songs where you have no idea what the lyrics are trying to say, or that are trashy or sexual. People can also listen to songs with difficult words or really sad words. English doesn’t really have many limits. However, with Japanese, if your lyrics are too dark, they become unmusical.”


BOW

awesome XD i want a new english album NOW!

“I just don’t care. It’s not that I’m in despair, or that I’m lying to myself, or like a young person going “I don’t care if I die tomorrow!,” really, I don’t care if I live until 100, I don’t really care if I’m in an accident tomorrow and I lose my legs. Tomorrow, if I lost my eyesight, I wouldn’t be like “Why me?!” I would be “Oh, I see, I can’t read books anymore,” probably just something like that. Even in the world…the energy for the mass media and those who are interested in what’s going on in the world is that they want to see what they find embarrassing, they want to know what they don’t want known, they want to see someone they don’t like hating getting their pride damaged.”


WOW

It seems it would be hard to catch you as a sphere. People can’t really think of themselves as spherical, can they? Life basically isn’t spherical, nor is society.

Yeah…I don’t really feel like I’m living.

“………..”

“I mean, I never feel like “I wanna do something!” or that I wanna follow through with something or that I wanna go play or I wanna eat this, or I wanna dress up.”


She declared many things

After read the interview I kinda feel sad for her. She is a lonely person and she is very deep. I love utada, she said great things too.

No, there must be some place much deeper that you want to connect to her with. Doesn’t giving up on her make you feel lonely?

“I guess it’s kind of lonely. However, my feeling of reaching out to her, or, like a kid, my “Mama!” doesn’t really reach her, or anything else doesn’t reach her that well. I think I’ve given up on that completely since I was a little kid. It’s like “this woman can’t understand.” I think the reason why I haven’t really actively longed for anything from her is tied up in that. And it’s not just my mother either. I feel like my control doesn’t reach anywhere in this world. In Western philosophy, it’s thought that it’s up to you to open up your own destiny. But I think I’m more Eastern in that, I don’t feel like anything will change even if I try hard, or even that there’s nothing that I want to change through trying hard. I feel like it’s more that the world’s just coming at me and I’m getting abused by it.”


POOR

How recent is this interview and when are we gonna hear some concrete news on her new English album?

The interview was from December 2007 but has leaked today in english. She is working in the album. It's all the information about the new album

I hope she works with Timbaland again, I really like the tracks she did with him on "Exodus".

She will not say that if Exodus didn't flop.

FAILED. Utada is not avril lavigne. She has real feelings

Exodus didn't flop. It sold a million copies in Japan.

Utada

LMAO NEXT.

As Kworbo just mentioned, it sold almost 1.1 million copies in Japan with an English album. Let's see your precious Avril Lavigne release full-length albums in another language instead of those disastrous "Girlfriend" remixes.

2007 or earlier

The main purpose of "Exodus" is for her to be known also in the U.S.A. but unfortunately its a flop. She even change her image in "Easy Breezy" music video. What a talented sell out.