Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese pop singer and song-writer under the Avex Trax label. A former model, she was raised in a single-parent family, and was rebellious growing up. She eventually dropped out of high school, only to be discovered by chance at a karaoke night. Despite an unsuccessful first single and album under the Nippon Columbia label in 1995 (both of the rap genre), she debuted in the pop scene with [poker face] under the Avex Trax label in 1998.

Since [LOVE ~destiny~], nearly every one of her singles has landed in the top three, helping to set her status as a successful singer-songwriter in stone. Ayumi has a large collection of albums available on the Avex Trax label, including some remix albums that provide a slightly more enjoyable dance experience for those so inclined. Her large fan base and regularly strong sales would suggest that she's something worth listening to. Ayumi is also the all-time 4th best-selling artist in Japan and the highest selling solo and female artist in Japan. She is the only solo artist to have sold 20 million singles in Japan. She has worked with a diverse selection of companies, and has promoted many products. Panasonic is currently at the top of the list. She had her own TV show called "AYU READY?" and a doll called ayupan.

Ayumi has sold over 45,528,000 copies in Japan alone. She currently has 29 #1 singles (16 consecutive) and 12 consecutive #1 albums.

Ayumi Hamasaki is my absolute FAVORITE J-pop artist in the world! She is known for her deep and heart-touching lyrics, and is the woman responsible for me being into J-pop in the first place. It all started with an accidental download of [evolution] and hasn't ended since. Over the years I've become a member of Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai Forums (AHS) and have purchased two of her albums, eight of her dvds, two posters, and one photobook---obviously that's not a lot to me so I can't wait to get a job so I can buy more of her stuff. Then I can REALLY splurge.

Okay so September 19th is the official release date of Ayumi Hamasaki's 42nd single and it's called  [talkin' 2 myself]. Both the title track of this single and it's accompanying a-side [decision] are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED songs that both lean towards Ayu's J-rock sound. [talkin' 2 myself] was also the background music for the new Panasonic Lumix camera in Japan.The third track is [fated ~orchestra version~] and it's original version comes from her 41st single [GLITTER]. Personally I didn't really like [fated] because it sounded like the typical acoustic rock song, but I'm really digging this orchestral version.  Also as a bonus, I've decided to include the instrumentals as far as downloading this single. If you don't care too much for Ayu's voice I recommend trying those out instead.