Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most exemplary Asian singers of all time. On December 9th, 1998 Utada Hikaru released her debut Japanese single “Automatic/time will tell“.
Shortly after the landscape of the J-pop and Asian music scene would be changed forever. “Automatic / time will tell” was an instant hit on the Oricon charts. It was originally released in two versions, a 12cm CD ver and a classic 8cm CD version.
The 12cm version finished at #2 on the weekly charts, while the 8cm secured a top 5 position at #4. Combined the single sold over 2 million copies, becoming the highest selling debut single for a female Japanese artist, and the second highest selling single released by a female artist.
In honor of this amazing milestone, members of the ARAMA! community shared some of their personal memories of Hikki which can be seen on the next page.
Share with us your own memories of Hikki in the comment section below!
Comments