revil
09-10-2002, 03:13 AM
Well, I really didn't expect her to marry so quickly. But it does mention at the end she signed with EMI. I've always been curious how well she'll fair in the American market. Hopefully pretty well, I like her current work.
Friday, 6 September, 2002, 10:00 GMT 11:00 UK
Japanese teen pop star weds
One of Japan's best-selling pop stars has married in secret at the age of 19.
Hikaru Utada, who broke the record for the biggest selling album, revealed on her website that she had wed music director Kazuaki Kiriya.
She met the 34-year-old when he worked on many of her pop videos and CD cover photos in 2000.
Utada's debut album, First Love, sold more than nine million copies when it was released in 1999, making it Japan's best-selling album ever.
The news that she had married sparked a frenzy across Japan, dominating news coverage across the country.
In a statement, she said: "Some people may be wondering why I should get married so young, when I am not even pregnant... But it is a natural decision for me to spend my life with someone I love."
The couple registered their marriage papers at a government office but have so far refused to say when or where they were wed, or whether there will be a party to celebrate.
Utada's first single Automatic, which was released in December 1998, sold 2.5 million copies in Japan.
American market
She is also popular in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Born in New York, she is enrolled at America's Columbia University.
She was invited to meet US President George Bush at a reception held by the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo in February.
The young singer, who had surgery in May to remove an ovarian tumour, hopes to crack the American music market and has signed to EMI's US arm. Such is the popularity of the star that her marriage was raised in a press conference given by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fakuda.
"She's just 19? For someone 19, she's earned a lot," he said.
"It's not a bad thing. Japan is worrying about an ageing society and falling birth rate, so we'd like lots of people to get married and have many children."
Friday, 6 September, 2002, 10:00 GMT 11:00 UK
Japanese teen pop star weds
One of Japan's best-selling pop stars has married in secret at the age of 19.
Hikaru Utada, who broke the record for the biggest selling album, revealed on her website that she had wed music director Kazuaki Kiriya.
She met the 34-year-old when he worked on many of her pop videos and CD cover photos in 2000.
Utada's debut album, First Love, sold more than nine million copies when it was released in 1999, making it Japan's best-selling album ever.
The news that she had married sparked a frenzy across Japan, dominating news coverage across the country.
In a statement, she said: "Some people may be wondering why I should get married so young, when I am not even pregnant... But it is a natural decision for me to spend my life with someone I love."
The couple registered their marriage papers at a government office but have so far refused to say when or where they were wed, or whether there will be a party to celebrate.
Utada's first single Automatic, which was released in December 1998, sold 2.5 million copies in Japan.
American market
She is also popular in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Born in New York, she is enrolled at America's Columbia University.
She was invited to meet US President George Bush at a reception held by the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo in February.
The young singer, who had surgery in May to remove an ovarian tumour, hopes to crack the American music market and has signed to EMI's US arm. Such is the popularity of the star that her marriage was raised in a press conference given by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fakuda.
"She's just 19? For someone 19, she's earned a lot," he said.
"It's not a bad thing. Japan is worrying about an ageing society and falling birth rate, so we'd like lots of people to get married and have many children."