The new century of Japanese pop music, the era of the singer-songwriter

(1999 - 2003)

On March 10, 1999, at the age of 16, newcomer Mitsuko Utada released her debut album First Love, which sold 7.65 million copies, once again breaking a record that has never been challenged. Her appearance led to the opening of the R&B genre in Japan, and the market was dominated by female solo artists for years to come.

On January 1, 1999, newcomer Ayumi Hamasaki released her first original album, A Song for × ×. The album made Ayumi Hamasaki the first Japanese female artist in eighteen years to have three consecutive weeks at number one, totaling five weeks at number one. Immediately afterward, Hamasaki's popularity began to expand rapidly, and she sold more than two million albums, eventually becoming the highest-selling solo artist in Japanese history. At this time, the two female singers, Utada and Hamasaki, were dominating the market, and the media often described the market situation as a "duel of songstresses". 2001, Hamasaki's selected album A BEST and Utada's original album Distance were released at the same time on March 28th, and Utada received the highest sales in the world charts. The number of debutantes in 2001 was the lowest in 50 years, so you can imagine the monopoly the two had on the music scene at this time.

Ma Yi Kuraki debuted in 1999, when the Japanese industry was in the heyday of the Komuro family's waning power and the popularity of R&B singers such as MISIA and Utada Hikari. Mamoru Kuraki made her debut in the midst of this trend, and in 2000, she reached #1 in total single sales, #2 in total album sales, and #2 in the artist category of the ORICON yearly charts, and then her second album, "PERFECT CRIME", and her greatest hits album, "Wish You The Best", both of which sold over a million copies.

Representatives

Mitsuko Utada, Ayumi Hamasaki, Mamoru Kuraki, Ringo Shiina, Misia, aiko, Yuki Koyanagi, Ami Suzuki, BOA