Hikaru Utada

One of the most popular, top-selling Japanese artists of all time, singer/songwriter Hikaru Utada has been a consistent presence at the top of the charts since their 1999 debut First Love to their 2018 effort Hatsukoi, notching at least a dozen number one singles through the decades. Like contemporaries BoA, Namie Amuro, and Ayumi Hamasaki, they were a continually evolving staple of the J-pop scene, performing yearning ballads and sleek dance-pop with American-influenced vocals that made them a beloved icon of the genre, even with an extended hiatus that lasted for much of the...