TAKE A JOURNEY THROUGH 25 YEARS OF HIKARU UTADA’S MASTERPIECES: FIRST GREATEST HITS ALBUM SCIENCE FICTION IS OUT NOW!
Watch The J-pop Legend Talk About Their New Songs And Re-recording Experience And Share Your Message Through “Kuma-chan” AR Experience
After months of anticipation, iconic J-pop artist Hikaru Utada has released their first greatest hits album SCIENCE FICTION, which has already ranked no.1 on iTunes Mora. It’s not a simple compilation of the legendary performer’s most well-known works, but rather a space-time-bending trip through their 25-year career. Utada shares new songs and revisits legendary numbers, finding new angles on them more than two decades later.
The album features recent work “Naniirodemonai Hana (A Flower of No Color)”; a brand-new song called “Electricity”; newly recorded versions of “Addicted To You,” “traveling” and “Hikari”; ten songs in newly mixed versions, engineered by Grammy-winning mixing engineer Steve Fitzmaurice; and a special “Sci-Fi Edit” of their critically acclaimed song “Somewhere Near Marseilles” as a bonus track.
Hikaru Utada「SCIENCE FICTION」interview
To celebrate the release of this highly anticipated album, a special video interview with Hikaru Utada about this best-of album has been shared, offering fans the artist’s insights into their creativity, behind-the-scenes stories from the recording, and reflections on their legendary 25 years as an artist.
Furthermore, a special “Kuma-chan” AR (Augmented Reality) website has been launched to commemorate the artist’s 25th anniversary. Using the AR function found on the website, fans can draw their own message against a sky background. After creating a message, Utada’s ever-charming teddybear character Kuma-chan will suddenly appear from the wormhole. Utada themselves drew 23 new Kuma-chan illustrations for this special feature, and users are encouraged to share their messages with the hashtag #SF_KUMA. Additionally, fans can expect additional Kuma-chan campaigns including AR Kuma-chan collection using the album’s back cover design as a marker, a special Kuma-chan that will appear exclusively at each HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 stop in Japan starting from July, and a Kuma-chan collaboration with Ayataka (a green tea brand operated by the Coca‑Cola(Japan)Company, Ltd.).
Write and share your message with Kuma-chan: https://sf-kuma.com
Guidance on the Kuma-chan AR experience
Online Event SCIENCE FICTION Listening Party♪
・Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 9 pm (Japan Time) on Stationhead
*Please download the “Stationhead” app and follow “hikkistaff” on the platform beforehand
*Stationhead is exclusive to Apple Music’s paid subscribers and Spotify Premium members
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/stationhead/id1076117681
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stationhead.app
・Saturday, 13 April 2024, 9 pm (Japan Time) on YouTube
https://youtu.be/Fg5ULSd6T_c
・Sunday, 14 April 2024, 9 pm (Japan Time) on LOUNGE by AWA
https://mf.awa.fm/open_utadahikaru_0414_pr
Release Information
Single “Automatic (2024 Mix)” – released on 22 March2024
Linkfire: https://umj.lnk.to/automatic_2024mix
Single “Somewhere Near Marseilles (Sci-Fi Edit)” – released on 3 April 2024
Linkfire: https://erj.lnk.to/u6NY21
Greatest Hits Album SCIENCE FICTION – released on 10 April 2024
Linkfire: https://umj.lnk.to/SCIENCE_FICTION
Tour Information
HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 Official Website: https://live.hikaruutada-tour-official.com/en
About Hikaru Utada
Since their debut on 9 December 1998, Hikaru Utada has achieved numerous remarkable milestones in their career. Their debut single “Automatic/time will tell” sold over two million copies, propelling them to become one of Japan’s top artists at the young age of 15. Just a few months later, their first album First Love shattered Japanese CD sales records that still stand unbroken today. In 2022, their eighth album BAD MODE garnered high praise both domestically and internationally, and was crowned as the best album of the year by the internationally renowned music media, Pitchfork. The Netflix series “First Love,” inspired by Utada’s eponymous single, achieved tremendous success in Japan and across Asia. On 9 December 2023, they celebrated their 25th anniversary since their major debut in fantastical style, announcing the much-anticipated release of their inaugural greatest hits album SCIENCE FICTION, released on 10 April 2024, as well as a nationwide tour HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024.
Hikaru Utada Official Website: https://www.utadahikaru.jp
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