Hitomi (singer)

For other uses, see Hitomi.
Hitomi
ヒトミ
Born
Hitomi Furuya (古谷 仁美)

(1976-01-26) January 26, 1976 (age 48)
Tochigi, Japan
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active1992–present
Height1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Spouses
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2007)​
​
​
(m. 2008; div. 2011)​
Unknown
​
(m. 2014)​
Children4
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Websitehitomilovelife.net

Hitomi Furuya (古谷 仁美, Furuya Hitomi, born January 26, 1976), known professionally as Hitomi (ヒトミ, stylized as hitomi), is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She began her career as teen model before making her singing debuting under the helm of Tetsuya Komuro in 1994, who produced Hitomi's earliest work in pop music. Hitomi has striven for artistry over the course of her career, penning "forward-looking" lyrics and becoming known for her "unusual" fashion sense that accompanied a "supermodel allure".[1][2][3] Her signature songs include "Candy Girl", "Love 2000" and "Samurai Drive".[4]

Hitomi's career enjoyed success from Komuro's direction, including his work on her chart-topping second album By Myself (1996), however, her desire for more artistic input led to their amicable split by 1998.[5] She started working with other musicians and composers, and branched out into musical genres such as pop rock as evident on her fifth album Love Life (2000), a turning point which sustained her position in the industry. Hitomi began incorporating electropop styles with her subsequent moves to Love Life Records in 2005 and independent label Maximum 10 in 2011.

Hitomi has amassed four number one albums throughout her career, including H (1999), Huma-rhythm (2002) and Self Portrait (2002), and has sold over 8.5 million records in Japan alone.[6] She has earned two Japan Record Awards for Excellent Work and a Japan Gold Disc accolade for Rock & Pop Album of the Year, and has performed at the prestigious Kōhaku Uta Gassen program twice.[7]

  1. ^ "hitomiのブレイクは小室哲哉のプロデュース失敗から始まった – ライブドアニュース". ライブドアニュース (in Japanese). June 11, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  2. ^ D., Hoover, William (2011). Historical dictionary of postwar Japan. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810854604. OCLC 678923955.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa (March 25, 2002). "Empress of Pop". Time. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  4. ^ "hitomi、"今の自分だからこそ生み出せた楽曲を集めた"ミニアルバム「Journey」リリース". www.musicman-net.com (in Japanese). October 21, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Techinsight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Hickey, David. "hitomi on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  7. ^ "ｈｉｔｏｍｉのプロフィール・ヒストリーならオリコン芸能人事典". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)