JPop Watch: Utada Hikaru's Spring 2016 Return Officially Denied

It had been brought to my attention (as well as a long list of other bloggers and news sites) that Utada Hikaru, arguably Japan's biggest musician to date, had confirmed a soft release date for her upcoming album. This would be Utada's first solid release in over six year. Unfortunately once Utada's staff caught wind of the news article, they popped up long enough to shut it down.

Last week, Japanese newspaper Sports Hochi announced boldly that Utada would be returning in the Spring of 2016 with a full album. Not only that, but she would also be providing theme songs for two different shows, a "major live action" show and a news program, both of which would be released in April. This, as you probably guessed, made fans go crazy. Utada has been on hiatus for years, only popping up sporadically to provide songs for the occasional movie or anime (such as the recent string of Neon Genesis Evangelion film series).

Yesterday, however, the powers that be made sure our hopes and dreams were crushed. Someone from Utada's official team posted on her website denying the rumors. While they did confirm that she was working on a new album (!!), it was apparently at an intermittent pace, one to which they weren't even sure enough to give it a 2016 release date or not. They also made the bold statement that any true news regarding her upcoming releases would be announced on the website instead of elsewhere.

There were some comments made about her being overseas, giving me hope that she is working on at least some songs in English. I have been a huge fan of her English releases in the past, and they have been a huge success in Japan, still holding the record of best selling English Language album. Sadly, there are no real details about the project at this time, as Utada is very good at keeping these things under wraps.

Over the past two years, she has gone through a lot. She's lost her mother, she's gotten married, and she's had a child. There is a lot for her to write about and express in a beautifully lyrical way that only she knows how to do. I have a feeling that this upcoming album could be her best work yet. But I guess that's too early to say, no?