What makes you feel "Simple And Clean"?

Excuse me for the long time without writing! This is Utada Hikaru! I'm sorry for keeping silent and making you worried.

My body and my mind became steady and I'm normal now! Huh? Are you asking me why not "I'm fine" instead of "I'm normal"? No, no... I think it's more important to say "I'm normal" than anything else. Of course, I'm also fine!

I feel a little nervous to speak to everyone...

I'm really sorry for this interval, I didn't intend to do so! But I thought that if I faced you all, carrying the "normal Utada Hikaru signboard" before once returning to myself, I would repeat the same mistake again. And at this Bon (Lantern Festival) I returned to the prime Utada Hikaru. The future ahead is long! So I came with my mawashi (Sumo loincloth) firmly tighted again!

It's a little different from the mental state of a child that doesn't want to leave home saying that can't go to school one day after being totally humiliated in front of the whole school. Since I've informed everyone about a very, very personal matter of my body, the discernment of the pride as a professional that I've been keeping and of somethings that I wanted to guard as a 19-years-old girl so far has been vaguely crumbled and I took a while to recover myself mentally even after my body recovered.

I tried to do various things since I got time to watch my situation!
After finishing the album I said "I can't write any sentence anymore...", didn't I? So, without missing that opportunity, I decided to cram my head with teachings, without leaving that space empty and studied about how to write with "Bunsho Dokuhon", by Tanizaki Junichirou.
And out of character, I tried to write a prose poem. And, and, and! Following the recommendation of my superintendent, I narrated it at the beginning of the "Deep River" PV, that has been completed just recently. I will be really ashamed of myself because of that... According to the NEWS section, the video will be first presented to the public by "Wonderful" on the 26th, but probably the version that has been distributed to the media doesn't have this beginning, so you won't be able to watch it yet. (I always check "Wonderful", but I can't see it on this day, or I will be very embarassed if they air that part!)

Then, a little present that I gave you all, the english version of "Hikari", "Simple And Clean"! It was an
obstacle that caused me trouble at the very end. Only the first half is being streamed here, but did you already listen to it? Did you notice that the melody of the chorus part is different from "Hikari"? To tell the truth, the melody of "Simple And Clean" is the original one and I restored it because the english lyrics didn't match with the melody of "Hikari". (When I wrote the japanese lyrics of "Hikari" it didn't match with the melody and after no end of trouble I changed it to the present Hikari's melody and restored a line of the original melody, using it in the song "Uso mitai na I Love You" for my self-satisfaction. The management way of the composer Utada Hikaru came to light (laugh)). I wonder from where we will be able to listen to the full song... Will it stream at the ending of the overseas version of "Kingdom Hearts"? Will a soundtrack come out?? What will Disney do...? I think everyone will send the same kind of questions to "mail to staff" (laugh) So, I'll be waiting together with you all until Mr. Okita or someone else answers about it!

"Simple And Clean"... The literal translation would be "Kantan, Kirei!". It really sounds like a catch-copy of moping goods! (laugh) Well, aiming a little bit at this meaning also, I titled it intending the meaning "Soboku de Seiketsu". We work very hard everyday, busy one way or another, involved in many troubles, enduring various things and even when we suddenly become free isn't it difficult to feel the happiness because its image becomes gradually vague? I thought seriously and with realism about "What my happiness is?". And then I thought, isn't it "To be able to feel myself as a really simple being"? A thing or a person that makes me simple and clean again. That's what my happiness is! So, the theme is the same as "Hikari".

Why does human have the habit of posing as complex people??

Although I've been really fine lately, yesterday I had a headache and suffered from the intense heat of late summer. And it seems it was really good for me! For the first time in many days I stayed in bed for a whole day and I had a very refreshing morning in a calm frame of mind. I feel so refreshed!

Now I'm in the middle of a search for the ultimate Utada Hikaru... I think you already know what I'm talking about! Yeah! I'm looking for my favourite daily life, just like buying a great variety of Starbucks coffee beans and drinking pack by pack until I say "This one!" (Who understands this!)... If anyone else is doing this "self-search", please let me know about its process.
(laugh)

Well!
Oof! (putting my signboard on my back again)


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credits to Samurai @ HikkiCentral who originally translated this message.