Sunday, January 31, 2010

Whew

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

"Hikaru-chan U finished working?"

'Yes! My work is done for today, with no troubles! Today I put on some cool-ish clothes. Your mood changes depending on what you put on every time, that's very interesting.'

"Well done Hikaru-chan"

'Thanks, Kuma Chang.'

" . . . "

' . . . ?'

" . . . hum hum hum♪ bacca rat kuma kuma kuma♪"

;`;:゙;`(;゚;ж;゚; )*gasps* 'D, did you just say baccarat! Where did you learn such word! I mean, "Boku wa kuma" is a children's song, you just can't make a filk verison like that! I won't take you to casinos, you hear me?!'

"Hikaru-chan is soooo stingy"

Balls Vegas ver.

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

Autographed balls Las Vegas ver.

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

I'm trying to realize Kuma Chang's dream, at least in my illustrations (lol)

Kuma Chang makes his casino debute on the balls!

I've just finished my show and got back and you know, the Las Vegas audience was a sheer blast! The show was sold out after all! There were lots of these people who came from a long distance, some drove 7 hours all the way from Arizona, some flew from Japan, some from the neighborhood . I wonder what made them so hyped up like that.

Perhaps that's what's called Vegas Magic I guess?! (←I've never heard of such terms, though(lol))


The show ended without any incidents. I appreciate it very much.

Vegas debut

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

"Bonjour"

*click*

'You look pretty in the photo, Kuma Chang! This is gonna be your memorable debut in Las Vegas!'

"He he he Me is in famous Las Vegas"

'Kuma Chang, you look perfect☆'

"Hikaru-chan Me wanna go to casino after work"

'Oh, no no Kuma Chang! Where did you learn casino!'

"Boo why not"

'Well . . . because you know, Kuma Chang is under age.'

" . . . Hikaru-chan is stingy"

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Autographed balls SF ver

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

And here are the autographed balls for my San Fransisco show!

It's the city well known by its gay community . . . so I drew various types of gay Kuma Chang.

Macho-type, transsexual-type, and drag queen Kuma Chang!

It's been debated in many states in America whether to legalize same-sex marriage, so Kuma Chang is attending a demonstration with the placard saying "Legalize Gay M."

Actually Kuma Chang is a boy, and he likes boys. Yes, he is gay.

Have I ever mentioned this in public places . . . ?

Did I just bring Kuma Chang out of the closet without his permission . . . ? (lol)

San Fransisco Fillmore

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

My San Francisco show was a huge success again, thanks to all of you!

I'm so glad my shows have been selling out!

This time, again we've got this international audience lineup. The front row almost looked like an UN conference (lol)

So far from what I've seen, half of the audience is Caucasian, the other half is Asian, a certain number of African-American, Arabic, Hispanic, which makes a total mixture of people with various roots . . . and this composition is very much similar to the circumstances I was raised in!
New York itself represents the same sort of diversity, and the situation was same for formation of classes when I was in the international school in Tokyo, which was also like an UN conference. So I felt kinda at ease (lol)

There was this Muslimah girl wrapping her head in a scarf in the front row who was so hyper, or almost driven mad. Next to her there was this girl who came all the way from Japan. Next to her there was this group of Caucasian young guys probably living in the neighborhood. Next to them I saw this Indo-American boy, next to him there was this Caucasian old man, next to him I found this cute African-American girl . . . all these views make me kinda happy.

Like, such views make me feel hopeful abut the future.

So - now about this venue, Fillmore. It's a historic place !

The venue interior was rich in atmosphere - like, the floor with lots of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; the backstage and lounge room full of posters of past performers - Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis . . . the list goes on and on.

And they prepared this poster for me, to put in the dressroom ! On the wall right oppoisite Led Zeppelin's poster . . . ! OH YES! Fantastic! In Japan we say it like:

Gottuandesu ! ! (○`ε´○)

Gaaahhhhhh ! !

What I wrote is gone ! Jesus !

Balls SF version

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

San Francicso Fillmore

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Bear Spotting in Seattle

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Day off in Seattle

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

Seattle Showbox

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Autographed balls - Seattle ver.

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

Seattle! Where the Starbucks' headquarters is located!

So here it is

KUMABUCKS

You see ! !
Oh Yes!! A~ha~!

This is good~! Pretty good~! Woot!

I again prepared a dozen balls. This is getting to be so fun for me (lol) It makes me excited just to think what I'm gonna draw (lol) I'm kinda like excited more than the show itself, in a sense (lol)

I've always lacked confidence in my "live performance" due to my being too less-experienced, but I finally have this feeling that I'm just starting to get the hang of it. This time the content, my performance and song in the shows are all very well appreciated. I'm so happy about it. I'll keep trying hard!

Anyway

It makes me realize I'm a born creator, when I find myself so into drowing illustrations on these autographed balls.

Love, Hikaru

Friday, January 22, 2010

Took my first photo in a long time

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

This is me, shabby me wearing thick eye-makeup for the show, who finished 2 hours something show and got exhausted(this tattered-appearance might make me look mature though (lol)).

Kuma Chang is shiny sparkling as always☆

'Kuma Chang, today's show was again a big success, I feel very fortunate about that. But one thing I regret is, that I left the venue without saying hi to the people who were waiting for me at a distance in a dark alley. I didn't notice them~'

"Well me think it's okay by the way Hikaru-chan me wanna be in the photo too Hkaru-chan move a bit more"

*Kuma Chang leans out*

Oops

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

LA House of Blues

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

LA House of Blues

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

In my birthday live show on the 19th

I threw these balls to the audience!

First I was just gonna prepare the balls with my autograph but I started drawing illustrations automatically after I noticed various marker pens my staff got for me . . . It took longer than I expected to complete all 12 balls which made me feel a bit rushed at the end (lol) but trust me I cut no corners!

We were telling jokes in the dressroom like "it would make some unlucky ones ver disappointed if there were some balls with an autograph of the staff something like <Kyohei☆>" - Of course I didn't make such balls, I'll tell you that (lol)


I'm in Seattle now (cloudy?)

I'll play an another live show after a couple of hours.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Birthday girl

(this message is originally written in English. please check her official site)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

27th

(a photo is uploaded. please check her official site)

Birthday

Of myself ! !

Sorry for starting this message with such a personal thing, for the first time in a long long while ! ! Utada Hikaru is here, I'm back !

Today I turned 27 years old~ *sounds a fanfare*


Thank you for your words and best wishes.

I'm right in the middle of North America (+London) tour - well it's just started, to be exact!

We kicked it off on the 15th in Honolulu, Hawaii - which was my first concert performance in three years and a half, to my surprise! I was like "Jeez I have no idea what's gonna happen" but things went all right with no troubles, well it was a huge success I'd say, and I was able to say "Bye bye, good night, thank you very much" at the end.

I've got a lot of fans in Hawaii and I'm glad everyone (including people from outside Hawaii) was welcomed me very kindly and warmly~.

I'm happy receiving lots of fan mails saying "I'm so pleased" but you know, it's just started! Lots of things need to be improved.

We're gonna raise its perfection level gradually toward the final show in London, but anyway I'm so happy cause I tasted that 'wild' excitement after a long time! That elation you can feel at the first song.


What makes it so special this time - is not that I'm doing it in the US, but - I'm dreamed this for a long time….

…This time it's a club tour !
.。゚+.(´▽`)。+.゚+・

I perform in clubs with capacities ranging from 800 to 1500 persons. Which is like one-tenth of venues I've performed in for arena tours I guess.

It looke somewhat like my enthusiastic fans were all packed in a small space and that made me feel an unusual heat. Perhaps it was the realization of an ideal life show form, something that provieds a cozy environment for hardcore fans.

In the Honolulu show the venue was so crowded, crammed with people, as we had audiences beyond capacity. (^^;) Watching audiences from up on the stage first I thought "Hmm looks like they're not getting it on that much …??" but soon I noticed they were so packed that they were stuck, almost unable to move to dance . . .

Thank you for you guys who came to the show from Japan, too!


So. Tomorrow on the 19th (it's already the 20th in Japan time) I'm gonna perform in LA. My very first Birth Day Live~! I wonder if staff or my band members are preparing any weird surprise for me . . . (lol)

It makes me kinda blush, to hold a show on my birthday.


By the way . . . sorry that I have kept you waiting here for a long time!

I never thought that vivid-colored drawing, with that mysterious man with such unhealthy look in the face would remain here for such a long time.
M, my apologies . . .

Alright I gotta write an English message later! Or maybe I can write it tomorrow morning . . .