an introduction
Born on the second of October, 1978, Ayumi Hamasaki spent most of her early childhood in solitude. After her father abruptly left, she did not care to interact with her classmates and preferred her own company to anyone else's. She did not show an interest in any "common" hobbies other than a fascination with fashion, which eventually became a trademark in her career.
Although she continues to maintain a close relationship with her mother, she also acknowledges that -- at the time -- there was considerably little discipline in the face of right and wrong, leaving it to her to distinguish the difference on her own terms. She admitted in an interview to keeping a diary through the period of isolation, a habit that more than likely influences her autobiographical songwriting today.
As she approached the end of adolescence, Hamasaki entertained the idea of being an actress as well as dabbling in the world of modeling. However, neither suited her fancy--more than likely the inability to integrate her own style influenced the decision.
When she was discovered by producer Max Matsuura, she was loathe to go along. Initial suspicion inherent of being approached by an older man in a karaoke bar coupled with the lost sense of commitment of a high school drop-out caused her to waver. But Matsuura urged her to continue voice lessons and to record her thoughts in the form of lyrics.
Like much of Hamasaki's life, a little push from the outside helped her realize her potential--not to mention her passion. It would not be long before she began dictating the direction of her career on her own terms, the first step in becoming who Forbes considers to be one of the most influential women in Asia and an "Empress" of pop culture to TIME Magazine.
"I don't set goals. Like, that's what I want to be doing however many years from now. I do what I love to do at the moment. If I wake up tomorrow and decide I want to dance, that's what I'd do. Or design clothes. I think I'd throw myself into whatever I'm doing now. It's not about abandoning what I was doing before, or giving up. It's about knowing that if I die tomorrow, I lived the way I wanted to."
-- Ayumi Hamasaki, qtd. in TIME Magazine
