Not What You Meant? There are 17 definitions for Hitomi. Also try: H or Candy Girl or HTM.

Hitomi

About 6 pages (1,783 words)

Questions on this topic? Just ask!

Hitomi

Background information
Birth name	古谷仁美 (Furuya Hitomi)
Born	January 26 1976 (1976-01-26) (age 32)
Origin	Kanagawa, Japan
Genre(s)	J-Pop
Years active	1994–present
Label(s)	Avex Trax Love Life Records
Website	http://www.hitomilovelife.net/

This article discusses the Japanese singer hitomi. For other uses of the term Hitomi see Hitomi (disambiguation).

Hitomi (ヒトミ, born January 26, 1976) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record label owner and executive, and animal welfare activist. Some of her biggest hits include releases "CANDY GIRL" (1995), "LOVE 2000" (2000), and "SAMURAI DRIVE" (2002). Her latest album, "LOVE CONCENT", was released on September 27, 2006.

1 Biography
2 Trivia
3 Discography
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

Biography

Early life

hitomi was born Hitomi Furuya (古谷仁美, Furuya Hitomi^?) in Tochigi, Japan, but at childhood moved to Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. She got her big break when she was noticed by eminent music producer Tetsuya Komuro while auditioning for a modelling assignment. In the following year, November of 1994, she made a CD single debut titled "Let's Play Winter" from avex trax, with Komuro deciding that she should use "hitomi" (all-lowercase) as her stage name. Since then, hitomi has written most of her own lyrics. She has also performed covers, an example being the Bananarama hit "Venus" that she performed an English-language cover of recently, recorded on her June 2005 single, Japanese girl.

Debut and success

While the first two singles, Let's Play Winter and WE ARE "LONELY GIRL" were considerable failures, her third single CANDY GIRL was used as the theme for a Kodak CM, and secured a Top 20 spot on the Japanese Oricon music chart. Subsequent singles "By Myself" and "Busy Now" established hitomi, barely out of her teens, as one to watch in Japanese entertainment. Komuro and hitomi went their separate ways in 1999, by mutual consent. It is believed that hitomi was unhappy with being a marginalised figure in Komuro's stable of performers, as she was behind other Komuro-produced acts like Namie Amuro, globe, and Ami Suzuki at that time, and also wanted more creative control over her music and image. The split was apparently amicable, however, and in 2002, hitomi teamed up with Komuro once again for the SongNation project, a various-artists compilation intended to raise funds for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. hitomi contributed lyrics and vocals for the song "My Planet." Many of her songs have been featured on a wide range of products. Examples include "I am," which served as an opening song for the popular anime InuYasha, "kimi no tonari," which was the theme song for a PlayStation video game Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and "IS IT YOU?" was used as a theme song for a popular FujiTV drama series "dekichatta kekkon". In addition, hitomi is a perennial favourite of clothes, cosmetics and accessories brands like Trussardi and Gillette for her modeling experience, photogenic features, and slender figure, despite being a married mother of two. Hitomi is currently the spokesperson for Gillette Venus shaver in Japan and has visited Hawaii to film the latest commercial on air in Japan. Hitomi married boyband GASBOYS former member U-san in the autumn of 2002. They got divorced in november 2007, and they had no kids^[1].. During this period as a married woman, her legal name changed to Hitomi Uesugi (上杉仁美, Uesugi Hitomi^?). Hitomi was largely out of the public eye from mid-2002 to early 2004, because it was discovered she had an ovarian cancer^[2].

TRAVELER to peace

In May 2004, hitomi released a new studio album, TRAVELER. The concert tour she subsequently embarked upon was a huge success, and she played to packed arenas at almost every stop.

The cover of hitomi's 2004 album, 'Traveler'

hitomi's 2004 "Traveler Live Tour" was one of the most successful concert tour undertaken in Japan that year, and the Excite search portal dedicated a special blog site to her. This site ran for seventeen months from October 2004 to March 2006. hitomi's more mature image in Japanese pop has won her many new fans from women in their late 20s and early 30s in Japan, for whom she has almost become an unofficial representative. hitomi caused consternation among fans in August 2005 when she apparently hinted in an interview given to An An magazine that she was planning to retire. However, she quickly moved to dispel their fears. hitomi did not deny saying any of the quotes attributed to her, including a remark that went, "I would be very surprised to see myself where I presently am this time next year", but claimed that they were taken out of context. However, some commentators have said that though hitomi is no longer (or, for some, has never been) one of the most dominant figures in the industry, she does have a fairly large and very loyal fanbase built up over the last twelve years (at least a third of which are thought to be outside Japan, even though she has never performed overseas), and can conceivably go on performing and recording until she is 34 or 35 years old, which represents rare longevity for a female performer in Japanese pop. As a 10th anniversary gift, Avex gave her her own record label, LOVE LIFE Records, which functions as a subdivision of Avex. At present, hitomi holds the appointment of Chairwoman of the company's board. In October 2005, it was announced that hitomi would feature at the annual NHK Red And White Song Festival on December 31, as a member of the Red (females') team. However, hitomi ended up not performing, because of a minor throat infection, and on December 21 it was announced that her place would be taken by Suzuki Ami. A proud owner of three dogs, hitomi has also been honorary chairwoman of the Kawasaki City SPCA since 2002. She has put in (incognito) volunteer work and made substantial donations to the city's SPCA since 2001, and was responsible for most of the funding for the organisation's relocation to better facilities in 2003. In addition, hitomi has used her celebrity status to heighten awareness of animal abuse in Japan, going as far as to make a case for tightening restrictions on whaling. In February 2005, hitomi was awarded Kanagawa Prefecture's Hirada Shuichi Public Service Award (under her married name Mrs. Hitomi Uesugi) for services rendered to the community.

In 2007 hitomi co-starred in the Japanese film Nightmare Detective ( 悪夢探偵, Akumu Tantei^?). The film was directed by the horror film director, Shinya Tsukamoto, and stars Ryuhei Matsuda, as the lead role, while hitomi co-stars as a police officer named Keiko Kirishima. hitomi was praised as being 'ethereal' and for being able to make a semi-romantic angle between her and Matsuda believable, despite being more than 8 years older than her co-star. Between late August to early September 2007, hitomi acted on the stage in performances of a drama called Waiting For The Sun performed by Kitty-stage. hitomi will release a Complete Set of all her most popular songs and music videos across her past five albums on December 5, 2007. This news has left her saddened fans with the implication that she is preparing to retire, and conclude a career that by December 2007 would have lasted 13 years.

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

hitomi popularised navel piercings among young women in 2002 when she performed at her Huma-Rhythm Live Tour 2002 concerts sporting a ring pierced into her belly button. In addition, she is credited with setting trends in Japan by wearing fingerstraps and crosses, though hitomi, a devout Charismatic Christian, wears the latter for religious reasons.
hitomi's own idol is the American 'Material Girl', Madonna, whom she has admired since watching a Madonna performance in 1987, when hitomi was eleven years old. hitomi maintains a sizeable cache of Madonna releases, and has performed Madonna's songs in English during her own concerts.
Even though hitomi only speaks Japanese, she has performed in English and French.
hitomi is one of the few Japanese pop entertainers who play his or her own instruments during live performances. She plays the guitar. Her concerts are generally lively, high-tempo affairs with specifically-tailored themes, and hitomi is regarded as, despite her advanced age compared to other female Japanese singers, one of the fittest and most athletic of female Japanese performers.
Avex stock prices dropped hugely when it was rumored that hitomi, along with Ayumi Hamasaki (generally credited as the 'ringleader' of the action), hiro, Do As Infinity, and Every Little Thing were going to leave Avex if Avex managing director Masato 'Max' Matsuura, was forced out. Matsuura, whom Hamasaki credits for picking her out of obscurity and building her career, was at that time feuding bitterly with a rival executive, Tomoyuki Yoda, over the company's direction. Yoda eventually stepped down and Matsuura stayed.
hitomi was the face (and body) of Gillette Venus ladies' shaving kits in Japan in 2005. She was 29 years old at that time.
hitomi has sold over 8,830,000 copies of all her albums, singles, and video releases (including ongoing sales of LOVE CONCENT).
In October 2006, hitomi was featured in two commercials (one 15 seconds lng, the other 30 seconds long) for JACCS CARD that showed insights into hitomi's personal life.
hitomi practices the Israeli self-defence discipline Krav Maga.
hitomi reads Chinese poems in Mandarin, and is able to speak a limited amount of the Chinese language.
hitomi is able to do the splits.
hitomi's pet dog, a white pug, makes its first appearance on screen in the JACCS CARD commercials.
While on set of Nightmare Detective, hitomi received an unofficial "Real Versus Reel" award for being most unlike her screen character, who is a police detective.