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Fantôme (album)

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Fantôme is the sixth Japanese studio album (ninth overall) by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. Although Utada announced an indefinite hiatus from the public eye in August 2010, she continued writing and composing material with her father, Teruzane Utada, and long-term collaborator, Akira Miyake.[citation needed] Musically, Fantôme contains a collection of tracks that utilizes acoustic and stripped-down instrumentations, alongside influences of pop, electronic, and R&B music. The lyrical content delves into themes of grief, sadness, love, and death—mostly influenced by the death of her mother, her second marriage, and the birth of her son in 2015.[citation needed]

Fantôme
Standard cover, the background shows it faces black and white with a distance control fading.
Studio album by
Hikaru Utada
ReleasedSeptember 28, 2016
Recorded2012–2016
Genre
Length49:45
Label
Producer
Hikaru Utada chronology
Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2
(2010) 		Fantôme
(2016) 		Hatsukoi
(2018)
Singles from Fantôme
  1. "Sakura Nagashi"
    Released: November 17, 2012
  2. "Hanataba o Kimi ni" / "Manatsu no Tōriame"
    Released: April 15, 2016
  3. "Michi"
    Released: September 16, 2016

Fantôme was a commercial success in Japan, reaching number one on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart with sales of over 253,000 units, becoming her eighth consecutive domestic number-one album. It additionally topped the US World Albums chart and has sold over a million copies worldwide. It won various awards, including Album of the Year at the Japan Record Awards and the Grand Prix prize at the CD Shop Awards.[2][3] The singles "Sakura Nagashi", "Hanataba o Kimi ni", and "Manatsu no Tōriame" were released prior to the album's announcement, while "Michi" and "Nijikan Dake no Vacance" were released shortly before the album went on sale.[4]

Background and recording

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In July 2015, Utada announced on her blog that she had given birth to a baby boy and was working on a new album during the pregnancy.[5] In March 2016, it was revealed by her team that she had returned from her five-year hiatus with two new digital singles, "Hanataba o Kimi ni" and "Manatsu no Tōriame", and a campaign called "New-Turn", with songs downloaded by Japanese fans via digital music services having part of their sales donated to planting cherry trees in areas damaged by the by 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.[6][7][8]

On July 12, 2016, Utada posted on her Instagram account that she had finished recording for a new album.[9] On August 8, the cover and track listing were revealed on Utada's web site. For the first time, Utada used Japanese titles for all the songs on the album.[1][10] Fantôme was released physically in Japan and digitally worldwide on September 28, 2016, through Virgin Music and Universal Music Japan. This was her first record released following the 2013 merger of EMI Music Japan with Universal Music Japan. The album was released in two formats: a physical SHM-CD; and a digital download.[citation needed]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
JpopAsia9.5/10[11]
MuuMuse(positive)[12]
Unrecorded.mu70/100[13]

Upon its release, Fantôme received critical acclaim. Ryo Miyauchi of Unrecorded.mu rated the album with 70 points out of 100, commending the singer's songwriting and vulnerability, especially highlighted in the album tracks "Ningyo", "Tomodachi", and "Kōya no Ōkami". Miyauchi added that he believed the record's sound was similar to her previous albums:

"Though Fantôme shows no sign from Utada of being nostalgic for who she once was, the album still sounds undoubtedly her. Fantôme creates an odd sense of time where it has one foot in the past and another slightly pointed to what’s next."[13]

Commercial performance

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Japan and Asia

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In Japan, Fantôme debuted at number one on the Daily Oricon Albums Chart, selling 87,088 units.[14] For its first week on the Weekly Oricon Albums Chart, it entered atop the chart with over 252,581 copies sold; It sold more copies than its competitor of the week, Exile's greatest hits album Extreme Best (2016).[15] Fantôme became her ninth number one album, her first studio album since Heart Station (2008) to debut at the top position, but also resulted in becoming her lowest first week sales for one of her Japanese-language albums.[16]

In its second week, it stayed at number 1 with 103,854 physical units sold, again outselling the nearest competitor by a wide margin.[17] The next week, it stayed at number one, selling 63,207 units, thus becoming her only studio album besides her debut First Love to chart at the pole position for more than two weeks, and then further extending this feat by one more week.[18][19] Likewise, Fantôme debuted at the top spot on the Japan Hot Albums and the Top Albums Sales charts, both hosted by Billboard Japan.[20][21]

Alongside this, Utada's digital single "Michi" placed atop of the Radio Songs chart during the week of October 10, 2016.[22] On November 9, 2016, Oricon revealed its new weekly Digital Albums Chart.[23] Fantôme ranked at number one on the chart, selling 6,537 digital downloads.[24] It topped the chart a second week, shifting an additional 3,993 downloads.[25] According to Billboard Japan, Fantôme was the best-selling digital album of the year, as well as the third-best-selling physical album, according to Oricon. Overall, it thus became the top-selling album of the year in Japan.[26][27] The album sold 569,963 physical units in 2016 and 117,259 in 2017, according to Oricon's respective yearly sales ranking, thus totalling 687,222 physical units sold by December 2017.[28][29]

Other territories

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Upon its overseas release on the iTunes Store, Fantôme debuted at number one in Japan, Finland, Slovenia and 7 other Asian territories. It reached the top ten in the United States, Australia, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and a further 6 countries. Additionally, it entered the top 20 in the United Kingdom and 5 further countries. According to online publications, it was labelled as her most successful release internationally, and had beaten previous positions that her English records: Exodus (2004) and This Is The One (2009) experienced.[30][31][32]

The album opened at number two on the US Billboard World Albums chart. It marked her first record to enter the World Albums chart, her first Japanese release to enter the US charts, and her first album to obtain a position in the US since This Is The One in 2009; it sold approximately 1,992 units in its first two days of sale.[33] The following week, it reached number one and had sold over 3,500 units.[34]

Promotion

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Utada's website listed a schedule of magazine reviews and interviews about the album, internet interviews and TV appearances with performances with songs from the album, on shows like Music Station (where she performed "Sakura Nagashi" for the first time live), NHK's SONGS (where she performed "Michi", "Tomodachi" and "Hanataba o Kimi ni"), CX's Love Music and NTV's News Zero.[35][36] An Internet live stream event was scheduled to happen on December 9, 2016, called Sanjudai wa Hodo-Hodo, where Utada answered fan questions and performed the songs "Boukyaku" and "Ningyo" live. Two guests had been announced, the rapper Kohh and the DJ Punpee.[37]

Singles

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Fantome is Utada's first Japanese-language studio album not to have any physical singles released. All the songs released as singles were distributed on online platforms exclusively. The first one was "Sakura Nagashi", the theme song of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, which was released on November 17, 2012, while she was still officially on hiatus. On April 15, 2016, "Hanataba o Kimi ni" and "Manatsu no Tōriame" were released, marking her official return to the music scene. The former became a big success for her, being certified double platinum for over 500,000 digital downloads[38] and staying on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 over the course of the rest of the year, peaking at number 2.[39] The latter received the award for "Video of The Year" at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[40]

On September 13, 2016, shortly before the album's release, "Michi" was released to radio stations, and three days later as a digital download,[41] while "Nijikan Dake no Vacance", a duet with Sheena Ringo, received a music video release.[42] On January 19, 2017, the singer's 34th birthday, a music video for "Bōkyaku" (sung with Kohh) was also released.[43]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Hikaru Utada except where noted

Fantôme track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Michi (道, Road)"3:36
2."Ore no Kanojo (俺の彼女, My Girlfriend)"5:04
3."Hanataba o Kimi ni (花束を君に, A Bouquet for You)"4:38
4."Nijikan Dake no Vacance (二時間だけのバカンス, Two Hour Only Vacation)" (featuring Sheena Ringo)4:42
5."Ningyo (人魚, Mermaid)"4:16
6."Tomodachi (ともだち, Friends)" (with Nariaki Obukuro)4:22
7."Manatsu no Tōriame (真夏の通り雨, Midsummer Shower)"5:38
8."Kōya no Ōkami (荒野の狼, Wolves in the Wilderness)"4:34
9."Bōkyaku (忘却, Oblivion)" (featuring KOHH) (written by Utada, KOHH)5:05
10."Jinsei Saikō no Hi (人生最高の日, The Best Day of My Life)"3:10
11."Sakura Nagashi (桜流し, Flowing Cherry Blossoms)" (written by Utada, Paul Carter)4:40

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album’s liner notes.[44]

Vocals

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Instrumentation

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  • Hikaru Utada – string arrangement (tracks 2-4, 7-8), brass arrangement (tracks 6, 8, 11)
  • Nick Meier – guitars (track 1)
  • Ian Thomas – drums (tracks 2-3, 5)
  • Andy Waterworth – double bass (track 2)
  • Ben Parker – guitars (tracks 2-4, 10), electric bass (tracks 3, 10), electric guitar (track 8)
  • Simon Hale – acoustic piano (tracks 2-3, 8), conductor, string arrangement (tracks 2-4, 8), wurlitzer (track 8)
  • Everton Nelson – strings leader (tracks 2-4, 8)
  • Steve Price – strings recording (track 3)
  • Sylvester Earl Harvin – drums (tracks 4-5, 8-10), drum machine (track 4)
  • Jodi Milliner – electric bass (tracks 4, 8)
  • Tanaka Yoshito – guitars (track 4), acoustic guitar (track 6)
  • Asakawa Tomoyuki – harp (track 5)
  • Francis Hylton – electric bass (track 6)
  • Will Fry – percussion (track 6)
  • Sid Gauld – brass leader, trumpet (tracks 6, 8)
  • Andy Panayi – tenor saxophone (tracks 6, 8)
  • Mark Nightingale – trombone (tracks 6, 8)
  • Tamada Tom – drums (track 7)
  • Yamaguchi Hiroo – electric bass (tracks 7, 9)
  • Kawano Kei – band leader, conductor (tracks 7, 11), acoustic piano (track 7), string arrangement (track 11)
  • Suhara Anzu – strings leader (track 7)
  • Ogasawara Takumi – drums (track 11)
  • Taneda Takeshi – electric bass (track 11)
  • Kon Tsuyoshi – electric guitar (track 11)
  • Amemiya Mamiko – strings leader (track 11)
  • Steve Fitzmaurice – percussion (track 3)
  • Darren Heelis – percussion (track 3), synth bass (tracks 7, 10)
  • Paul Carter – piano, synth arrangement (track 11)

Production

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  • Hikaru Utada – executive producer, production, songwriting (all tracks)
  • KOHH – songwriting (track 9)
  • Komori Masahito – vocal editing (track 9)
  • Paul Carter – production (track 11)
  • Utada Sking Teruzane – executive producer
  • Miyake Akiro – executive producer

Technical

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  • Hikaru Utada – programming (tracks 1-2, 4, 6-11)
  • Tom Coyne – mastering (all tracks)
  • Steve Fitzmaurice – recording, mixing (tracks 1-10), additional drum programming (tracks 3-4, 6-8, 10)
  • Komori Masahito – vocal recording (tracks 1-8, 10), additional vocal recording (track 4)
  • Inoue Uni – vocal recording (track 4)
  • Darren Heelis – additional engineering (tracks 1-10), additional drum programming (tracks 3-4, 6-8, 10)
  • Alexis Smith – additional programming (track 1)
  • Joe Henson – additional programming (track 1)
  • Matsui Atushi – recording (tracks 4-7, 9, 11)
  • Mike Horner – recording (tracks 9-10)
  • Paul Carter – programming (track 11)
  • Goetz B. – mixing (track 11)
  • Jeremy Murphy – strings recording assistance (track 3)

Artwork

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  • Seida Yu – art direction
  • Julien Mignot – photography
  • Ogawa Kyohei – styling
  • Inagaki Ryoji – hair, make-up

Charts

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Sales and certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[55]
Physical 		3× Platinum 750,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[56]
Digital 		Gold 100,000*
United States — 3,500[34]
Summaries
Worldwide — 1,000,000[57]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Utada Hikaru Releases Her 6th Original Full Album, First in 8 Years, on Sep. 28!!". Utada Hikaru Official Website. Utada Hikaru Official Website. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "第58回 日本レコード大賞" [58th Japan Record Awards]. Japan Composer's Association (in Japanese). December 30, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "第9回 全日本CDショップ店員組合". CD Shop (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  4. ^ "Utada Hikaru Teases "Nijikan Dake no Vacance" Featuring Shiina Ringo". AramaJapan. September 15, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Hikaru Utada (July 3, 2015). "ファンのみんなにお知らせ" (in Japanese). U3 Music. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  6. ^ "宇多田 ヒカル NEW-turn Project". Utadahikaru.jp. Universal Music. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  7. ^ Stern, Bradley. "Welcome Back Hikki: Utada Hikaru Officially Resumes Artist Activities". Pop Crush. Pop Crush. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  8. ^ Natalie. "Hikaru Utada Launches 'New-Turn Project' to Mark Her Return to Music". Anime News Network. Anime News Network. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  9. ^ "Instagram photo by Hikaru Utada • Jul 12, 2016 at 1:08pm UTC". July 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Stern, Bradley. "Utada Hikaru Reveals Cover, Track Listing for Upcoming Album, "Fantome"". Pop Crush. Pop Crush. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  11. ^ Gatmaitan, James (September 28, 2016). "[Album Review] Utada Hikaru's "Fantôme"". JpopAsia. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  12. ^ Stern, Bradley (September 28, 2016). "'Fantome': Utada Hikaru Returns from Her Hiatus Heartbroken, But Hopeful (Album Review)". MuuMuse. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Miyauchi, Ryo (October 6, 2016). "Utada Hikaru – Fantôme". Unrecorded. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  14. ^ "Oricon Daily Albums Chart". Oricon Style. September 29, 2016. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  15. ^ "【オリコン】宇多田ヒカル、8年半ぶり新作"貫禄"1位 通常盤1形態で". Oricon Style. October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "宇多田ヒカル、『Fantôme』がオリコン1位獲得！". Rockin' On. October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
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  23. ^ "ja:オリコン 新ランキング発表 アルバムDL数を集計…初回首位は宇多田ヒカル". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  24. ^ a b "ja:オリコン週間 デジタルアルバムランキング 2016年10月31日～2016年11月06日". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  25. ^ "ja:オリコン週間 デジタルアルバムランキング 2016年11月07日～2016年11月13日". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  26. ^ "AKB48 and Justin Bieber Top Billboard Japan's Year-End Charts". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Oricon Yearly CD Albums Chart (2016)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  28. ^ "Oricon unveils their Yearly Sales Rankings for 2016". arama! Japan. arama! Japan. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  29. ^ "Oricon unveils their Yearly Sales Rankings for 2017". arama! Japan. arama! Japan. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  30. ^ "全米6位！ 宇多田ヒカル『Fantome』日本人女性ソロアーティストとして初の快挙". Yahoo! Japan. September 29, 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  31. ^ Arama! Japan Staff (September 30, 2016). "Utada is shook Fantôme is charting better in the US than her English albums ever did". Arama! Japan. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  32. ^ Anime News Network Staff (September 30, 2016). "Hikaru Utada's New Fantôme Album Debuts at #6 on U.S. iTunes Chart". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  33. ^ a b "Billboard World Albums (October 22, 2016)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  34. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff (October 11, 2016). "Japanese Megastar Utada Hikaru Returns to the Charts as 'Fantome' Tops World Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  35. ^ "[2016/09/23] 雑誌/WEB掲載情報". Utada Hikaru Official Website. Utada Hikaru Official Website. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  36. ^ "[2016/09/05] メディア出演情報". Utada Hikaru Official Website. Utada Hikaru Official Website. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  37. ^ "30 Dai wa Hodo-Hodo". Utada Hikaru Official Website. Utada Hikaru Official Website. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  38. ^ "有料音楽配信認定". RIAJ. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  39. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan. January 21, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  40. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2016 Winners Announced: Utada Hikaru, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, And More". iTech Post. October 27, 2016. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  41. ^ "First Listen: Utada Hikaru's New Single "Michi" Premieres on the Radio". Arama! Japan. September 13, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  42. ^ "Utada Hikaru and Shiina Ringo Ecscape in Intergalactic '2 Hour Vacation' Video". PopCrush. September 16, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  43. ^ "Utada Hikaru Debuts 'Boukyaku (feat. KOHH)' Music Video on Her Birthday". PopCrush. January 18, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  44. ^ Fantôme (booklet). Hikaru Utada. Virgin. 2016. TYCT-60101.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Téléchargés". Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  46. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!".
  47. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!".
  48. ^ "2016年 年間 JAPAN Charts - Billboard JAPAN" (in Japanese). Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  49. ^ "Billboard World Albums Yearly Chart(December 29, 2016)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  50. ^ "Oricon Yearly CD Albums Chart (2017)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  51. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year End" (in Japanese). Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  52. ^ "Billboard Japan Top Download Albums Year End" (in Japanese). Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  53. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year End" (in Japanese). Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  54. ^ "Billboard Japan Top Download Albums Year End" (in Japanese). Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  55. ^ "Japanese album certifications – 宇多田 ヒカル – Fantôme" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 31, 2021. Select 2016年11月 on the drop-down menu
  56. ^ "Japanese digital album certifications – 宇多田 ヒカル – Fantôme" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 31, 2021. Select 2016年11月 on the drop-down menu
  57. ^ "Anuario SGAE 2016 (Musica Grabada)" (PDF) (in Spanish). Sociedad General de Autores y Editores. September 24, 2017. p. 29. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
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  • Fantôme on Hikaru Utada's official web site
Preceded by Japan Record Award for the Best Album
2016 		Succeeded by
The Kids
(Suchmos)
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