Hikaru Utada

A j-pop ambassador to the world (thanks to her flawless command of both English and Japanese), she is one of the greatest figures in Japanese music. Hers is the best-selling album in her homeland (the 1999 debut “First Love”, with over 11 million copies sold to date); throughout her career she has experimented extensively with the rich possibilities of popular music, moving from her early r&b sound to an eclectic art-electro blend (“Exodus”, her first, underappreciated attempt to break into the English-speaking market) to heartfelt dream-electro explorations (“Ultra Blue”). After taking a break following the release of her second American album “This Is The One”, since 2016 the artist has returned with a refined jazz take on her style, adding fresh nuances to a career that remains unique in Japan's otherwise airless pop landscape.