This Is the One (album)
Encyclopedia
This Is The One is the second Island Records
English studio album by Japanese American pop
singer-songwriter
Utada, released by Island
in 2009. The album was originally set to be released in Japan on March 4 but was pushed back to March 14. In the United States, the album was digitally released on March 24 and was released physically on May 12. However, This Is The One was only released in North America
, Japan
and some parts of Asia
, and has yet to be released in Europe
, Oceania
and Latin America
unlike her previous album Exodus. In Japan, This Is The One topped the Oricon
's International Album chart and peaked at number three on the Weekly chart. In the United States, the album peaked at number 69 on the Billboard 200
chart. This Is The One is the supporting album of Utada's 2010 tour Utada: In The Flesh 2010
. On December 21, 2009, the Dirty Desire
remixes were released.
It is Utada's last album with Island Records as she had signed a global recording contract with EMI
in November 8, 2010, therefore ending ties with Island as well as the whole Universal Music Group
label. All of her future materials, regardless of language, will be released under the name Hikaru Utada.
. During her interview with Ningin on February 3, 2009, Utada states that she wanted to make a mainstream album, and the result was a more R&B influenced album because that's what currently is mainstream.
In an interview with Kiwibox on February 20, 2009, Utada explains that the title of the album came about because she was going for a more mainstream sound for this record, and that it would be the "breakout" album.
produced, prematurely published "Apple and Cinnamon" and sometime later at least one other track produced by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
. On January 9, her subject-exclusive blog indicated that she was nearing completion of the album, and said of the work involved, "If this were a live show, I’m at the painful part about two songs before the break for the encore." She also stated that, upon completion of the album production, she would post her first new English blog message of the year. Official Japanese and English press releases posted online January 22 confirmed that Utada had worked with producers Stargate and C. “Tricky” Stewart, and that the album's recording had taken place in New York, Atlanta, and Tokyo, and 10 songs were written (by her) for the project. In a blog
post dated January 31, Utada mentioned that she had on that day decided on the sequence of songs and that the album was soon to be mastered. She also wrote that the title would soon be announced. Later, in an issue of Japanese magazine WHAT'S IN?, two more track titles were revealed ("Poppin'" and "Automatic Part II") as well as other significant tidbits of information regarding the upcoming release. It was reported that Utada was in the studio with Stargate for roughly one hour, while the majority of the rest of the album's production was completed separately by transfer of data between Japan, New York, and Norway.
" on radio industry news site FMBQ. On February 14, Utada had an interview with GossipGirls where she talked about the new concept for her This Is the One. On February 20, Utada had an interview with Kiwibox.com to further promote her upcoming album. On March 3, Asiance Magazine interviewed Utada about her upcoming album. Beginning March 18, Utada made radio tours in the West Coast to promote the album, stopping at radio stations in Seattle, Portland, Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Utada hosted listening parties at select Sephora
beauty and cosmetics stores in Los Angeles on March 24, in New York on March 25, and in Miami on March 27 to further promote the album. On March 23, the music video for the lead single "Come Back to Me" was released as the 'Free Music Video of the Week' on iTunes U.S.. On March 24, Utada performed "Come Back to Me", "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI", and "Me Muero" live on Los Angeles KTLA Morning News. On March 28, Utada performed on the CBS program, The Early Morning Show Saturday Edition.
On 21 December 2009, Utada released the Dirty Desire remixes. Although classed as a single, no music video was produced, nor was there much in way of promotional activities. This single was mainly to promote Utada's In The Flesh 2010 tour. The song peaked on the US Club Play Chart at 16.
panned the album, saying that by hiring the superproducers behind other successful acts Utada "[...]basically make her music as bland, accessible and predictable as possible". He noted some good songs on the album and said the album was "practically x-rated
at times" due to songs like "Dirty Desire" and "Automatic Part II"; where she sings "During my 9 to 5, I'm thinking six and nine" and "Contraceptive, when I'm on it, it's automatic" on the respective songs.
Michael Botsford of AudioScribber gave the album six out of ten. He said the main issue with the album was its obvious influence from American R&B, commenting "[...]we were half expecting Fat Man Scoop to intercept the music and demand we put our hands in the air". He also wrote the album was a "undeniably cute and charming album", and "if she stopped aiming to please the mainstream, this album would have scored a higher rating". David Jeffries of Allmusic gave This Is the One a positive review, stating that "Utada the performer is clearly defined here with slick, polished production supporting her songs rather than dominating them", but that "most of her lyrics are riddled with clichés with plenty of 'whispers in the dark'". Jeffries also mentioned that "Big, behind-the-scene names like Chris "Tricky" Stewart and Antonio "LA" Reid point to the urban meets pop attitude of the album, but Utada will not be overshadowed. This album is hers alone and when placed next to Exodus, it's aptly titled".
Weekly chart, selling 77,832 copies in its first week. On the Oricon Foreign Album chart the album debuted atop the chart and would stay at number one for six consecutive weeks. In America fueled by downloads alone, the album debuted on the Billboard 200
at number 178 and number six on the Top Heatseekers
chart,selling 5,000 units. The album re-entered the Billboard 200 on the issue date of May 30, 2009, peaking at number 69 with 6,915 units sold and then plunged to number 137 the following week with 3,873 units sold. However, the album overall did not outsell her debut album, Exodus, selling a total of more than 16,000 units in the United States alone (versus Exodus which sold more than 55,000 copies). This Is The One sold 300,000 units worldwide.
, Malaysia, Hong Kong
, and others than the United States
and Japan
, with only ten tracks without the bonus tracks.
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
English studio album by Japanese American pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Utada, released by Island
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in 2009. The album was originally set to be released in Japan on March 4 but was pushed back to March 14. In the United States, the album was digitally released on March 24 and was released physically on May 12. However, This Is The One was only released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and some parts of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and has yet to be released in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
unlike her previous album Exodus. In Japan, This Is The One topped the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
's International Album chart and peaked at number three on the Weekly chart. In the United States, the album peaked at number 69 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. This Is The One is the supporting album of Utada's 2010 tour Utada: In The Flesh 2010
Utada: In the Flesh 2010
Utada: In The Flesh 2010 was Japanese-American singer-songwriter Utada's first international tour. The 10-date sold out tour began in Honolulu and ended in London, with the London date reportedly selling-out in as little as five hours, to which another date was added...
. On December 21, 2009, the Dirty Desire
Dirty Desire
"Dirty Desire" is a song by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Utada. The single is known as Dirty Desire: The Remixes. It was released digitally as the second single from This Is the One, on December 21, 2009, mostly in aid of supporting Utada's then up-coming tour, Utada: In The Flesh 2010.Dirty...
remixes were released.
It is Utada's last album with Island Records as she had signed a global recording contract with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in November 8, 2010, therefore ending ties with Island as well as the whole Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
label. All of her future materials, regardless of language, will be released under the name Hikaru Utada.
Background
On October 23, 2007, Utada wrote a message on her Japanese blog stating that she was writing and recording demos for her next English album while simultaneously completing her fifth Japanese studio albumHeart Station (album)
All songs arranged by Hikaru Utada.Except:* 4. "Flavor of Life ~Ballad Version~" - arranged by Hikaru Utada, Alexis Smith, Yuzuru Tomita* 11. "Boku wa Kuma" - arranged by Yuzuru Tomita & Hikaru Utada-Release history:-Singles:-Album promotions:...
. During her interview with Ningin on February 3, 2009, Utada states that she wanted to make a mainstream album, and the result was a more R&B influenced album because that's what currently is mainstream.
In an interview with Kiwibox on February 20, 2009, Utada explains that the title of the album came about because she was going for a more mainstream sound for this record, and that it would be the "breakout" album.
Recording
Utada worked with various other artists on several tracks, including StargateStargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
produced, prematurely published "Apple and Cinnamon" and sometime later at least one other track produced by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
Christopher Stewart (music producer)
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
. On January 9, her subject-exclusive blog indicated that she was nearing completion of the album, and said of the work involved, "If this were a live show, I’m at the painful part about two songs before the break for the encore." She also stated that, upon completion of the album production, she would post her first new English blog message of the year. Official Japanese and English press releases posted online January 22 confirmed that Utada had worked with producers Stargate and C. “Tricky” Stewart, and that the album's recording had taken place in New York, Atlanta, and Tokyo, and 10 songs were written (by her) for the project. In a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
post dated January 31, Utada mentioned that she had on that day decided on the sequence of songs and that the album was soon to be mastered. She also wrote that the title would soon be announced. Later, in an issue of Japanese magazine WHAT'S IN?, two more track titles were revealed ("Poppin'" and "Automatic Part II") as well as other significant tidbits of information regarding the upcoming release. It was reported that Utada was in the studio with Stargate for roughly one hour, while the majority of the rest of the album's production was completed separately by transfer of data between Japan, New York, and Norway.
Promotion
On February 3, Utada had a two-part interview with Ningin's Asian Media Online community to further promote her new music. On February 6, Island Records took out an advertisement for Utada's first single "Come Back to MeCome Back to Me (Hikaru Utada song)
"Come Back to Me" is a pop and R&B song by Japanese American pop singer Utada. The song was written by Utada and Stargate and was produced by Utada, Stargate and her father, Sking U. "Come Back to Me" is the first single from her second English-language album This Is the One...
" on radio industry news site FMBQ. On February 14, Utada had an interview with GossipGirls where she talked about the new concept for her This Is the One. On February 20, Utada had an interview with Kiwibox.com to further promote her upcoming album. On March 3, Asiance Magazine interviewed Utada about her upcoming album. Beginning March 18, Utada made radio tours in the West Coast to promote the album, stopping at radio stations in Seattle, Portland, Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Utada hosted listening parties at select Sephora
Sephora
Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
beauty and cosmetics stores in Los Angeles on March 24, in New York on March 25, and in Miami on March 27 to further promote the album. On March 23, the music video for the lead single "Come Back to Me" was released as the 'Free Music Video of the Week' on iTunes U.S.. On March 24, Utada performed "Come Back to Me", "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI", and "Me Muero" live on Los Angeles KTLA Morning News. On March 28, Utada performed on the CBS program, The Early Morning Show Saturday Edition.
On 21 December 2009, Utada released the Dirty Desire remixes. Although classed as a single, no music video was produced, nor was there much in way of promotional activities. This single was mainly to promote Utada's In The Flesh 2010 tour. The song peaked on the US Club Play Chart at 16.
Reception
This Is The One received generally positive reviews. Adam Benjamin Irby of Bleu Magazine wrote "This Is The One is an exceptional album that will with the right promotion definitely breathe some life into what's becoming a stale pop music scene in America". Daniel Robson of The Japan TimesThe Japan Times
The Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
panned the album, saying that by hiring the superproducers behind other successful acts Utada "[...]basically make her music as bland, accessible and predictable as possible". He noted some good songs on the album and said the album was "practically x-rated
X-rated
In some countries, X is or has been a motion picture rating reserved for the most explicit films. Films rated X are intended only for viewing by adults, usually legally defined as people over the age of 17.-United Kingdom:...
at times" due to songs like "Dirty Desire" and "Automatic Part II"; where she sings "During my 9 to 5, I'm thinking six and nine" and "Contraceptive, when I'm on it, it's automatic" on the respective songs.
Michael Botsford of AudioScribber gave the album six out of ten. He said the main issue with the album was its obvious influence from American R&B, commenting "[...]we were half expecting Fat Man Scoop to intercept the music and demand we put our hands in the air". He also wrote the album was a "undeniably cute and charming album", and "if she stopped aiming to please the mainstream, this album would have scored a higher rating". David Jeffries of Allmusic gave This Is the One a positive review, stating that "Utada the performer is clearly defined here with slick, polished production supporting her songs rather than dominating them", but that "most of her lyrics are riddled with clichés with plenty of 'whispers in the dark'". Jeffries also mentioned that "Big, behind-the-scene names like Chris "Tricky" Stewart and Antonio "LA" Reid point to the urban meets pop attitude of the album, but Utada will not be overshadowed. This album is hers alone and when placed next to Exodus, it's aptly titled".
Chart performance
In Japan, This Is The One debuted at number three on the OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Weekly chart, selling 77,832 copies in its first week. On the Oricon Foreign Album chart the album debuted atop the chart and would stay at number one for six consecutive weeks. In America fueled by downloads alone, the album debuted on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number 178 and number six on the Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart,selling 5,000 units. The album re-entered the Billboard 200 on the issue date of May 30, 2009, peaking at number 69 with 6,915 units sold and then plunged to number 137 the following week with 3,873 units sold. However, the album overall did not outsell her debut album, Exodus, selling a total of more than 16,000 units in the United States alone (versus Exodus which sold more than 55,000 copies). This Is The One sold 300,000 units worldwide.
Standard Version
The Standard Version tracklist was released in countries like South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Malaysia, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and others than the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with only ten tracks without the bonus tracks.
Japanese Version
The Japanese version of This Is The One has a slightly altered track listing (in both physical and digital formats).Charts and certifications
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
Sales figures | Certification (thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Weekly |
3 | 242,657 | Platinum |
| Japan Oricon International Album | 1 | ||
| Taiwan International | 5 | ||
| Taiwan Western | 2 | ||
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
69 | 16,000 | |
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
6 | ||
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers (Pacific) | 2 | ||
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers (Middle Atlanic) | 3 | ||
| U.S. Billboard Comprehensive Albums | 71 | ||
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums | 10 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Distributing Label |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
March 13, 2009 | Universal Music Japan |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
March 24, 2009 (Digital) | Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
| May 12, 2009 (Physical) | ||
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
March 24, 2009 (Digital) | Universal Music Group Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
| June 23, 2009 (Physical) | ||
| South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... |
March 24, 2009 | |
| Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
||
| Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
||
| Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
April 2, 2009 | |
| World World World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth.... wide |
May 12, 2009 |