CURRENT NEWS
Upcoming 90's Compilation Release
Friday, December 28, 2007
Akina has yet another compilation on the way. Slated for release on February 27, 2008, the compilation is tentatively entitled "90 Best." In keeping with Akina and Universal's recent multi-flavor marketing strategy, the new release will be available in two editions.
The first is a single-CD regular version (UMCK-1245) expected to contain 17 tracks featuring songs from Akina's MCA/Victor and Gauss Entertainment years.
The other is a 4-disc set (UMCK-9196) that will consist of three CDs divided into MCA/Victor years, Gauss Entertainment years, and B-side tracks, along with a bonus DVD featuring live footage and music videos from the 1990's.
"Enka" an Award Winner
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Akina is an award recipient at this year's 49th Nihon Record Taishou (Japan Record Awards). She will receive the Kikakushou (Planning Award) for her cover album "Enka."
This honor is awarded to an artist whose album, through well thought out planning and production, best exemplifies a specific musical style or theme and effectively introduces and/or makes it appealing to the general public. This is further indication of Akina's success with "Enka."
The awards show will air on TBS on December 30.
Christmas Dinner Shows
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Akina is once again performing a series of dinner shows during the month of December. Faithway has announced the schedule, as follows:
| Akina Nakamori 25th Anniversary Dinner-Show 2007 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Venue | Time (Dinner/Show) | Ticket Prices | More Information |
| Dec. 9 Sun. |
Pacific Hotel (Okinawa) |
1) 16:50/18:00 2) 19:50/21:00 |
SS: ¥40,000 S: ¥34,000 A: ¥28,000 |
098-868-9887 (10:00~20:00) |
| Dec. 14 Fri. |
Yamagata Onuma Hotel |
1) 17:00/18:15 2) 20:45/22:00 |
S: ¥37,000 A: ¥35,000 B: ¥33,000
S: ¥35,000 |
023-633-5080 |
| Dec. 17 Mon. |
Okura Act City Hotel Hamamatsu |
1) 17:30/18:30 2) 20:30/21:30 |
¥35,000 | 053-459-0112 |
| Dec. 19 Wed. |
Castle Plaza (Nagoya) |
1) 17:30/18:30 2) 20:00/21:00 |
¥35,000 |
Faithway 03-5333-5339 13:00~17:00 (M~F) |
| Dec. 20 Thu. |
Hotel Sunshine Aoyama (Himeji) |
1) 16:30/17:30 2) 20:00/21:00 |
Special: ¥44,000 Regular: ¥40,000 |
079-222-7558 |
| Dec. 22 Sat. |
Hotel New Otani (Tokyo) |
1) 18:30/20:00 | ¥44,000 |
Faithway 03-5333-5339 13:00~17:00 (M~F) |
| Dec. 24 Mon. |
Rhiga Royal Hotel (Osaka) |
1) 18:30/20:00 | ¥40,000 | |
| Dec. 25 Tue. |
Yokohama Royal Park Hotel | 1) 18:30/20:00 |
S: ¥40,000 A: ¥38,000 |
|
| Dec. 26 Wed. |
Palace Hotel Omiya (Saitama) |
1) 16:00/17:00 2) 19:30/20:30 |
¥37,000 | 048-647-3300 |
| Dec. 29 Sat. |
Oiso Prince Hotel (Kanagawa) |
1) 16:00/17:30 2) 20:00/21:30 |
¥35,000 |
0463-61-1111 (10:00~21:00) |
| Dec. 31 Mon. |
Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay AKINA NAKAMORI 25th ANNIVERSARY COUNT DOWN DINNER SHOW 2007-2008
This special live countdown |
1) 20:30/22:30 | ¥50,000 | 047-355-3333 |
* Ticket reservations for the shows held at Yokohama Royal Park, New Otani, and Rhiga Royal should be made in the following manner:
- Japan Postal Transfer
- Account #00110-9-190991
- Recipient: Faithway （ファイスウェイ）
- Remitter's name, address, phone number (for delivery of tickets)
- Message: Faithway fan-club member number, desired show date, venue, time, and number of tickets
- Amount remitted: Ticket price + ¥500 postage and handling
DVD Collection II Released
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
On September 5, 2007, Warner released "Akina Nakamori DVD Collection II."
The 3-disc DVD set is a companion to the "Akina Nakamori 5.1 Audio Remaster DVD
Collection" released earlier in the year, and includes Akina's previously released DVDs ("New Akina Etranger ~ Nakamori Akina in Europe", "Hajimemashite", and "CROSS MY PALM") housed in a special case.
Happy Birthday, Akina!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Akina turned 42 on July 13, 2007. This time, she did not celebrate her birthday with the customary concert performance as in previous years, but she was nevertheless very much in the hearts and minds of her fans on this special day.
Happy 42nd, Akina!!!
New Cover Album, New Genre
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Akina's newest cover album represents quite a departure from her previous releases in more ways than one.
Entitled "Enka," and released by Universal Music on June 27, 2007, the album is Akina's first foray into the enka musical style. In this album, Akina covers a selection of classic enka hits made famous by a number of popular female vocalists including Ishikawa Sayuri, Sakamoto Fuyumi, and Teresa Teng. Like her earlier "Utahime" series of cover albums, "Enka" features full orchestration and arrangement by celebrated composer Senju Akira.
Akina's fans were given an opportunity to weigh in on the selection process for the album's content. From April 12 to May 15, 2007, a poll was conducted at Akina's official Universal web site to determine which enka songs fans most favored and desired her to record. The majority of the final track selections reflect the results of the poll--the only exceptions being "Michizure," "Yagiri no Watashi," and "Kukou," which were personally selected by Akina.
Finally, the album is available on CD in three distinct editions, as well as on cassette tape (ostensibly as an option for listeners among the older set). The CD variations include a standard CD-only version, a limited edition "A" version which is packaged together with a special DVD, and a limited edition "B" version which comes paired with a second CD containing instrumental versions of all the tracks. The "B" version further differs from the standard and "A" versions with the inclusion of a bonus track ("Kukou," originally by Teresa Teng) not found on the others.
Akina's promotional efforts included a visit to the Toyokawa Inari Shrine in Tokyo on June 26, 2007, where she prayed for her album to be a success. Later during a Yahoo! Live Talk interview session, Akina revealed that the concept of the enka cover album had not been her idea. She was not comfortable with the notion because she had considered the enka singing style to be too challenging, and it required a good deal of convincing by her staff before she ultimately agreed to do it.
With "Enka," it is evident that Akina has successfully risen to the challenge once again.
Happy Anniversary, Akina!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
"May Day" marks another milestone: Akina began her career exactly 25 years ago on this date. Akina, then 16-years old, officially made her debut on May 1, 1982, when she released her first single "Slow Motion," under the Reprise label.
Congratulations to Akina on 25 successful years in the music industry, and best wishes for many more to come!
Another Best Album Release
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
On March 28, Akina released another best album to commemorate her 25th year in the music industry. Entitled "Ballade Best ~25th Anniversary Selection~", the album features a selection of her well-known ballads (three newly re-recorded and others taken from prior albums), recent singles, and one completely new song ("Ano Natsu no Hi").
The compilation is available in both a standard CD-only version, and a limited edition version which includes a DVD featuring never-before-released video footage taken from Akina's first concert tour "AKINA MILKYWAY '83 ~ Haru no Kaze wo Kanjite" in 1983.
DVD Box Set Release
Thursday, January 18, 2007
On January 24, Warner will release "Akina Nakamori 5.1 Audio Remaster DVD Collection."
The DVD box set will include
5.1 channel audio remastered versions of Akina's previously released DVDs
("Bitter & Sweet," "Akina Nakamori East Live Index 23," "Yume - '91 Akina Nakamori Special Live,"
"Live in '87 ~ A HUNDRED days," and "Live in '88 ~ Femme Fatale") housed in a special case.
Utahime Best and Last Destination DVD Released
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
On January 17, Akina released a new album and concert DVD.
The album, entitled "Utahime Best ~ 25th Anniversary Selection" features a collection of songs from her popular "Utahime" series of cover albums, two newly recorded covers (the much anticipated rendition of Yamaguchi Momoe's "Iihi Tabidachi," as well as Yazawa Eikichi's "China Town"), and a live version of Inoue Yosui's "Riverside Hotel."
Two versions of the album are available: a regular edition (CD only; UMCK-1218) and a limited edition
(UMCK-9154), which comes with a bonus DVD that includes an interview and behind-the-scenes footage.
The DVD release (UMBK-1115) features concert tour footage from
"AKINA NAKAMORI LIVE 2006 - The
Last Destination" filmed on August 8, 2006 at Tokyo International Forum. The concert features a mix
of recent hits, including "Hana yo Odore" and "Rakka Ryusui," in addition to a medley of older classics
including "DESIRE," "Meu Amor é," and "Kazarijanainoyo Namidawa."