hitomi | Profile

hitomi (always in lower case) is a very cute and sexy girl. Oh, and she also happens to sing. Born Hitomi Furuya on January 26, 1976 in Tochigi prefecture, hitomi has been a popular idol singer now for over a decade. But overwhelmingly, it's her long, tall, curvy frame and flawless facial features that get the most attention. Unlike many idols, however, hitomi writes most of her own lyrics, and she plays guitar live, and she does have plenty of fans who enjoy her music without staring at the CD jacket. She got her start when she was scouted by super producer Tetsuya Komuro at a modeling audition. Her first two singles performed only marginally, but her third single “Candy Girl” broke into the Oricon top 20, due in part to its use in a Kodak TV ad. Her debut album on the Avex label, Go To the Top, was released in September 1995, and sold very well. Her second album, By Myself, was a smash hit, with the title track breaking the Oricon top 10 singles chart and the album reaching #1. On her third album deja-vu, she is posed coquettishly, peering up with her hands thrust suggestively between her legs, maximizing the sexy aspect of her image. This was to be her last album recorded with Komuro, who it is said encouraged her to do more of her own songwriting. Album number four in 1999, a singles compilation entitled h, possibly merely the first letter of her name but also a common Japanese euphemism for sex, featured a double image of her in a skimp... Read More

hitomi (always in lower case) is a very cute and sexy girl. Oh, and she also happens to sing. Born Hitomi Furuya on January 26, 1976 in Tochigi prefecture, hitomi has been a popular idol singer now for over a decade. But overwhelmingly, it's her long, tall, curvy frame and flawless facial features that get the most attention. Unlike many idols, however, hitomi writes most of her own lyrics, and she plays guitar live, and she does have plenty of fans who enjoy her music without staring at the CD jacket. She got her start when she was scouted by super producer Tetsuya Komuro at a modeling audition. Her first two singles performed only marginally, but her third single “Candy Girl” broke into the Oricon top 20, due in part to its use in a Kodak TV ad. Her debut album on the Avex label, Go To the Top, was released in September 1995, and sold very well. Her second album, By Myself, was a smash hit, with the title track breaking the Oricon top 10 singles chart and the album reaching #1. On her third album deja-vu, she is posed coquettishly, peering up with her hands thrust suggestively between her legs, maximizing the sexy aspect of her image. This was to be her last album recorded with Komuro, who it is said encouraged her to do more of her own songwriting. Album number four in 1999, a singles compilation entitled h, possibly merely the first letter of her name but also a common Japanese euphemism for sex, featured a double image of her in a skimpy outfit attached to a sheep. After splitting with Komuro, some critics doubted that she would remain as hot, but her first post-Komuro record, Thermo Plastic, reached #2 in Oricon, furthering her credibility as a solo artist. She has revealed in interviews that her favorite musicians include Beck, Bjork and Radiohead, making her more musically hip than many critics would have imagined. Her album of 2000, Love Life, featured a photo from the top of the hips up, completely nude except for a strategically arranged hairstyle. Billboards for this album were said to have caused a number of traffic accidents, as male drivers were gawking rather than watching the road. 2002’s huma-rhythm featured a photo of hitomi in an American Indian head dress, and it promptly went to #1. The billboard for this one also featured plenty of skin. Some retailers sold the initial shipment of the CD with a poster included , helping the album fly out of stores. Advertisers have not overlooked hitomi’s beauty and popularity. She has appeared in many TV commercials, including spots for Trussardi, Kao Soap, Mod’s Hair and Gillette. The song “I am” was used as the opening theme of the popular anime InuYasha, and “Is It You” for the popular TV show Dekichatta Kekkon. In 2002 hitomi released a double disc greatest hits album, Self-Portrait, which featured a close-up picture of her without make-up, perhaps trying to pull back from the cute and sexy image. It was followed by a b-sides collection entitled HTM Tiartrop Fles , “self-portrait” backwards. The jacket features a crudely drawn close-up of a girl lying down with a close-up on the crotch of her green panties. Okay, so much for pulling back from the sexy image... The same year hitomi faced a rumor in the scandal driven media that she was a lesbian. This rumor was largely squashed when she married an advertising executive in a low profile wedding later that year. In 2003 she gave birth to mixed twins, and as a result did not release an album that year. Both of her children were named after characters in novels by the author Haruki Murakami, with whom she is said to share a relationship of artistic mutual admiration. 2004’s Traveler features hitomi dressed as the Statue of Liberty with a cowgirl hat with a rainbow and flying unicorns. It was a solid comeback which enjoyed good sales. The arena tour that followed also went over well, helping to erase doubt that either she would lose popularity after getting married, or that she would choose to retire after having kids. In addition to her CDs, hitomi has released a number of DVDs, and her recent Japanese Girl Collection 2005: Love Music, Love Fashion was released in November 2005. Collapse