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Tokyo Weekender
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Elon Musk Reportedly Fathered Child With Japanese Pop Star, Ayumi Hamasaki Says It's Not Her
In an interview with The New York Times that was published last week, Ashley St. Clair, a conservative influencer who announced that she gave birth to Elon Musk's 14th child in February, claimed that the world's richest man has also fathered a baby with a Japanese pop star. Unsurprisingly, this sparked an online frenzy of speculation, with many suggesting Ayumi Hamasaki as the potential mother. On Monday, she quashed that rumor. 'I've been keeping an eye on this, and I guess it's time for me to speak up. Elon Musk is not the father of [either of] my children,' she wrote on her Instagram story. The singer added that she could understand why people thought it was her as it was the 'sort of thing' she would do. Hamasaki continued, 'Even my mom laughed when she heard the rumors, saying, 'This seems kind of Ayu-like,' and if I were someone else, I'd probably be saying 'Ayu is the pop star [St Clair] was talking about, right?' But it's just not true. Setting aside my personal image, when my kids are old enough to start Googling things , I don't want them to run into the rumors and think they're true, so I'm firmly denying them.' About Ayumi Hamasaki J-pop royalty, Hamasaki is the best-selling solo artist in Japan's history, with sales exceeding 50 million units. She has the most number-one singles by a female singer and the most consecutive number-one hits by a solo artist. A Best , the first greatest hits album by Hamasaki, was released on the same day as Distance by Hikaru Utada . They were the two best-selling albums of the 2000s. At the end of 2019, Hamasaki gave birth to her first child, a son. Her second child, another boy, was born in the spring of 2021. She has never publicly revealed who is the father of either of her children. Hamasaki was married to Austrian actor and model Manuel Schwarz between 2011 and 2012. Her second marriage was to American medical student Tyson Bodkin from 2013 to 2016. Related Posts A Complete Guide to 50 Years of Music in Japan (1970-2020) Elon Musk's Tweet About Japan's Low Birthrate Described as 'Fatuous' Japan Back Then: The Stories That Gripped the Nation in the 2000s
Independent Singapore
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
As part of her 2025 Asia tour, J-pop artist Ayumi Hamasaki will perform in Singapore
Photo: Instagram/Ayumi Hamasaki SINGAPORE: According to CNA, J-pop artist Ayumi Hamasaki will perform in Singapore in 2025. Avex, the artist's agency, announced the news on its website on April 9. However, further information about the concerts , including dates, venues, and tickets , has not been announced yet. Photo: Instagram/Ayumi Hamasaki The following day, Hamasaki updated her Instagram bio to include the cities she will be heading to . The itinerary includes Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Nagoya, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka, Sendai, Fukuoka , and more. It's been a while since Singaporean fans last saw Hamasaki live. Her last performance in the country was back in 2014. Held at Marina Bay Sands, Hamasaki was part of a Japanese musical festival called A-Nation. Loss of hearing In 2008, she shared that she had lost all hearing in her left ear because of a bad ear infection she picked up back in 2000, right in the middle of one of her tours. As if that wasn't tough enough, she also started losing hearing in her right ear around 2017. Despite these challenges with her hearing, she's never stopped touring and making music. At 46 years old, Hamasaki is famous for some fantastic songs, especially 'Seasons' from 2000 and 'Blue Bird,' which came out in 2006. She started her music journey in 1998 with her first single, 'Poker Face,' a nd just recently, on April 8, she dropped a brand new single called 'Mimosa'—a special way to celebrate her incredible 27th anniversary in the music industry. Talented singer, songwriter, and producer Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, born Oct 2, 1978) is a highly influential Japanese singer-songwriter and producer, nicknamed the 'Empress of Pop' due to her significant impact throughout Asia. She is well-known for her varied songwriting, music production, and engaging live performances. Notably, Hamasaki holds the title of the best-selling solo artist in Japan and is considered a cultural icon of the Heisei era. Hamasaki grew up in Fukuoka. She moved to Tokyo in 1993. She wasn't just focused on singing from the start—she initially went there to try her hand at modelling and acting. Rapid rise to fame Her music career took off in 1998 with the release of her debut single , 'Poker Face', followed by her first major-label album, 'A Song for ××', in 1999. It was a huge hit , topping the Oricon charts for five weeks and selling over a million copies. Her relatable and insightful lyrics were a primary reason for her rapid rise to fame. Over the years that followed, Hamasaki just kept releasing amazing music . Ten more albums were released, each selling over a million copies in Japan. Duty (2000), her third album , almost reached three million in sales. A Best (2001), her first compilation album , cemented her superstar status. It sold over four million copies domestically and represented more than 40% of her record label's income. After the massive success of her A Best album, it seems that Hamasaki felt she could explore her creativity. That's when she started playing around with her music and the lyrics she wrote. She began mixing in English lyrics, starting with her Rainbow album in 2002. Her subsequent albums explored various genres, from electronic dream-pop to rock.
