| Remember You | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Ayumi Hamasaki |
| Cover: | Ayumi Hamasaki Remember You cover.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Caption: | CD and DVD, and digital download artwork |
| Recorded: | 2020–2022 |
| Genre: | J-pop |
| Label: | Avex Trax |
| Prev Title: | Trouble |
| Prev Year: | 2018 |
Remember You is the eighteenth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. Preceded by seven singles released from 2020 to 2022, it also marks her first studio album release in the Reiwa era.
To promote the release, Hamasaki named her New Year's Eve concerts after the album: Countdown Live 2022–2023 A: Remember You. Two concerts were held over December 30 and 31, with the latter date streamed through dTV.[1] [2] On December 28, it was announced that the song "(Not) Remember You" would be made available on January 1, 2023, as a pre-release album track on all streaming platforms.[3] A second pre-release album track, "Just the Way You Are", was released on January 18 alongside a promotional clip featuring Kumamoto Pro-Wrestling, a member of the comedy duo Benishoga. After its release online, Japanese media widely covered the collaboration, praising the song as "a gentle, yet emotional ballad".[4] [5] [6]
Hamasaki confirmed that she was working on her next studio album in April 2022, announcing it at the end of her Asia Tour: 24th Anniversary Special concert.[7] Its release date was later changed due to issues with writer's block, moving from 2022 to January 25, 2023.
Remember You is an outlier in Hamasaki's standard release schedule, being seven years after her last studio album Made in Japan.[8] After a string of singles across 2020 and 2021, the singer commented on her official Instagram account on March 2, 2022 that she was "receiving many exciting demos" from multiple composers.[9] One of those demos was confirmed to be from Tetsuya Komuro; he was later credited as the composer and arranger for her single "Mask".
The singer spoke of struggling with the creative process and burnout during the creation of the album, as well as having anxiety figuring out "what Ayu would do" when preparing to perform on-stage.[10] Remember you is also Hamasaki's first full album release since speaking about having impaired hearing in her right ear, being fully deaf in her left ear since the 2000s.[11]
Remember you includes Hajime Kato and Hisashi Koyama's first collaborations with Hamasaki, along with the return of Kazuhito Kikuchi, who last worked with Hamasaki for her 2006 album Secret. While Yuta Nakano arranged the majority of the album, both Atsushi Sato and Takehito Shimizu were brought back as arrangers for "23rd Monster", having worked with the singer for Made in Japan and Trouble.
Lyrically, Hamasaki explores various subjects through the album, touching upon themes of loneliness, dissonance, and self-doubt. "Dreamed a Dream" contrasts aggressive 90s-inspired beats with a contemplative set of lyrics; the singer openly reflects on her work, and the perceived limitations she has at this point in her career.[12] This line of thinking is continued in the later-released "23rd Monster", Hamasaki accusing herself of having grown complacent before naming herself as the "monster" the title refers to ("Doing only what you have to, choosing surrender rather than fight/You're also a 'monster'"). The song continues to address both herself and faceless detractors, the heavy pop-rock foundation of the song underscoring the conclusion of needing to take back control of her own career.[13]
Hamasaki wrote and recorded the album between concert tours, which included TA Summer Party 2022, Asia Tour 2021-2022 A: 23rd Monster, and Countdown Live 2022–2023: Remember You. The creative process was noted to be rigorous, with Hamasaki at one point posting that "Just because a song is finished, doesn't mean it'll see the light of day", and "I wonder how many times I've created and destroyed things over the past year, and how many songs there will be when I'm done with all of them". Ultimately, while the initial announcement of the album listed 12 tracks, the final tracklist confirmed 14 tracks in total.[14]
First unveiled on December 23, 2022, the cover art features Hamasaki in the Peninsula Suite of the Tokyo Peninsula Hotel, looking into the distance against a backdrop of the city nightscape. Notably, Hamasaki spoke of often staying at the hotel over the two years writing the album.[15]
The photographer is credited as Masayuki Kamo, who also shot the cover visuals for .[16]
Remember You was released on January 25, 2023. Six different formats were advertised: a CD, CD+DVD, CD+Blu-ray, digital download, and a double-disc edition—CD+2DVD+Goods, and a CD+2Blu-ray+Goods set. The latter edition of the album includes the singer's A-Nation Online 2020 performance stage, which showcased a live rendition of the 'despair trilogy'—"Vogue", "Far Away", and "Seasons".
The TeamAyu version of the album included a 92-page photobook, described as a mix of a new photoshoot and off-shots from 2020 to 2022.[17] The photoshoot made use of haute couture pieces commissioned specifically for Hamasaki.
Remember You received glowing reviews from Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic and Subaru Tomioka of Cinra. Yeung praised Hamasaki's vocals and the arrangements on the ballad tracks, concluding that Remember You was a triumph for the singer and "one of her best albums". Tomioka dubbed the album as "powerful and precious", complimenting Hamasaki's continued lyrical ability.[18] Tomoyuki Mori of RealSound also wrote a positive overview, appreciating that the album served as a reminder of Hamasaki's unwavering ability to "stick to her own will", both for herself and her fans.[19]
Remember You debuted at number 6 on the Weekly Oricon Albums Chart, selling 11,317 copies.[20] It had a peak of number 3 on its initial release date.
With Remember Yous performance, Hamasaki became the female artist with the most albums to reach the top 10—a total of 54. She had previously tied for first place with Seiko Matsuda.[21] [22]
The album was also successful throughout many parts of Asia. Upon release, the Taiwanese version of Remember You topped the G-Music East Asian Chart.[23] The album spent 2 non-consecutive weeks at number 1 in Taiwan, and reached number 1 on the KKBOX Japanese Album Chart in Singapore.[24]
| Peak position | ||
| Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[25] | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[26] | 6 | |
| Taiwanese J-pop Albums (G-Music)[27] | 1 |
| Peak position | ||
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] | 26 |
|---|
| Peak position | ||
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] | 242 | |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwanese J-pop Albums (G-Music)[30] | 1 |