After much speculations, it has been confirmed that J-pop's top artist Hikaru Utada is set to make a comeback. The Japanese singer-songwriter will be performing the theme song for an upcoming television drama.
According to Straitstimes (Yomiuri Online), the "First Love" singer will be returning to the entertainment industry after a five-year break. Currently, she has almost finished writing the song of the upcoming live-action drama to be aired on NHK. She is writing the last line of the song that will be featured in the unspecified television series that will premiere on April 4.
The news was confirmed by the songstress herself via her Twitter account. She shared the big news with her 2 million followers on Jan. 20, Wednesday. Scroll down to read the twitter message. An update has been made on Utada's website as well.
The singer, who recently turned 33, earned fame and popularity with her second album "First Love." Her album became the bestselling Japanese-language album of all time with eight million sold copies.
She is also a well-known artist in international market. In 2004, she released her first English-language album titled "Exodus." Some of her brilliant works include, her theme songs for "Evangelion 1.0" and "Evangelion 2.0," her album "Precious" and "This is the One," single "Do You" as a featured artist with Ne-Yo and more.
According to Pop Crush, Utada's last few performances include 2012's Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo theme song "Sakura Nagashi." This will also be her second theme song for an NHK series.
In December 2010, Utada announced the hiatus. She went on a break in January 2011 to concentrate on her personal life. In 2014, she got married to her Italian boyfriend and gave birth to her son last year.
Rumours about Utada's return surfaced last year. It was reported that the songstress will return with a full-fledged album and two theme songs in spring 2016. However, Utada's father Teruzane cleared the air and rejected the rumours.
As noted by Anime News Network, in July 2015, Utada revealed that she was working on a new album. However, there is no news of its release.