Utada Hikaru was born in New York, to Japanese parents with roots in the Japanese music industry. Her father, Teruzane Utada, was a record producer, while her mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer who performed under the stage name "Keiko Fuji". Junko Utada's mother was a traditional blind shamisen player or goze. Utada made her first professional recording at the age of twelve. She did her recordings with her mother and released songs under U3 until 1996, when she started her first solo project "I'll be Stronger." The "Cookin' With Moses Vocal" was originally called the "Cookin' With Gas Vocal" on the promo disk. "I'll Be Stronger" was the first song Utada Hikaru wrote and was released under the name Cubic U (Utada Hikaru's pseudonym before becoming a superstar in Japan). The song failed to be released in the USA and in 1997 she started her next project. Albums 1998 Precious 1999 First Love 2001 Distance 2002 Deep River 2004 Utada Hikaru Single Collection 2004 Exodus 2006 Ultra Blue.
