Ayumi Hamasaki, a.k.a. "Ayu", is dubbed "the Empress of Japanese Pop". She is hugely popular in Japan and is one of the country's few singers ever to become known overseas. She was born in 1978 on Japan's southern island Kyushu. She moved to Tokyo when she was 14 because she wanted to become a superstar. After a brief spell as a model, she got into singing.
滨崎步（a.k.a.或"Ayu"）被称之为“日本流行音乐皇后”。她在日本大受欢迎，并且还是几位为数不多的日本国际巨星之一。1978年，她出生于日本南部的九州。她想成为超级巨星的梦想让她在14岁时搬到了东京。在进入流行音乐圈之前，她还有过短暂模特经历。
In 1998, she released several singles that did OK in the Japanese charts, but did not give her the fame she desired. Her 1999 debut album ‘A Song for XX’ debuted at number one in the music charts and stayed there for four weeks in a row. Ayu had arrived and her adoring fans loved her. She quickly became an icon anda style sensation.
1998年，她发表了几张单曲，在日本公信榜的排名也算不错，但是还没有达到她预期的目标。1999年，她的首张个人专辑《A song for XX》排在了音乐榜单的第一名，并连续四周排名榜首。滨崎步的时代来临了，粉丝们非常喜爱她。不久，她就成为了偶像人物，并引领了自己的风格。
She has sold over 50 million records, making her one of Japan's best-selling singers ever. She holds the record for a Japanese female having the most number-one singles and for having a number-one single every year for ten consecutive years. Her music videos are the most extravagant and expensive ever made by a non-American.
她的专辑销量达到了5000万张，这使她成为了日本有史以来销量最好的歌手之一。她还保持着日本女歌拥有单曲排名第一最多的记录，她还能够连续十年都拥有一首排名第一的单曲。她的MV是除美国艺人以外制作经费最高，最华丽的。
In 2008, Hamasaki revealed that she had become totally deaf in one ear, and that her condition was permanent. Despite this setback, she stated that she would continue singing. She told her fans that she would "not give up" on them, and that "as a professional", she would like to "deliver the best performance for everyone".
2008年，滨崎步称她一只耳朵永久性失聪。尽管遇上这样的挫折，但是她称她要继续唱歌。她告诉歌迷她不会放弃他们，作为职业歌手，她希望能够为所有人奉献最出色的表演。
译文属秀哈英语原创，未经允许，不得转载。
