Ultra Blue

Ultra Blue
Ultra Blue
Studio album by Hikaru Utada
Released	June 14, 2006
Recorded	2002–2006
Studio	Bunkamura Studio; Conway Recording Studios; Saffron Hills Studio; Studio Terra; The Hit Factory; Westlake Audio;
Genre	J-pop; art pop; electronica;
Length	56:32
Label	Toshiba-EMI
Producer	Hikaru Utada; Akira Miyake; Teruzane Utada;
Hikaru Utada chronology
Singles from Ultra Blue
	"Colors"; Released: January 29, 2003; "Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro"; Released: April 21, 2004; "Be My Last"; Released: September 28, 2005; "Passion"; Released: December 14, 2005; "Keep Tryin'"; Released: February 22, 2006; "This Is Love"; Released: May 31, 2006 (digital single);

Ultra Blue (stylized in all caps) is the sixth album by Japanese–American singer Hikaru Utada, released on June 14, 2006, by EMI Music Japan. It is the first original Japanese language album under Hikaru Utada's name in four years since her third album Deep River (2002). Ultra Blue contains thirteen songs, including six singles released between 2003 and 2006. While the arrangements for her album Deep River were done collaboratively, all but one of the songs on Ultra Blue were written, composed, and arranged solely by Utada, who also did the programming herself. In this album, the R&B elements that have been present since her debut are further diminished, and the majority of the songs have an electronic flavor with an emphasis on synth sounds.

Ultra Blue received mostly positive reception from music critics. The album was a commercial success in Japan, selling over 500,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart. By the end of the fiscal year, it became 2006's best-selling original album by a Japanese female soloist. It was also the fourth most downloaded album of the year on iTunes Japan, and was certified as a million-seller by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). During summer 2006, Utada held a nationwide concert tour to help support the album titled Utada United 2006.