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16 Aug – Japanese pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki has become the first solo artist to have sold 50 million copies of singles and album throughout her career.
According to Tokyo Hive, the Oricon charts had tallied the total number of her 65 singles and 45 albums that had been sold to be 50,023,000 copies as of August 20, which makes her not only the first solo artist to reach that record but also the first female artist to do so.
"When I debuted, I did not think I would be able to reach this far, but I'm really glad to have established a great record like this while gaining the support of many people," the 33-year old said about her achievement.
She continued: "This is not Hamasaki Ayumi's record – I believe it is my fans' record who have cheered me on and have been continuously supporting me. From here on out, I will continue to deliver more songs, so please support me."
Ayumi is also the current holder of various Oricon records such as having the most consecutive first place wins (25 singles), highest number of first place wins (37 singles) and most consecutive first place wins in years (12 years).
Ayumi made her debut in April 1998.