Hikari is one of Utada’s most compelling songs to date. Released at the turn of age 20 in 2002, the self-titled song which means light in Japanese (also similar to her first name), allows the listener to enjoy Utada’s vocals in a new and delightful way. Hikari is a great song because it not only showcases Hikaru’s composition and writing talent, but it lets the listener contemplate on the simple things in life. The lyrics while very straightforward, are contemplative at the same time. For a young artist at that time, Hikari is a great piece of work.

Prior to Hikari, Utada’s songs always had an R&B tempo to them. However, Hikari is folk-pop and sung to the acoustic guitar. And the MV to Hikari is just Hikaru smiling and singing along to the song while she is washing dishes. I enjoy Hikari more when it is performed live because you can see how much Hikki loves singing songs. It is a proud piece of hers and one of her most popular songs to date due to the video game Kingdom Hearts. The English version of this song is called Simple & Clean. Here is a live version of Hikari during her Laughter in the Dark Tour in 2018. You can watch this tour on Netflix now.