Party Queen
{{More citations needed|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Party Queen
| type = studio
| artist = Ayumi Hamasaki
| cover = Party Queen CD+DVD cover.jpg|border=yes
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2012|03|21}}
| recorded = 2011–2012
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 53:04
| label = Avex Trax
| producer = Max Matsuura
| prev_title = Five
| prev_year = 2011
| next_title = A Summer Best
| next_year = 2012
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Party Queen
| type = studio
| single1 = How Beautiful You Are
| single1date = February 8, 2012 (digital release)
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |last=Yeung |first=Neil Z. |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/party-queen-mw0002352185 |title=Party Queen – Ayumi Hamasaki |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=May 30, 2023}}
}}
Party Queen is the thirteenth full-length studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. The album was released digitally on March 14, 2012 and physically on March 21, 2012 through Avex Trax. Primarily a pop album, Party Queen is made up mostly of dance songs and ballads. As with all of Hamasaki's albums, she wrote all of the lyrics. Composition was handled by a team of composers, as with many of her albums. Party Queen featured music videos and songs recorded in London and was her second album to do so.
Party Queen became Hamasaki's first album to feature no physical singles; however, "How Beautiful You Are" was released digitally as the album's lead single. As it lacked a physical release, "How Beautiful You Are" was ineligible to chart on the Oricon singles chart, but it did chart at number fifty-two on Billboard's Japan Hot 100, and number three on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for digital sales exceeding 100,000.
Party Queen received mixed reviews from music critics. Commercially, the album became her second to miss the Oricon's top position, debuting at number two in Japan with first-week sales of 97,691 copies, the lowest of her career at that time. It sold around 150,000 copies in Japan by the end of its chart run and received Gold certification.
Release
Party Queen was released in 5 different formats: CD only version; CD+DVD version; CD+2DVD version with the second DVD being Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2011-2012: Hotel Love Songs; a special limited box set containing CD+4DVD with Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2011-2012: Hotel Love Songs, Ayumi Hamasaki Power of Music 2011 A: Limited Edition, 2 half-pint glasses and 2 cork coasters; another similar special box set containing CD+2DVD+Blu-ray, Blu-ray being Ayumi Hamasaki Power of Music 2011 A: Limited Edition.
Only 2 songs had commercial endorsements prior to the album release: "Party Queen" was used as commercial song for Peach John and "How Beautiful You Are" was the theme song for drama show "Saigokara Nibanme no Koi".{{cite web | url=http://www.jpopasia.com/news/ayumi-hamasaki-sings-theme-song-for-upcoming-drama::9633.html | title = Ayumi Hamasaki Sings Theme Song for Upcoming Drama | accessdate=2011-12-22}} And the promotional music video for the single notably featured an appearance by late gay pornographic actor Koh Masaki and his boyfriend.{{Cite web|url=http://www.queerty.com/remembering-masaki-koh-what-made-the-late-gay-porn-star-so-special-20130612|title = Remembering Masaki Koh: What Made the Late Gay Porn Star So Special?}}
To promote Party Queen after its release, Hamasaki attracted around 3,000 fans for her "Public Recording Session Event" at FM Osaka, which was held at Abeno Market Park Ceus Mall on March 27. After that, Hamasaki did Yahoo GyaO's live talk with Joshinavi.{{cite web |url=http://news.mynavi.jp/c_cobs/news/etb/2012/03/4-1.html | title=浜崎あゆみ4年半ぶりの全国キャンペーン笑顔で完走 |accessdate=2012-03-29}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Disc1: CD (CD, CD+DVD, CD+2DVD)
| all_lyrics = Ayumi Hamasaki
| extra_column = Arranger(s)
| title1 = Party Queen
| music1 = Timothy Wellard
| extra1 = Tasuku
| length1 = 3:56
| title2 = NaNaNa
| music2 = Corin
| extra2 = CMJK
| length2 = 3:41
| title3 = Shake It
| music3 = Bounceback
| extra3 = CMJK
| length3 = 3:49
| title4 = Taskebab
| music4 = Tasuku
| extra4 = Tasuku
| length4 = 1:50
| note4 = instrumental
| title5 = Call
| music5 = Katsumi Ohnishi
| extra5 = Tasuku
| length5 = 4:04
| title6 = Letter
| music6 = Katsumi Ohnishi
| extra6 = Tasuku, Harvey Brough{{ref|a|[a]}}
| length6 = 4:41
| title7 = Reminds Me
| music7 = Yuta Nakano
| extra7 = Tasuku, Harvey Brough{{ref|a|[a]}}
| length7 = 5:21
| title8 = Return Road
| music8 = D.A.I
| extra8 = Yuta Nakano
| length8 = 4:54
| title9 = Tell Me Why
| music9 = Hanif Sabzevari, Lene Dissing,
Marcus Winther-John, Dimitri Stassos
| extra9 = CMJK
| length9 = 3:41
| title10 = A Cup of Tea
| music10 = CMJK
| extra10 = CMJK
| length10 = 1:42
| title11 = The Next Love
| music11 = Timothy Wellard
| extra11 = Yuta Nakano
| length11 = 4:04
| title12 = Eyes, Smoke, Magic
| music12 = Timothy Wellard
| extra12 = Yuta Nakano
| length12 = 4:09
| title13 = Serenade in A Minor
| music13 = Yuta Nakano
| extra13 = Yuta Nakano
| length13 = 2:18
| title14 = How Beautiful You Are
| music14 = Timothy Wellard
| extra14 = Yuta Nakano
| length14 = 5:01
}}
Notes
- {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} denotes strings arrangement.
{{Track listing
| headline = DVD-1 (CD+DVD, CD+2DVD, CD+4DVD Box set, CD+2DVD+2Blu-ray Box set)
| extra_column = Director(s)
| title1 = Shake It
| note1 = Video clip
| extra1 =
| length1 =
| title2 = NaNaNa
| note2 = Video clip
| extra2 =
| length2 =
| title3 = Return Road
| note3 = Video clip
| extra3 =
| length3 =
| title4 = How Beautiful You Are
| note4 = Video clip
| extra4 =
| length4 =
| title5 = Shake It
| note5 = Making Clip
| extra5 =
| length5 =
| title6 = NaNaNa
| note6 = making clip
| extra6 =
| length6 =
| title7 = Return Road
| note7 = making clip
| extra7 =
| length7 =
| title8 = How Beautiful You Are
| note8 = making clip
| extra8 =
| length8 =
|}}
{{Track listing
| headline = DVD-2: COUNTDOWN LIVE 2011-2012 ～HOTEL Love songs (CD+2DVD, CD+4DVD Box set, CD+2DVD+2Blu-ray Box set)
| extra_column =
| title1 = Do It Again
| title2 = Happening Here
| title3 = Insomnia
| title4 = Moon
| title5 = Fated
| title6 = Feedback
| title7 = Never Ever
| title8 = Sending Mail
| title9 = Machine
| title10 = Sparkle
| title11 = Humming 7/4
| title12 = Evolution
| title13 = Rainbow
| title14 = November
| title15 = Music
| title16 = Ladies Night
| title17 = Party Queen
| title18 = Happening Here
| title19 = Love Song
| title20 = How Beautiful You Are
| title21 = Trauma~Boys & Girls
| title22 = My All
|}}
Release history
Charts and certifications
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Charts=
| class="wikitable" style="width:650px;" |
| Chart
!Peak Position !Debut Sales !Total Sales !Chart Run |
|---|
| Oricon Daily Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | 27,338 | rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 170,000 | rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 22 weeks |
| Oricon Weekly Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | 97,691 |
| Oricon Monthly Chart
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 |124,305 |
| Oricon Yearly Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|38 |148,290 |
=Certifications=
| class="wikitable" |
| Country
!Provider |
|---|
| Japan
| style="text-align:center;"|RIAJ | style="text-align:center;"|Gold{{Cite web|url=http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/201203.html|title = 一般社団法人 日本レコード協会}} |
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ayumi Hamasaki}}
{{Ayumi Hamasaki singles}}
{{Authority control}}