Rainbow (stylized as R16pxINBOW) is the fifth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, released on 18 December 2002 by Avex Trax. Production of Rainbow had commenced after the release of Hamasaki's fourth studio album I Am... that January; All lyrics were written by Hamasaki, and Japanese producer Max Matsuura returned to produce the album. The album was Hamasaki's first to feature conversational English lyrics, where in her previous works she had only used single words.
Channelling pop and trip hop music, Rainbow focuses on lighter themes that were established on her previous album. Some songs focus on loneliness, sadness and relationships, while the rest talk about happiness, having fun and nostalgia. Critics' opinions of the album were generally favourable; the composition and lyrical content were commended. However, some critics dismissed Hamasaki's vocals and Matsuura's production. Upon its release, the album entered the Oricon Albums Chart at number one with first week sales of over one million units, becoming her fifth album to reach the top spot, her fourth to debut there, and her fourth to sell over one million copies in its debut week. Rainbow is the 89th highest-selling Japanese album of all time.
Hamasaki promoted the album by releasing three singles: "Free & Easy", "H", and "Voyage". All three reached number one, with "Free & Easy" becoming the first of a record breaking twenty-five consecutive number one singles, a streak that did not break until 2013, when her single "Feel the Love/Merry-Go-Round" stalled at number five. All of the singles except "H" were accompanied by a short music video. Hamasaki performed several tracks from the album in several television appearances in 2002 and 2003, and has performed some of the album's songs on several concert tours and countdown live shows.
Background and development
On January 1, 2002, Hamasaki released her fourth studio album I Am... on Avex Trax. The album saw a new direction for Hamasaki, whose first three studio albums were dominated by a pop rock sounds, with lyrics based on loneliness, confusion, sadness, relationships and individualism. After being affected emotionally by the September 11 attacks, Hamasaki changed the planned music direction for I Am..., and updated the album cover to support world peace. The album was Hamasaki's first to focus on lighter themes, such as faith, humanity, and serenity. I Am... was a commercial success, topping the charts, selling around 2.3 million copies in Japan, and eventually certified triple million by the RIAJ.
While promoting I Am..., Hamasaki performed for the first time outside Japan at the MTV Asia Awards 2002 in Singapore. The performance was broadcast to 130 million homes across Asia, and it has been seen as an influencing factor for Japanese musical acts to perform more overseas. After this experience, Hamasaki felt that writing lyrics in Japanese alone was no longer enough to convey her message to the scale of her audience.