Queen of J-pop Ayumi Hamasaki finally performed her first solo concert in Singapore on July 5 – and what an entrance she made.

As the red curtains rose, more than a dozen dancers in striking gold costumes were seen centre stage. The 46-year-old superstar then emerged, looking radiant in a Cleopatra-inspired Egyptian outfit and holding a sceptre.

The near-10,000-strong capacity crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium went wild as she opened the show with three rock-influenced numbers – Inspire (2004), Duty (2000) and Microphone (2010).

Hamasaki, or Ayu as she is known to her fans, debuted in 1998. Her rise to fame – from a flashy street-wise “ah lian” to a polished pop princess to now the empress of pop – captivated a massive audience in Japan and beyond.

At the concert, Hamasaki’s widespread appeal was evident. Many concertgoers were dressed in leopard-print outfits – her signature – or T-shirts bearing her iconic “A” logo. There were also fans who flew in from China.

The singer-songwriter had kicked off her Asia tour – her first in 16 years – in Shanghai in November 2024. She later travelled to other Chinese cities – Chengdu, Ningbo and Guangzhou – and ended the tour in Japan’s capital Tokyo in December 2024.

Her sequel tour, or Ep.II as she titled it, started in Tokyo on April 8. Her upcoming stops include Taipei, as well as Japanese cities Hiroshima, Osaka, Sendai and Fukuoka.

The concert’s first half resembled a musical, with Hamasaki and her dancers embodying characters in various storylines woven together by her songs.

Through expressive choreography and dynamic visual projections, one could sense a trajectory of l...