Who's the daddy? J-pop star Ayumi Hamasaki gives birth to second child

TOKYO - Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki is now a mother of two. She announced last weekend that she has given birth to her second child.

The queen of J-pop announced on her official website on Saturday night (May 1) that she has "added an important family member in spring", and believed that she "can bring happiness to my children".

She did not state the gender of the baby or reveal who the father was.

On Sunday, however, she posted on Instagram a photo of a person in a cap with the caption: "I'm back".

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Hamasaki, 42, sprang a surprise last October when she said that she was pregnant with her second child.

She had earlier dropped a bombshell in January 2020 by announcing that she had given birth to a son in November 2019.

Hamasaki was previously married to Austrian actor and model Manuel Schwarz between 2011 and 2012, and American medical student Tyson Bodkin from 2013 to 2016.

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She has been romantically linked to backup dancer Shunpei Araki, 22, since 2018, but has never confirmed the relationship.

However, they have been seen together several times, leading to speculation that he is the father of her children.

Hamasaki released her latest song, 23rd Monster, in April to mark her 23rd anniversary in show business.

She made her debut in 1998 with the single Poker Face, and went on to become one of the best-selling Japanese solo artistes of all time.

She revealed in 2017 that she was grappling with hearing loss after saying in 2008 she had lost all hearing in her left ear.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.