Japanese singer, songwriter and former actress Ayumi Hamasaki was born on October 2, 1978, in Fukuoka, Japan.

Her fans often refer to her as Ayu.
Ayumi began modeling at the age of seven to earn money for her family.
She moved to Tokyo at the tender age of fourteen to pursue a career.
(I'm assuming her parents approved)

After she was told that she was too short for modeling, she focused on music.
This worked out well for her, because today, Ayumi has sold over 50 million records in Japan and she has the highest singles sales, most number-one singles, and most million-seller singles of any Japanese female artist.
Ayumi is the only Japanese artist to have a number one single every year for ten years straight! Not too shabby at all.
She is also the first Japanese female artist to have her first eight studio albums top the Oricon.
(Oricon is kinda like the Billboard chart here in the states)
Her video for the song "fairyland" is the 9th most expensive video ever made, coming in at $2,000,000+!
Another video for the song "Jewel" came in at a paltry $1,100,000+, making it the 19th most expensive video ever made.
Ayumi has also been in several movies, Twins Teacher (1993), Battle spirits ryûko no ken (1993), Sumomo mo momo (1995), Miseinen (1995), Like Grains of Sand (1995) and Gakko II.

On March 25, 2009 she released her tenth studio album, Next Level.
The first singel released from the album "Days/Green" became a number one hit.
The second single from the album "Rule/Sparkle" was used as the international theme song for the film Dragonball Evolution.
Next Level reached the top of the Oricon charts making Ayumi the only artist to have a number one album every year for eleven years in a row even though the album is actually her lowest selling album ever.

Ayumi released her forty-sixth single, "Sunrise/Sunset (Love Is All)" on August 12, 2009.
The song is used as the theme song for the Japanese television drama Dandy Daddy?.

Ayumi Hamasaki, not too bad for a lady too short to be a model huh?