"HEART STATION" is the fifth studio album by Hikaru Utada, released on March 19, 2008. It marked her first album in approximately 1 year and 9 months since her previous release, ULTRA BLUE. The album includes 13 tracks in total, featuring singles released during the interim such as “Boku wa Kuma,” “Flavor Of Life,” “Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry,” and “HEART STATION / Stay Gold.”

The songs were almost entirely written, composed, arranged, and programmed by Utada herself. Musically, the album spans a wide range of styles—from electronically arranged tracks with programmed beats to dance numbers and ballads. However, it maintains a soft and gentle tone throughout, with minimal instrumentation. Utada described her approach as aiming to create something “pop, not too elaborate, and easy to listen to,” with a focus on making “soft and simple music.”

In its first week of release, the album sold 480,000 copies and debuted at No.1 on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart. It continued to sell steadily, reaching one million copies sold in less than two months. In Oricon’s 2008 Year-End Album Ranking, it ranked 5th overall—the highest position for a female artist’s original album that year. Additionally, it topped the “Year-End Top Album Chart” announced by iTunes Japan.