MANILA – Japanese singer Utada Hikaru tied the knot once again, this time with Italian bartender Francesco Calliano.
The wedding ceremony was held in Polignano a Mare in Southern Italy last May 23. Utada wore a simple white dress with laced sleeves, as seen in a photo posted on the singer’s official website.
"Hey, I got married! Thank you to everyone," Utada wrote as the photo's accompanying text.
According to reports from various Japanese websites and blogs, Utada was surrounded by seven to eight bodyguards who held paper umbrellas to protect her from paparazzi.
The couple’s guests were also prohibited from taking photos.
A reception was held in Calliano’s hometown of Fasano after the wedding ceremony.
Utada, 31, is considered one of Japan’s most popular artists and has sold over 50 million albums worldwide.
After releasing five Japanese studio albums, two compilation albums and three English albums, she went on hiatus in 2011.
In 2012, Utada contributed a song titled “Sakura Nagashi” as the ending theme for an Evangelion movie, but her management stressed that it did not represent a return to her musical career.
A year later, she hosted a monthly radio program titled “Kuma Power Hour.” It aired its last episode last March.
Utada’s first husband was film director Kazuaki Kiriya. They tied the knot in 2002 and got divorced four and a half years later.