Utada was really worn off during that performance. I think it was the last one of her tour, when they recorded it. She appeared on some Tetris DS event in-between and she could barely speak. Ayu barely ever has such problems (until now, that she's partly lost her hearing).

I think Utada barely ever had any vocal training, just went on by herself, which is why she wore her throat off during the tour. Ayu could barely sing when she met Matsuura and she's been recieving professional vocal training since then. She's been doing regular TV lives for years, which advanced her vocal skills. Utada barely appears on such lives and only had two live tours in her whole career. Her voice doesn't get the exercise Ayu's voice's been getting over the years.

I think Utada has less technical background in vocals than Ayu. Utada is sorta a natural, where Ayu was simply tought how to sing.

^ I read somewhere that Utada got vocal training in New York before she debuted, and she did sing with her mother before she actually released her own album.

she sang a few songs fully in english. (the one I remember was during a ballads era, and it sucked) in Ayu-ready? and there was a perf. of Change The world which wasn't bad at all.

i think ayu and hikki are wayy too different 2 b compared. if i knew hikki alot more, i probably wouldnt b able 2 choose btwn them

Never get why people like this performace... her vocals here are terrible! She is screaming her lungs off, she is off key, her voice is afected by the alergies and I think it's her worst vocal performace I have ever seen! And I'm taking be my last performaces, is this love tv performaces and dareka no negai ga kanau koro ones in consideration! @___________@ If this live shows how awsome she is, I think she should retiring from singing xD

(and no... I'm not a hater, she is my favorite musician ever)

And about Ayu vs Hikki thing... I would say they singing are more or less at the same level... they both are good but far from amazing vocalists

I do agree that Hikki is the best LIVE singer. No one can match her powerful vocals when she's on stage and this performance proved it. I actually HATED the edited version of Kremlin Dusk and couldn't believe it was an Utada song.... but this performace WAS amazing.