I'm in love with that song right now :laugh

Damn Tenso... I received a package from TA but tenso requires an identity verification and I don't have anything that confirms my current address T^T

Do you have a Bank ID or online ID or whatever it would be called (I don't know how much of a thing that is outside Sweden) which you can use to "sign" official documents and stuff on the Internet? For me, I got the ID by logging into my bank account and requesting it under "Services", you simply install a little program and choose a password to use, then the ID is valid for one year (when it goes out, you simply request a new one).
Because I found out that I could use it to get an official document online from the Swedish Tax agency, containing my SSN and address (and more), and Tenso accepted it as confirmation of my current address. I just downloaded a PDF, sent it in to Tenso with a scan of my ID card and done. Check with your country's tax agency (or a similar government agency), if they don't have the online thing then you might be able to request that they send a physical document via mail. If that's not possible, then maybe you can go to one of their offices to get it.

This was on tumblr a while ago,

http://visual-replays.tumblr.com/post/75107021184

Can someone make it clear for me if this was from CM or a PV?

isnt that like the 15 sec or the 30 CM?

Definitely a CM. Possibly a Panasonic one?

That was from I am... album CM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szE7XaTZAN8

I dont know what Im feeling now,but its kinda mix feeling,nervous,sad,insecure everything and surely when I listen to Pray I can feel it,the melody is <3333

Ah thank you very much!

asking myself... why am I so curious now of ayu's next move? ._.

^ Because you care! :laugh

Im still waiting for that album announcement!! I mean we finally got a single!! Lets keep this flow going!!

Does anyone have that GIF or video of Ayu's MS talk for Born To Be... where she holds the microphone and has her middle finger sticking out? I had the talk a while back but I don't know where it is, haha.

Merry-go-round sucks
I guess because the arrangement is kind of basic and isn't my own personal favorite style


I want another Love songs, like tracks with strings and electronic beats.


though I love Feel the love and Pray. I hope she has full English songs too.

^ same here! wonder if she will be doing any anymore....

I recently heard a bar of Strawberry Fields Forever in Who... (Across The Universe). :D

Interesting...
I don't know what to hope for, I'd want that, but I'd be scared at the same time... I mean, Ayu singing in english for four minutes? Woah. (But if Namie can, absolutely EVERYBODY can, lol.)
But I heard she really improved her english lately.

There's no reason to release full english songs that will be sold mostly to japanese people...

^
I wouldn't know about that... Namie is doing it just fine.
If it's from someone popular, I don't think the japanese public will complain. The true question is, is Ayu even interested in releasing something like that?

Yes for Love songs but BIG no for full English songs :thud there is no interest to heard Ayu sing songs in english except if it's a cover and I don't think she will do that ! I allready don't even understand why some japanese singer sings songs in english whereas they are not even for a foreign public ! Engrish songs are ok because that has existed for decades but no full English songs XD (IMO of course)

^ I would prefer her sticking to Japanese, not sure what's gonna happen if she sings in English for 4 minutes :laugh

Namie recent hits are all ballads sang in Japanese...

Considering how much Japanese people already feel like she's too Westernized, I don't think it would make that much difference to the hate she already gets. It's not like any of her songs are going to be that popular anyways.


In any case, she's so totally pregnant omg.

^ that would explain the shot wedding-to-be with the guy.
I'd be so happy if she has a baby.
Would you imagine being the mixed race love child of ayumi hamasaki?
That kid would have swarovski carillons and diamonds for dummies.
Oh...
moshimo betsu no dareka ni umare kawatte...

Her baby would be gorgeous or extremely odd-looking. I bet she'd be a great mother, a bit out of touch probably but nonetheless great.

Omg, ayu....give us a hint!!!!

I think we, ayu's fans are just spoiled too much by her frequent releases. She put out a single not too long ago, a new digital single some two weeks ago and a book and yet I still feel the want for a new release/announcement! LOL

Are there any Ayu songs (or any other JPop songs) that deal with a loss of trust between two people? I'm going through some stuff and need to vent my feels!

I forgot how good Asia Tour's performance of Dearest was.

I woudl be so excited if she announced that she was pregnant.

I'd be super excited if she was having a child too. It's about time >_<!
I keep checking her twitter for at least a hint or a picture or...sumthin.
Ugh the suspense orz.

Perfectly agreed, it's the same here XD

For me Return Road and tell me why did the job, try them out.
Also criminal to some extent, and FRIEND/ FRIEND II.
Hope it helps... there must be others but they don't come to my mind atm.

Thoughts:
- This year, either "no tour" or "world tour"
- Suspicions that wedding was already held (I have strong reasons to suspect)
- hiatus like Mika Nakashima?

I guess it's just me, but I'd love a full english Ayu song, or more. I just love when singers do that, especially italian ones (but that's mainly because I have a huge problem with italian lyrics nowdays, I think).

An Ayu baby would melt my heart, omg. If she's gonna have a mini Ayu I'll scream 'till death takes me away.
And she would be an AMAZING mom, I'm sure of it. I like to imagine her like one of those people who never, ever planned or dreamt about kids and then, when they suddendly have one, they're just perfect with them. I saw that happening.

Why would she release FTL/MGR and Pray if she would go on hiatus? And I think she promised us more music this year and stuff...

And wasn't there a rumour or even announcement that she was supposed to record a song with an overseas composer or producer or something? Or was that for FTL/MGR single?

You were... worked for me.

Now she made this announcement in TA. :happy1:

I think it was Bentley Jones' collaboration with Ayu from a while ago?

Whatever the case is, she is probably NOT going on hiatus. But the tour is probably not happening until late April/early May if it is going to get announced.

God no, that means she got bored in Winter, aka not working at all.

^lol

Pray is so awesome, it's the best power ballad in like forever. I'm glad ayu's still making these, last real power ballad was You were... I think but Pray is more beautiful. It must have a grandiose beautiful PV please.

I just saw this on "RED LINE ~for TA~" 's Last.fm page:
Is it true??

I thought the blog post was for ayu's friend that passed away and TA liked what she said so much that they requested it into a song

Well, YUI released fight and boom - hiatus :/

But no baby, please please please, everyone in my life is having a baby or getting married or adopting, I can't take it anymore :P

I think RED LINE was about her friend and a blog entry. The lyrics are lifted from that entry too.

In the TA entry it sounded like she was referring to a fan who'd written in the message to ayu section of TA, and she put it in the context of how much of a tragedy it was that her friend had passed away.

I sent a msg to TA asking if they would make the english translator to come back ._.

It can easily be a b-side and she has enough international fans.


Feel the love WOULD have been ideal. Simple english chorus and slow verses that she easily could have seen. It'd expand her fanbase and I'd enjoy the song more, interpreting it from the English and Japanese so it has duel meanings.



MyHer faves are the ones that have English. :luv2


And I hate when people say "She has Japanese pride"


Well she sang Chinese and is transitioning to more English so...

This thread 'Songs you ALWAYS skip and NEVER EVER listen to' has renewed my interested in Ayu's music. Well, I still don't appreciate her last couple releases, but at least I'm listening to her music again.

I don't get why would someone start listening to international artists wishing they will just put their own language aside to sing on the listener language....

I don't know how japanese would feel, but I found brazilian singers that release material mostly in English to be pathetic.

me too :yes
and there's plenty examples in my own country too..unfortunately..

As much as I would like to hear an English song from Ayu, I have a feeling that I would lose the emotional connection I get from her Japanese language songs. If singing in Japanese has been successful for Ayu, why change a winning formula?

We don't have many over here, but there was this girl 2nd tier pop singer who started releasing songs in english for the brazilian market... Now she is 3rd tier and performs mostly for brazilian gays who hate Brazil on small gay clubs! :v

Yeah, but then Ayu kept saying that she's looking forward to giving us more music this year, plus she did mention that 15th anniversary is not over yet, and magazines promo and stuff. I'm pretty sure she's just teasing us by not telling anything yet, and then she's gonna go BOOM! in your face :D

I sense A BEST 3 is coming up. I don't know why but I just can't help but feel this way. They would include Tell All, Pray, Feel the love and Merry-go-round on the album. I wonder what that would sell tho...

Speaking of albums, I realized few days ago that I've completely forgotten what LOVE again sounds like. It must be because I only listened to it twice through and soon forgot the whole thing because other artists released so much new stuff. :D And there's also the fact that since late 2012 my fandom for Ayu has been lost almost completely. Last time I was really obsessed over something Ayu released was LOVE. I do listen her new releases through though but I don't feel obsessed with her. It's like 2008-2009 all over again for me. Dammit. -.-

You'll be back eventually. It took me a while to even listen to LOVE again at all.

^Yes, I will. She will eventually something so awesome that I get crazy again. :)

no spring tour this year?

Could be very late Spring. Perhaps she plans to release an album in March/April and then tour after that? Her tours have been running into Fall lately anyway.

Things were so redundant and "mechanical" since several years ... some changes are good ! When I think about that Ayu never released an original album between May and September, never did an AT in winter or did special events/lives etc...

^
I feel the same way!
It's so refreshing not knowing what's gonna happen... First a new single since forever on Christmas, then a digital one, then no tour announced...
I like this!
Personally, I'm very fine with her new music, so I'm not dying for new releases.
I'm just very curious about what's gonna happen, if she's just relaxing, or if maybe she's preparing something special or just our of the ordinary.

I wouldn't mind if she released A BEST 3 now tbh. I dunno if there's enough singles yet and don't care to think about it lol but since I'm not buying it either way, I wouldn't mind if the current singles were relegated to a compilation and never made it to a studio album. I do like Feel the love and to a lesser extent Merry-go-round is okay but I really want her to make an album with huge production again like (miss)understood or Rock'n'Roll Circus and none of the singles so far fit that bill lol :(

Also, I've been thinking along the same lines as truehappiness - that she's holding off on announcing a tour because she's going to announce an album first. But who knows lol

A Best covers both singles and album tracks!
Considering A Best 2 covers everything between evolution and Bold & Delicious, she has 8 albums (counting (miss)understood album tracks), one mini-album, 13 physical singles and 4 digital singles...

It means she has +- 90 tracks to pick for a new A Best^^

^ True, I don't know why my mind completely glazed over the album tracks xD

Plusss even if she starts off after A COMPLETE, that's still like 5 albums there to work with lol

I think if they do end up with A BEST 3, we might not see anything from Love songs onward on it. Or the last set of eligible tracks will come from that part of 2010 and then FIVE onward will be part of a different best?

They could just make it a 3CD though since she's had so many tracks since then.

A BEST 3...
I actually don't mind the idea. They could do a great compilation right now.

YES PLEASE

I kind of forgot that Ayu released a single until I heard Merry-go-round on shuffle today.

I hoped it was performed during last cdl but nope.. :(

I want her to slay again and then release the third A best, like "bitches y'all said this queen was over now buy my album full of the very best of my best I'll take yo last money"

So I've been playing FIVE over and over again trying to digest it

progress: Still not my favorite song off the album. It's nice and all but meh.

ANother song feat. URATA NAOYA: I liked this song the first time I heard it a couple years back and I still enjoy it now!

Why... feat. JUNO: I loved this song the first time I listened to FIVE. Still love it now!

beloved: Pretty song.

BRILLANTE: I actually thought this song was overrated. Now that I've listened to it a couple times, I've come to like it. The composition and arrangement is out of this world!! The instrumental section in this song is GORGEOUS! But Ayu is just sort of "there" tbh idk I tune her out and listen to the music LOL

beloved (Orchestra version): A lot better than the original version, and the string instrumental section sounds like something straight out of a Hayao Miyazaki film.

I made a playlist today, and I think it would be a wonderful setlist for an ARENA TOUR (or WORLD TOUR :P) :

*Bridge to the sky and Not yet would be sung live

All the songs flow very well~ ♥

I only discovered today the remix "Two of us "HΛL's Mix"" ! I find it amazing these arrangements coupled with the high pitched voice of Ayu ... I really like it ! better than the original !

I'm pretty sure Ayumi don't even remember she has a song called Two of us XD



Why HΛL don't work anymore for Ayumi they were so amazing ... Yuta Nakano was part of this band but what it does for Ayu is not even near of the level of HΛL ... :/

wow! didn't know that existed a HΛL mix for Two of us.. their mixes are always the best..the song is adorable and somehow sad, nostalgic. This version reminds me of Dolls.

^ yes, it comes from kanariya's single!

I love Two of us so much, and HAL's mix too!
They're a must for me in Winter :heart

Thinking about the Tour this year... Maybe she'll do the same as back in 2003 and do an Arena Tour ~2014-2015~ starting late this year, maybe doing the Countdown with the same theme as the tour so she desn't have to prepare two different concerts

^ I'd love that instead of getting two different very similar concert how it was for the arena tour 2012 and the cdl themed the same way

I love me some two of us. The remix is superb.



The PoM performance of forgiveness is so good ugggggggh

Since Timmy and Miccie are going to hold a mini live and there is a "special guest" maybe ayu will make an appearance...

The instrumental bridge in BRILLANTE is the best thing I have ever heard in my life

+1

2ch gives Ayu props~
http://majide2ch.blogspot.co.uk/2014...#disqus_thread

OMG.. :roflmao

Anyway, I'm sort of impressed~ haha

has anyone tried playing ayupan cartoons from FTL/MGR music cards?

^ I tried thousand of times but It never worked, I kinda feel I spent 600yen to have nothing...

I'm actually sort of moved they gave her props lol. Yes they do call her old bag and stuff but this is the nicest you can ever get from 2ch right?

ohh how sweet :)

What the heck is this about?

Looks like it's about people around asia using Ayu's name without permission?

I want some more singles and stuff!! Come on!
I wish I had the money to go see her in concert this year!

Ring the bells, I saw an advert for Ayu today at the JR train! It was for Beas UP, but ayu is on the cover soooo...

Her career is so boring now... -__~ what happened :(

LOL... :laugh

But... people really call Amuro Namie a better artist/musician than Ayu...??!!! No offense to Namie, but she definitely isn't an artist like Ayu is. Ayu always writes her own lyrics and even composed back than - Namie on the other hand... Namie is a performer and may be a fashion leader but not an artist.

^She is more popular now... It's all that really matter to the general public...

From Japanese perspective, Andrenekoi is right, from foreign jpop listeners precspective, they choose to put namie over ayu because of her 2nd peak and that she is the most popular solo female now still even though she slowly declines as well, but I think that both sides forget that maybe ayu's peak around the A BEST era was something that even namie never got to, it was like ayu and hikki were the legend-est solo females ever and no other solo female reached that level other then... ayu and hikki. Also ayu declined really slowly, even though her last 3 years were a bit of a commercial mess, the woman sold over a million per original/compilation album from 1999 to 2005 and then over 500,000 to 2008, 9 years of being on top/remain close to it being active on successful shows and great sales all of that time and even on 2010 ayu was one spot after namie as the best selling artist of that year in overall sales. She declined REALLY slow and kept selling high, unlike all other solo females, that's why I wouldn't rush to put namie over ayu.

Even though it's hard to compare ayu, hikki and namie, there are the older solo females like seiko, yuming, akina, momoe, misora and probably a few more. But I'm not sure if they reaced the level of the other three.

What is sure, people shouldn't throw ayu under namie that fast, because second peak, more relatable by the public, and more popular than all other solo females, I still don't think namie reached the ayu A BEST-ayu vs. hikki level in both her peaks. So, each of the three has their share of legendary stuff.
hikki main point is having First Love and Distance, mainly so I don't think ayu and namie both should be under her as well.
Since hikki is not selling anything these years (not even all that much from her First Love 15th anniversary edition), I would say that even ayu and kuu are more successful than her now, because at least they sell a couple of ten thousands, and make loads of shows.

The most amazing thing is that Ayu kept growing and getting more popular. Each album sold more and more up until A BEST and though I Am... didn't exceed A BEST, the singles performed a lot better than the singles from Duty. Where as Namie and Hikki peaked at their debut really. Not to say Hikki just declined...it's hard to top an album with sales like First Love.

Hikki was able to put 3 albums among the 10 best selling in Japan history and had the best selling album of the years 4 different times. She also has the best selling non-japanese album in Japan, I wouldn't count her out or even compare her to Koda who never really had this kind of massive market attention.

Namie has the best selling female single ever in Japan and none of the other girls had a single as massive as Can you celebrate... I still have to meet a nipo-brazilian who doesn't know the song at all and they weren't even in Japan at the time. It's also said that during Namie's 90s peak it was hard not seeing her on TV daily.

Yuming was still selling A LOT to teenagers at her 40s and she is pretty much a japanese living national treasure. She still sellout her tours easily and her album sales aren't that different from Ayu's and Koda's even if she is 40+ years into her career, her last compilation sold over 700k copies.

Seiko still have top ten albums even if her release pace makes Ayu seen lazy :P And unlike Ayu, she didn't really need tricks to keep her single streak. She still is the ultimate Japan idol and the one every other idol will be compared to.

Akina still gets prizes for her musical production after all those years and knows how to reivent herself not as a popstar, but as a true artist.

Momoe still is followed by paparazzis after 30 years she retired.

And let's just not put Hibari here... If oricon magazine existed while she was alive, she would have sold 80 millions copies, making her the best selling japanese music act.

All of those women were huge during their moment and all of them acomplished stuff most pop girls can only dream about. Comparing any of them to Koda, who was pretty popular but never reached the same level of social fenomenon is even offensive to their legacy. Those girls translated the feeling and state of mind of the japanese society during their time and you need more than a handful of hits and 2 or 3 million seller albums to be at the same level as them.