I agree. I’m glad she was able to keep it a secret and just enjoy this time by herself in a way. It was the better choice.

I am honestly glad she did it this way. Reminded me of the way I saw Ayu when I was younger and there wasn’t as much social media. She seemed like a very private person, almost an enigma. She didn’t mix her private and public life as much.
Her last few public relationships were quite the contrast to the way she used to handle things.

New single: A son is born

Unexpected, but really sweet. I hope Ayu and babe are doing great.

YES, I KNEW IT!!! I was watching CDL19-20 just yesterday and thinking about how she definitely does look like a nursing (lactating) mother!

Really-really sincerely happy for her! Best wishes for both of them :love

:laugh

I said this on Twitter already but: can't wait for THE ALBUMS can you guys imagine

• A BEST 3 -(A)MNIOTIC FLUID-
• A BABY BEST

or just, you know
• A BABY

So... If I understand correctly she toured until August and gave birth in November??? What a superwoman :dead2

I thought of something...
The 2 black stripped stars on this last CDL's logo are still bothering me and I can't think anyone will do this without any reason (because... you know, it's kinda ugly not being centered).

Can it be a baby related stuff? Like a code with the stripped colors? (name, date of birth etc...).
I may think too much. But really... There has to be a reason beside bad artistic decision haha!

Ahah I like to think that she represents the golden star and the father the blue one and together they formed the green star (yellow + blue = green ) :D

And we were all a bit mad at how she wasn't promoting the re-issue of LOVEppears, neither on TV, magazines or even a instagram live. Now it's so clear why, I even feel a bit stupid lol She was just at the end of the pregnancy when the album came out, that's so crazy

Why would anyone promote a re-issue of an album originally released 20 years ago? It was mean to be purchased by the core fanbase and it was expensive as hell.

Oh please no :faint :D :D

This explains why the CDL 2019-2020 tickets was so expensive, Ayu needs the money to buy a crib, diapers and baby proof her home.

I thought the stars represent her past lovers/husbands :P

Yeah... I think people had some pretty unrealistic expectations about this re-release.

All that marble is NOT baby-proof!:)

I'm assuming she really wanted the baby since she is having a baby at 41 is carries a higher risk and she was willing to take the risk. She probably didn't want to disclose any information in case anything bad happened.

As someone else already wrote, "mind blown" indeed.

If anyone's questioning whether she can successfully keep her private life private...it seems that nobody knew she ever was pregnant. Good on her. How many people can pull this off???

I hope this "bundle of joy" brings her the happiness she deserves in her life. Even as a fan starved for new music, I'd be perfectly happy if she announced she's taking time off. But if she's been touring this hard for this long...I suspect she doesn't even want to slow down. I wish her the best.

Starting a national tour in February is like...really ambitious. Like whoa.

I'm so happy for her! <3

Well that was unexpected! Congrats to her.
It's a big proof that we know nothing about her, just what she want us to know. I'm thinking that Pei might not be the father but the lure to leave the real father in the shadow and protect him.

Holy crap! Wow! Good job, Ayu with hiding that. I'm also 8 months pregnant right now, lol. This explains why her boobs looked sooo huge at both A-cubed (she would have been first trimester here and I immediately started gaining in that area as well) and the recent CDL - and probably also why she wasn't moving around as much as usual. Totally explains the lack of promo and anything new coming out this year as well. Also why there was no A-Nation! And looking at her FNS performance in the summer, she wore a baggy t-shirt.

Now, I've got to see pics from July/August to see if there was a hint.

I really thought she was never going to have a kid. I bet this will be good for her though! New inspiration!

Honestly, I was expecting it. There are so many nostalgia music shows in november/december - they always have older acts coming on to do their past hits. With the reissue of LoveAppears, that was a great opportunity. Totally makes sense now why it didn't happen.

Omg earthquake, Japan is shaking. This is such a wonderful news coming from her.
I hope she will stop touring or at least slowing down for the sake her baby and her ears before she become completely deaf. It's the last thing a mother ever wanted.

This, plus the book stuff also got her in the spotlight and loveppears connects pretty much to those events. So I was expecting she would pop up on a talk show or hold a line live or whatever. Clear why now lol

LMAOOO

Congrats for ayu~~~~ hope she wil have another little angel soon...

literally what???

wow I never expected this. surrogacy or adoption crossed my mind but whatever, so long she's happy. I think she'd be a great mother, can't wait for the future!

She was always quite busty though. Also can we STOP analysing her boobs now?? it's getting a bit ridiculous xD
And yeah she needs a good break after this. Giving birth is not a fucking walk in the park, the body goes through literal trauma, it's not something that you can do all over again in a short period of time. To add to that, she's got her hands full with one, children are not toys you can just pop out and be all cheerful, they require time and attention, i don't know why some people take it so lightly. Plus she's got her career to juggle with the new role now, too, let the woman breath, give her a break lol

Yoake, i really hope that's the case and the father is totally unknown.

She clearly can keep stuff from public if she really wants to, so being public about things is pretty much a matter of choice rather than being a little dumb. Ayu was probably just naive with the earlier relationships and publicising them, and thought people wouldn't come at her since she's been around for so long. Or she just doesn't really care lol

She delivered one of her best recent concerts right after tho.

Yeah, because her body is used to that, she's not in bad shape. It still doesn't mean she can just pop out babies like it's no big deal, she's not in her 20s anymore. :rolleyes

I read on Twitter someone saying she must have had a C-section..uh as if you can do a concert weeks after a c-section. This topic is really exposing how ignorant people are about pregnancy and the female body.

^ yeah and have rehearsals and stuff lol it's a literal SURGERY, WTF xD

^ WHAT?! lmao wow. It takes LONGER to recover from a C-section!!!

Man, I'm still taking all of this in. I do hope she'll update us from time to time with how things are going. I honestly don't expect her to ever post pictures of him though.

This also explains why her vocals have improved..the same thing happened with Koda Kumi's vocals during and post pregnancy x

^^ same, i still can't really grasp this lol i do hope she's fill us in from time to time, on how the things evolve, i don't really care about photos tbh, all babies look the same anyway xD

ExodusUK, might very much be.Everything gets squeezed in there.

Really? Not that there's anything wrong with this but I expect a photobook A BABY or A MOTHER to be released alongside a song called M -EPISODE II- or something.

^ Yeah, I just feel like in general with J-pop singers who are mothers, they're more private in regards to their kids. We haven't ever really seen... any of their sons, have we? Hikki, Kuu...?

I was thinking of something like hitomi's LOVE LIFE II but i guess that boat has sailed :irked

I'm not sure about Hikki but Kuu never even officially mentioned her kid's name, let alone showing off his face lol I'm pretty sure ayu will follow that route. Like, as she managed to hid her pregnancy and the already born baby for a month, doesn't sound like she'll share much about him now.

It's good that they're so private. I hate seeing famous people's kids all over social media. They're so young and have no say.

Ayumi made a new post on Instagram, talking about her pregnancy.

It would be nice if someone could translate it.

"私には、夢のような魔法をかけてくれる衣装チーム、メイクアップアーティスト、ヘアスタイリストさん達が 居て下さり、

全力ですべてから守り通して下さるスタッフさん達が居て下さり、

それこそ24時間態勢でサポートをして下さる病院の先生方、助産師さん達も居て下さいました。 

そんな環境だからこそ何とか実現出来たステージであって、女性が産後すぐに動けるという事の証明では決して ありません。

肉体的にも精神的にも難しい産褥期を身をもって実感している今、誰よりも側で支えてくれる家族と友人達に感 謝の気持ちと共に、日本中の妊婦さん達、お母さん達が休まる時間を十分に持てますようにと心から願っていま す。"

Saw this on Facebook. I'm not really into her music lately but I was so shocked.
Wishing her and her son all the best.

She’s basically thanking everyone who supported her on this. And yes, she gave birth by herself no surrogacy or whatever.

Yep! Here is my translation :

“Around me, costume designers, make-up artists or even hairdressers who are for me like dream magicians;

a staff who protect me with all their strength,

Doctors and midwives who surrounded me around the clock.

It was thanks to such an environment that I was able to be back on stage, and not at all to try to prove that a woman can work immediately after giving birth.

Whether it is physically or mentally, for me who is going through this difficult postpartum period, in addition to a feeling of deep gratitude to my family and friends who are watching over me, I pray from the bottom of my heart that all pregnant women and mom from all over Japan can have enough time to rest."

Thank you for the translation! How sweet :)

I am very happy with this message, it is not so common (I think) that a Japanese pop star also speaks frankly on this subject.
These are the moments that remind me of why I admire her so much.

I'm so in love with her right now.

I'm totally fine with her not telling us his name or posting pictures, the only thing i would like to know is his birth date lol

Namie’s son is in his twenties and the paparazzi have no photo of him

I love how she was using this to send a message out. She's so sweet.

Corect me if i'm wrong but i have seen a photo or two of him in tabloid magazines, although none of them showed his face.

oh my god, I just love her so much. thanks for the translation!

I swear I have seen his face before.

As a pregnant lady amen to that!

^ haha must be something in the water. I’m also about to have a boy. :)

Thank you for translating her message! What a wonderful message. I love how she's always so unapologetically herself with this candid message. :heart

god I'm sooo happy for ayu! these past years I actually kept thinking about how she's already in her 40s and probably will never have a child. and deep inside it saddened me. I'm so glad she gave birth to a child in the end. I know it's her private life and her own choices but I'm so so so happy she has a child now!

kinda cheers me up that probably I have a chance too to have a child too in this new decade.

YAY!!! Congrats to Ayu omg!!!! SO SO happy for her. She's the last of (my) legendary quad (Ayu/Kumi/Namie/Utada) to have a child, so I'm happy for all of them. It's ironic how they have all boys though ahahaha. Thinking about it, if Ayu really had her baby in November, he's a valentines baby LOL.

Still...I find it SO hard to believe she didn't once look like she was pregnant for 9 whole months...

^ I felt that her chest at A-cubed looked like it. As well as her more muted energy level. But other than that, yeah, really impressive how secret it was kept.

And that is funny they all had boys lol


Thanks!

I'm very happy for her. ♥

I wonder if this was the reason all along that there was only 1 CDL date. I know there was another concert happening at Yoyogi on the 30th, but maybe that’s because initially they only booked the 31st way in advanced when she first became pregnant.

I am also impressed that not one person who knew she was pregnant ran off to gossip newspapers or whatever. Her work staff, medical staff, etc. Or even the friends and families of THOSE people lol even if she may have 9999 lawyers to go after someone who would break the news, I feel like someone may have taken the chance.

This is what also impresses me the most actually. Ayu has a solid af team on her side compared to a lot of other celebs where there is always someone leaking information to the tabloids.

Obviously super happy for Ayu! I also thoroughly enjoy moments when a celebrity like her can pull off such a great surprise for the public in this day and age ♪（ｖ＾＿＾）ｖ

I do wonder about the contrast between her previously, highly publicized relationships and this pregnancy; isn’t she being managed by Max again now? As opposed to before when she was married the first time? Could be that he’s the one helping her strategize and manage the release of information. Distracting the public with the book and LOVEppears re-release makes a lot of sense and seems reminiscent of how they kept her onset deafness a secret back in 2001.

Also love that Ayu, Hikki, Namie, and Kumi all had boys. Maybe Ayu, Hikki, and Kumi’s sons can form a trio and Haruto can manage them when the time comes ヽ(´▽｀)/

Also LOVE that Ayu spoke out on the need for women to have longer parental leave periods before returning to work in Japan. She knew that her light speed return to the stage could serve as fodder for the patriarchy to point at and say, “See, women can bounce back from childbirth just fine!” so she spoke out on it immediately and revealed the vast resources required to get her to a point where that was possible. Not everyone has that and should obviously be allowed much more time to return to work.

So, so happy for and proud of Ayu and I’m wishing her all the happiness, health, and strength in this world for her growing family *･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

I have no reasons to think she's not happy, but it's a public statement. She can't say anything else unless she wants to destroy her career.

It's not that they magically improved because of the pregnancy, she was still going off-key a lot comparing to other artists . It either was a choice to sing in a soft way or she was too tired to scream like she normally does. I hope it's the former, but only time will tell.

It's Japan, it's all about following the rules.

I believe they are so well paid, that don't want to lose job and reputation because of one leak

Just returned here after years of absence to congratulate Ayu on her baby. I'm so happy for her. I didn't even know she was pregnant, but I hope she finds joy in motherhood!

Is this real? I ...can't..how...what?

exactly my reaction in the first place xD

https://twitter.com/syooo_ta/status/1212947858812334081

Someone posted this shot from A^3 and it kinda looks like a really small pregnant belly (her stomach is usually really flat) but who knows lol

I'm so shook, but I'm also so incredibly happy for Ayu - her comments on post-pregnancy care also cement why she remains a great role model. :heart

I’ve seen post on Instagram as well as some Japanese articles analyzing her appearance looking for the belly, and some of them are pics from 2018 even from JTB chapter 1 lol Like, she gave birth on November, for how long do they think she was pregnant? Not even an elephant. https://www.instagram.com/p/B6zF6kVn...=1v8dve34ntw90

I’m still processing the news.

Actually, yes, your vocals do "magically" improve during and just after pregnancy (you still get the pregnancy hormones for at least 6 months to a year after). Though in the third trimester singing becomes more difficult due to decreased lung capacity.

Or maybe change is a better word than improve, though usually, it's for the better.
There's been enough evidence of other singers saying that their voices changed, usually for the better during pregnanacy. Plus it makes sense. Pregnancy hormones change your bodies a lot. Also, all of your joints, ligaments, etc, become looser; I would imagine this applies to your diaphragm as well thus making it take less effort to open up and sing.

^yeah, but it works different for everyone. Some might not even get affected, others worsen. Was ist Kelly Clarkson who couldn't adjust ?

It may have been an unexpected pregnancy, but if she really didn't want that kid...she kept her pregnancy under wraps so perfectly, could have had an abortion early on and none would have known, too.

Plus she is pretty close with her dancers and band, maybe only a select group of people knew and she didn't need to threaten anyone to keep quiet. :laugh . We'll never know really, I'm just so proud that she pulled it off.

Yeah it's like s second family to her.

I just love how randomly she put the news out: happy new year and thanks for joining me to welcome it, oh and btw i had a baby in november 🤣🎅
It's just so casual lol

Lmao I know. Like she just threw that in there “luv you bye”

^it can be strong or careless - depending on how you see it.
She is living with her mom and she is rich, so I don't feel like it is bad for the baby, but maybe it was too sudden for her. I know she is a workaholic and she can pull it off, but maybe some rest could have her done good too - especially since she said adjusting isn't too easy.

But I' not here to judge - she knows what is best for her or maybe she reflects on it later and says it wasn't a good decision - but it's up ti her.

At first, I was like WHAT? But as long as she is happy then I am happy.

I arranged myself with the news, but I'm not buying that "unknown normal person" father story

Wow... congratulations to her! What a well hidden secret!

Yeah, you actually aren't supposed to do much activity at all about 3-4 weeks after birth. Though it's possible he was born in early November. But it really does help a lot when you have an entire staff there to do things for you.

Mika Noguchi has made a long and intresting post about Ayu and her baby on Instagram !
She wasn’t in touch with Ayu since some years apparently and was really curious about this shocking new ! like a lot of people she was doubtful on Ayu giving birth herself so she chated with her on Line for explanation etc... if someone is willing to translate the post I let the link above

https://www.instagram.com/p/B675C1mJWBN/

^ what a sweet post! It seems from the beginning Ayu had planned to keep it a secret forever, but when actually giving birth somehow she changed her mind. She felt it is not something that can’t be hidden her entire life. Also, she said Ayu sent her a pic from the baby and that his eyes are big (not surprised), as well as a pic of Ayu while pregnant, in underwear lol

omg it feels like almost a decade since I've read Mika Noguchi's name on this forum.

Awww Ayu's old nail artist Bancho commented on the post too. She has been doing Rina Sawayama's nails recently. I wonder why she parted ways with Ayu

Paparazzi would kill for those photos )

Wow, Mika and Ayu were so tight at one point so it's crazy to think they lost touch. Mika is very busy running the Peach John brand though, so I imagine they just got busy and then it was awkward to break the ice again. I'm a lot like that haha but when I talk to people after a long time it's comfortable really quickly :)

Gomi liked Mika's post as well haha

It sounds like the reason why they didn't talk much was because Mikajohn was retired and doing her own thing elsewhere. She seems to live somewhere in Hokkaido mostly and in Amsterdam so maybe she has someone else in charge of Peach John? Amazing to see her post that though tbh.

^ The last time she said she didn't feel like having kids AT THE MOMENT was in 2014. A lot of things can happen in 5 years, people change their minds, especially regarding kids.

ayu has a habit of changing her mind tho

Honestly, we probably won’t ever know. People change their minds all the time with this stuff. It could also be a situation that this was an unplanned or unexpected pregnancy. Either way, she seems content being a mom. If she’s happy, we should be happy 💕

Some gossip reported that the pregnancy was unexpected and ayu thought considering her age that it might be her last chance to give birth so she embraced her pregnancy... but it’s a gossip new who knows if it’s true or not.

Not that I care or know, but if she was able to keep pregnancy at bay up until now, she might as well could have keep it forever if she wanted to. She wanted it. That’s my bet.

Lol I guess the only thing that could top this shock would be if she decided to keep the child a secret but in 15 years she decided to reveal to everyone that she had a kid 15 years ago!

I was so surprised to read this, I thought it was fake at first! It's amazing she was able to keep it private that whole time. I'm so happy for her!

I would expect she used a surrogate mother.

^ Mika John said Ayu sent her a pic of herself with a large baby bump

^ And she definitely looked pregnant imo at A^3 and the CDL (well, post-pregnancy, but still)

I just wonder how she managed during TROUBLE TOUR, by the end of it she would've been 6 months pregnant or so! But since she deleted some photos on Instagram, I guess we can't check how she hid it again hahahah