Music Fair is not a concert, Music Fair is for a musicians performance. And many people who watch Music Fair don't know about the way Boys and Girls is performed, because they dont watch her concerts. Anyways, the main reason for criticising Boys and Girls is that she couldn't even sing it, that her voice wouldn't come out...

Yeah hopefully she would be "shipped off" (lol) to another country. Maybe she would find new inspiration overseas as well. :)

This. The "fall" seems to start from about talkin' 2 myself. Maybe she has resorted to more drinking and smoking (if she does) after her break up to "calm" herself down or to stabilize her emotions.

People have different ways of their own to overcome their obstacles and all. Ayu is a strong woman, but I always the break up couldn't be "gotten over" so easily... it's the emotions... the most tender emotions of a human being after all...

You're wrong though, there's many instances of Ayu performing Boys & Girls and singing every part.

She most definitely has sung Boys & Girls as a whole especially when it was first released. Kouhaku 1999 was a good example I guess.

yes I know :dead2 I'm sorry I will just delete my posts
I just wrote it in the heat of the moment without thinking is all :(

Yeah, I had heard that people in Japan thought her voice was so bad lately that it is showing up in some articles and all over internet message boards as well of course.

This has been going on since late 2006, but got especially noticeable this year and last year.

Hopefully she will actually listen to this and do something about it.

However, I think it is very impossible for her to rest. If she wanted to rest, she would need about a year to recover her voice back under this circumstances. Nevertheless, her fame might drop at the same time due to the lack of activities.(Just like Namie when she stopped working to be pregnant). As a result, she would get the same circumstance where her sales would decline tragically. That might explain why she doesn't want to rest now.

oh no, I hope ayu's career is not over...please no

That's true, I hope she'll REALLY take this issue seriously from now on.

I agree, during A BEST 2 promotion, her voice condition was quite good (some Dearest and NEVER EVER lives for example were quite impressive. Now I can't picture her singing NEVER EVER like that at all).
Then with Talkin' 2 myself, her performances went bad.

I don't think Ayu's career will ever be "over". As she's said before, if she cannot go on singing, she will continue writing songs/composing for other artists. Though I really do wish Ayu would take some time off to rest as well. She really needs it. Her voice isn't horrible to listen to for me, but it's not as good as it was even in 2006-2007.

When I saw CDL 09-10, I'm sorry but when she was grunting through About You, I kind of felt bad because she sounded...tired, or not into it. She should go back to New York for training and just relax at a spa somewhere for a few months, rejuvenate and get back out there kicking butts! :D

I think everyone forgot about the new album that came out.... she sang beautifully... She can do less concerts but still come out albums...

I just think she is tired... remember PCDL09 where she hurt her wrist? she contiinued her performance... These are things fans forget about her will to sing and her heart for fans...

now she is sick for a long time... since 12th Jan she is having flu... usually flu will heal within 1-2 days... from this I presume her body is starting to reject the stress beginning with her vioce...

So please understand her :) Ganbatte na Ayu...

A studio recording is nothing like a live concert. Of course she sounds much better in studio recordings, but it's still kind of apparent that she has trouble even in studio recordings.

And um... I don't think we've even heard her live since January 12th, so that has NOTHING to do with her voice being bad since t2m/decision was released. @_@

well, looks like ayu has to start voice lessons and practice on her vibrato

well, i agree somewhat. it's a bit of a complicated issue though isn't it?
ayu said while recording the 10th anniversaries of TO BE and LOVE ~destiny~ that she WAS AWARE of her voice changing, and that she would try and improve blahb lah or whatever, and then at least we knew she knew her voice was like that?
second, honestly at least her recorded songs don't sound like her live, not to be rude. if the who anniversary had that ugly vibrato, NEVER would i listen to it.

but now, they are hating for the wrong reasons. OK YA, her voice changed, but the issue isn't why she can't sing her old hits well. if her voice changed then duh LOL no **** her voice won't match it like it used to. the ACTUAL issue is why her voice has become the way it is, and it is a bit nice that people are acknowledging it? ehhh i guess

but WHY do japanese people insist on being so god dam critical. like come on CHILLL, if i was ayu i would read this, get sad, then think it's unfair.

all in all, i think her voice thing is an issue live now, especially since it seems to be especially bad live now. back in 2006, it was still enjoyable, but sometimes listening to her is a bit ridiculous. but songs like dearest and voyage are being BUTCHERED and to be honest, if ayu were to comment i would love to hear her take on why her voice is like this

LOOOL sorry SO MUCH writing but YA i've always wanted to hear actual reports on her voice because sometimes i think "honestly can they NOT hear the difference??" LOL so yaaa that's my opinion '-___-

Woah! More drama! AHS was really needing it! :B

Where were these bashers in 2008 when her voice really was not her best. Excluding the evolution performance, her voice has been the best its been in the past few years.

She just needs to take a 3 month break or something. Go to a rural place or go to an exquisite spa/hotel. Go take vocal lessons. She needs to do something about her voice.

This...
She was never an amazing singer to begin with... She is having problems with her deafness what makes her vocal technique that was never great suffer a lot more than usual...

She knows about her voice for sure. She talked about it in recent Magazines, and said she is very regrettable about the way she passed her time when not singing in the past, and she is frustrated when her voice doesn't work the way it should work...

But I'm still worried that maybe she won't do anything about it. When I watched CDL... I couldn't stand any longer... I don't wanna ever listen to Pride, Because of You, and Inspire like that again... if she can't sing right on the next tour... really, what's the point???

I disagree very much... she sang amazing during 2002 (except Arena Tour) to 2006, and then it just started fading, but with some great vocals for A BEST 2 promotions, and then it got so bad.

If it was a deaf problem, she would just be off pitch a lot... but the QUALITY of the voice is much different, much deeper and hoarse... it's not good right now!

I guess since I'm a fan I'm used to her voice and have low standards for her live vocals and cut her slack because of her ear problem, but to other people they just hear it and are like "wow this is so bad". But I watch her lives for the entertainment and her personality/stage presence more than her live voice because I never thought it was that great (she has her moments though) so it really doesn't bug me as much as it bugs other people. As long as she still has her stage presence and still makes great songs and never sings Dearest how she did at AT08 again I'll be satisfied.

I agree with this. Her voice now is far from amazing and she has moments where she sounds completely terrible, but I notice an improvement from the last few years, especially CDL 07-08 and AT08.