^ That's a very interesting post on TOOL & the three new singles.

People tend to change with time. It's not like Ayu doesn't make amazing songs anymore, it's more like you just don't love what she makes anymore. I think that is pretty natural. You can't force yourself to love what she's doing right now.

Although I'm a complete fanboy for Ayu, I don't love everything she releases. In fact, I dislike most of her electronic/rock songs with some exceptions (Rule, Evolution, Naturally etc.). But that has not stop me from loving her as a whole. I still find her new singles amazing like Virgin Road and Crossroads. And also, her old music is always there, it's not going anywhere.

It's funny because threads like this one have been around since always (the question has been in people's minds since ayu started)

So I don't know. Too many bricks with opinions to read? I don't have the time I'm sorry :(


Some people can handle change, ups & downs better than others... I guess that's why some of us can be happy with whatever she puts out and others just hate it all. Oh well :)

I agree with most of ur points, but just some information^^

In Japan, jpop is not really a music genre... it just mean it's western influenced popular music in general... Actually, one of the reasons why they tend to make such diverse mixes between genres, is that they don't really see the differences among them... it's like... tradicional music, western influenced music and international music...

And about Ayu being the queen of jpop... It's not also something only music oriented, but her role as a pop icon in Japan modern culture... Taking Madonna as a comparation, Most of her albums can't really be classified as pop music, even some of her most successful like Ray of Light and Music, still, her (and Ayu) have both a pop culture influence archieved when they where producing pop that make most of their non-pop production to have this kind of impact AND the power and influence to take experiemental stuff to the mainstream and make them get well known...

I got into Ayu in my mid teens, a time in my life that was quite hectic, with lots of personal physical and emotional difficulties. Ayu at that point was what kept me on track, able to cheer me up out of my darkest times.

Naturally, these days when I'm not feeling so great I'll revisit her pre-MS works and that wave of happy nostalgia helps more than anything. The older songs are something I've become so familiar with that my emotional attachment to them makes them feel different to her more recent works.

Of course I still love almost all her songs but I usually only OMGLURVE 3-4 songs per album lately...

Sometimes I wish Ayu would release another MS or I Am... but then I wonder how I'd feel about her simply recycling near-decade old songs and arrangements simply so I could feel good about the music I listen to. It feels awfully selfish to me, as I already have the real MS and I Am... right here. :P Honestly, if Ayu went back and made "new" old albums I'd feel cheated because she's rehashing her old work so much...

Honestly I don't know how to feel about Ayu's new music. It's awfully conflicting. Of course I wish she'd lay off the ballads and experiment more (the upbeat tracks of RnRC were all amazing and a sign the experimental Ayu is not going away anytime soon, she's just hibernating lol) but I have other artists I like. I listen to them as well, not just Ayu.

Go listen to other artists. Ask for suggestions on who to follow. Try listening to other foreign language artists and come back to Ayu with fresh ears. If you are able to give her new music a shot, be happy that you've gotten over your slump. If you still don't like her style, you've still got, what, 120+ amazing songs from the eras you loved best? Most western artists I've listened to are lucky if I like more than 5 songs from! ;)

Don't panic, don't get down and give it some time...that's the real advice I have for you.

new style? I think she going back to an old style of music she played in her ASFXX-LOVEppears era firing her staff and collaborating with her old composers

When I was sick of Ayu I was sick of Ayu, it was my problem, not hers, so I would listen to someone else for few weeks and I missed Ayu and I got back to her and... since then Im obsessed with her music.
Her latest singles are perfect imho. Go listen to someone else.

People's definition of a musician seems blurry.

First you don't need to do all that to be called a musician. Heck I played the violin (badly) and people called me a musician.

I'm gonna quote the wikipedia article again

You don't need to do ALL THOSE to be considered as a musician. Thank you.

Andrenekoi: The point about what her being the "queen of Jpop " wasn't the literal interpretation. You're playing on semantics, and I was just making a broad point.

She's fired staff? Who'd she dump?

Ugh this thread was getting just nothing but irritating until Nessa came in.

Thank you, nessa.

Ayu is more than her songs. If you don't like a few of her songs, you can still like her. Ayu has plenty of songs I dislike (some, like Sweet Season, I seem to have an inexplicably vehement hatred for), but the fact that she did them is kind of awesome, and I adore that about her.

I don't think her music style has really changed much from what she has been doing since Memorial Address, sure she would occasionally try out something new or dive into a new genre, but the signature Ayu feel to her music is still there.

If someone dislikes her newer songs, maybe you've just got tired, it happens and instead of *****ing about it, maybe you should just stay away from AHS (or the Ayu threads), stop following her for a while and find other artists/musicians you like.

You are so not alone here. I feel exactly the same as you. :)

Some people don't understand that concept. :shrug

No, but I agree, imo, her music has changed. I mean, she didn't take a swerve in a completely new direction obviously. The reason I'm not enjoying a lot of her new songs is that they aren't memorable to me like they were before.

Ayu needs to release a CREA-composed song that's sonically a cross between Lady Gaga and Beethoven and Vince Guaraldi and Taylor Swift and whose music video has a super-super deep storyline with lots of symbolism and avant-garde imagery and flying mutant laser-shooting zebras. It would add a, ah, new dimension to these threads, no?

Some really aren't, but because she is Ayu, I give those songs another chance and eventually grow to like them.

I have that too

I didn't like some of the album tracks in Rock'n'Roll Circus , like meaning of Love

I guess after hearing the Acoustic Piano take of it , my views towards the song has changed somewhat after a while

Anyway , nobody's asking so & so to like everything that ayumi released . I don't like all of her songs in her discography but I still follow her & it has already happened for the last 4 years since I 1st made the decision to listen to jpop

honestly, there's always people complaining that they don't like Ayu's " most recent" music. i've been around here since 2004 and after each album gets released, people always talk about the past releases. you're gonna like or dislike certain eras. you connect with what Ayu's currently doing or you don't.

^ Exactly. We all get disconnect from time to time and there are times I am not as hyped about the new releases, but I always download/pre-order them right away, regardless. Though that usually depends on how busy I am. Still if you don't like something, it's not the end of the world, we grow and change a little bit every day.

THIS!
I agree with everything you said! :heart

Ayu's music is unique and different. She dares to try new things and doesn't care if people like it or not. She lives her music and puts all her heart into writing her lyrics and singing her songs. Her music is "true music"...unlike a lot of other "music" nowadays.

<3

Best post of the thread :heart