Ayu will NOT appear on Kohaku this year
 

from yahoo Japan
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...5-spnannex-ent

Can someone translate the article please.

W
A
A
A
T

is she tweeting about it right now?
"Yes, we are saying goodbye to each other with good spirits. i hope you guys will understand that this decision is what I need to do."
"So that i can focus on what I really want to do instead of what I have to do."
"I'm confident that our decision is the perfect timing to move to the next level"

WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT.

I'M AT DINNER AND I CAN'T CONCENTRATE

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON

They are saying that ayu not appearing on kouhaku is because of the stress of preparing her annual countdown live concert and also her plans for massive overseas activities for the coming year with a base in Singapore

I hope so and not referring to divorce or anything else

Just saw

@ayu_19980408: お互いにパーフェクトなタイミングで笑顔で手を振り合い、ベストな形でお別れが出来た事をむしろ清々しい気 持ちで喜んでいるわけでして、、、ってなんか、破局ツイートみたいになってしまいましたが、違 います。笑
NHKホール卒業させて頂きます！詳しくはTAに書きましたm(__)m

Really Singapore? Omg

If that's what those tweets are about, it seems like she's slowly shedding what remains of older obligations (like TV appearances in general). Interesting to think that Kohaku performances were things she felt she HAD to do as opposed to, y'know. Wanting to be there. I guess it makes sense to finally bow out if that's the case.

Well for me those tweets sounds like she's speaking of a person, the first thing that came to my mind was Timmy... But Kouhaku also makes sense

good tbh

Kouhaku is a total bore now. No reason to watch besides her and Koda...and even then :/

New tweets

I guess I won't be streaming it this year then. Being unable to attend her concerts has meant it's the one time of year I can see her the same time Japan does. What a number...

I suppose that she is really working hard on this year's Countdown. Single, concert, global TA...i feel that after this year which she took a slight break compared to previous ones she has a lot of energy and puts much effort in coming projects. You really can feel it.

The tweet's google translation didn't make much sense to me but it did say "NHK graduation" so it's probably "just" about Kouhaku.
I always thought that performing there is stressful to her since CDL starts just a little but later and going from one venue to the other, costume changes etc must be tiring. It's still sad in a way that we won't get a little snippet of Kouhaku before the CDL is uploaded...

wait whut? BASE IN SINGAPORE?!

i feel relieved.. i thought it was another divorce... though its a bit sad that kouhaku is liked her last major tv performance that she has to say goodbye too.
i hope for asia tours next year!
and whats with "based in singapore" means??

sorry, i'm reading/skimming another article about ayu and kouhaku on yahoo japan that said something about singapore being a base/strong point.

I think what the articles are trying to say is that ayu is going to focus more on live performances and possibly overseas activities, where she got a lot of lively cheers and screaming from singaporean fans during a-nation

Okay, this is where Ayu and I have a problem. She can't just say, "I've decided not to participate in Kohaku anymore to concentrate on CDL." She made it sound like a god damn break up. And in English. Kohaku's technically a Japan-only event, so why explain in English? This is exactly why I can't agree with the "fans are the ones who cause the drama" stance. It's both.

To be fair though, the Kohaku performances are only amazing visually because they suck otherwise. She's always first, they're always rushed, and that's because she has to prepare for CDL. Apparently people have forgotten this while blowing up her Twitter asking why. CDL's sucked since 2009-2010 in my opinion (sans last year), and maybe she's finally realizing this. I'd rather her put more effort into CDL and make it awesome than have a shitty performance AND concert both.

Need I remind people 2002-2003 when she was fighting off a cold and lost her voice... and 2008-2009 when she broke her hand... so yes, good on Ayu for doing this :yes

Basically, she said that it's been a long time running, but she's going to go ahead and allow herself to graduate from NHK Hall, in other words, Kouhaku Utagassen (and move on to bigger [and better, presumably] things). They mentioned that in the article, as well--that she, much like Madonna, has shied away from regular methods of music promotion such as TV appearances and traditional single releases and has shifted toward larger live spectacles such as tours and her performance at a-nation in Singapore.

Not totally sure what to make of this yet, to be honest. Ayu's decision to relinquish ties with traditional methods of promoting her records does remind me of what Utada Hikaru did several years ago, as she, too, has left behind TV spots and, for that matter, has never appeared at Kouhaku Utagassen. Many perceive this as laziness, but it could certainly be a shift that industry veterans such as Hamasaki and Utada both recognize as a change in the winds, so to speak. So long as she continues to strengthen her songwriting, I could care less whether she promotes her records the way she used to or not.

Do what you need to do, girl. Exciting stuff.

Personally I don't see how skipping Kouhaku and TV in general to perform in clubs in Singapore is going to take her career to the next level. However I'm happy for her that she'll finally get a little more rest and will be less stressed out during this time of year from now on. :)

Her recent CDL shows were good, you can't call them shitty, it's beyond rude and very disrespectful towards Ayu and her hard work. As if one song performance could ruin entire CDL show preparations.
Anyways Ayu wrote she's planning activities throughout all Asia next year.

this is kinda like her 'world wide' tour... lol

It more of I think, 'I'll only do what I want to do, for me and my show, not because someone tells me to do it'. She's becoming more of an independent artist. Though I hope kouhaku don't go mean Asian on her like how japans tv stations black list if an artist pulls out or cant attend. But think of it as ayu needing her full rest and game for her shows. No more rushing stuff

Recent CDLs were not shitty...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y13...psxqu2yeli.gif

she's gonna use Singapore as a BASE for overseas promotion not perform in clubs here...
which i honestly think is strategic esp after seeing a-nation bringing in people from not only SEA but even Japan. they were mostly ayu fans.

i think ayu and kouhaku team have discussed about ayu's departure and have come to an agreement, so it's mutual. not like ayu's leaving without notice. so that's good i guess.

so anybody have confirmation about the reason of her leaving kouhaku yet?
did she write the reason on her TA post?

yes, she mentions it in Japanese on TA (so it makes sense to say it in English on Twitter).

Haven't gone through and properly translated yet, but I will soon :)

Oh my God I almost lost my shit because when I read the messages in English I thought she meant RETIREMENT. Oh my goodness gracious I need to lie down.

Oh thank God it's this. I thought she was getting another divorce...

yeah, Ayu isn't really a master of context on twitter, especially when switching languages... It SEEMS like ayu was directly responding to tweets to her like artcika's but without the @replies necessary for context...

Anyway, on TeamAyu she has this very... desperately reassuring tone, like "I'm fine, I promise! I'm really happy about this!" which makes me feel like she probably wasn't invited this year... but she does promise that she's actually happy about it (like if she had been invited she would have wanted to decline... which would have actually been REALLY awkward for her to do). She also promises her activities in general aren't slowing down, that she's being "the same wild child I've always been," just redirecting her efforts to a pan-Asian approach rather than just Japan.

Still no immediate plans for work Stateside or in Europe, however - she specifically says "the whole of Asia."

She's also amused by the inconsistent "facts" from one news story to another about the Kouhaku thing.

And she sends her love to TA members affected by the quake in Nagano, hoping they can smile if they look forward to CDL. Also Miccie took photos of the PV shoot so we should be seeing those soon.

She may want to do another asia tour after her a-nation trip. And with how much stress and effort it took for her past ones, maybe she's trying to make it easier on herself, or even maybe she want to do what Koda does in Taiwan

Thanks for that, google translate wasn't really giving me much help. :D

YAY! Ayu's not taking part in the Kouhaku!!! Oh wait, WHAT!?!?!

Now this puts me in a brain with thoughts divided...I'm glad that Ayu's not taking part in the Kouhaku this year. I don't think she deserves to go into the Kouhaku! But yeah, I'm also sad because we've been seeing Ayu on the Kouhaku since 1999...

I really have to wonder about her future... It's her decision, right? After all, I think it's time to move on...

But yeah, I'm very surprised at this. Ayu NOT going to the Kouhaku!? That's great, but at the same time, that's disappointing as well. I'm pretty tired of Arashi leading the white team for the fifth year in a row (not fair?), but with Ayu pretty much out of the Kouhaku picture, let's see how this will impact the Kouhaku competition this year...

And hey, when will the list of artists for the 65th Kouhaku will come out? Isn't it usually a month before the Kouhaku happens?

Because....she's so...busy with her vibrant career these days(??????)

What offense is there in not wanting to be attend Kouhaku this time? I can tell you for sure it is not because of arrogance.

Would have loved to hear news of her performing Pray this year but it's okay.

well i guess if it was her decision, let that be. Maybe it'l come to better things. It still makes me a bit sad though....

Thank you for this!

It's not just this time, it's never ever.

OMG she looks adorable. Leaving Japan. https://twitter.com/ayu_19980408/sta...769152/photo/1

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that color on her so much!

i really hope this is a start of a new and better era for her with the changes she's making.

That's your opinion.... just like how I found them shitty is mine. And actually, it can, if you think about it. They have to fit her in the costumes/props, work out the costume changes (the one year she changed three times in less than 4 minutes), just like CDL. Surely that isn't a one day affair, and the days leading up before CDL are the most crucial. And when she's falling from exhaustion and breaking bones.... luckily Ayu isn't a wimp and toughed through all of that... but she did have to cancel MUSIC STATION. A day later and that could've EASILY been CDL being canceled instead. So if giving up the prestigious Kohaku can give her the tiniest bit of relief, even if she's focusing on CDL, that's fine with me.

too bad

I guess I'll miss her big dresses on Kouhaku, but other than that, they've been pretty much the same routine for a while. She doesn't even have any "new" popular songs to promote with if she did go lol

I just hope she can hold concerts outside of Japan and with a lower budget, so she can cut back on all her dancers and Timmy's drag outfits :)

Back to basics, ayu!

They should revamp Kohaku anyway. The event is so fossilized at this point. But I guess that's just a reflection of the fossilized music scene in Japan these days. It used to be you could actually watch exciting acts. Now it's just an endless parade of Johnny's and girl bands.

I'll miss seeing her performance every Jan 1st. :(

Good, time to leave things of yesteryear behind.

Phew! I thought she was taking an extended break or something!!

recent CDL are so much better than her past...big budget and looks like her real yearly tour...

it's sad to not see her on Kouhaku anymore...its a very presticious event...i hope she will make a come back maybe 4-5 years from now.

We will see what she will bring for us next year

I think it's not as prestigious as before ! The concept is aging and brings nothing to the performers in terms of sales or exposure since years ... and for Ayu since even longer than the newcomers ! In fact I saw it coming since the last Kohaku lol In addition she is not really relevant since several years now she played there only because she had some sort of "obligation" but considering she barely made any TV appearance since 2010 she must be pretty fine with this decision ^^

What is more impressive is how this new is covered by the journalists ...

I hope she can atleast appear on this year's Music Station Super Live for her new single. Kouhaku is fine. But not promoting her upcoming single is probably worse :(

Somehow I feel she's done with performing on TV. Not that she's done that a lot lately...so nothing will essentially change. This is something we've lived with for a while now.

I loved her performances there, especially for the outfits (Dearest's bird cage, progress's big dress hiding the dancers or even last year gold throne were amazing) but it's ok if she doesn't want to do it anymore.

However, what bothers me is that this year she just took things off from her works. Promotion, TV performance, (Peco and Shuya, XD) Introduction/interlude from album, PV (even if maybe there is at least one PV for the next single, right?), and now this.

Probably I have to try to be positive and remember that she added american collaborations and a new fashion designer (and I really like what he did until now) that is cool but I can't help to notice what I said.

(This transition toward LA is worrisome too, though. I hope that she can manage to keep her quality up - and her interest for her works - even if she is on the other side of the globe...)

I don't think moving to LA will affect her songs, she had already recorded plenty of things outside Japan... iirc NEXT LEVEL was recorded at LA and then RnRCircus at London, and kept on doing it once in a while in later works. As long as she feels comfortable with the staff around her, I'm good :)

I wonder why they decided not to invite her if its true?

Though a bit sad, I'm glad she is not performing as she can dedicate her time to pulling off a great CDL.

I guess it's still prestigious... But she did it for a decade and a half already, so, she already used all the prestige it gave her! :P

Her latest CDLs have been amazing, and I hope this years will be even better. Having more time to prepare, not having to rush to the venue... All those things will collaborate for an even better experience.
I actually loved Kouhaku and her performances there, even though they were nothing new. There was always the excitement to see what she was going to wear, the song she was going to sing, the dance routines (of the dancers, obviously) and all of this happening on Jan 1st made everything even more special.
But she's gotten to a point in her career that she should do whatever she feels like it's more important. I'm gonna miss her Kouhaku performances, but if she understands that there are more relevant things for her, I totally respect her decision.

At first I was dissapointed, but thinking again about it... do we really need another Surreal-Evolution-Surreal performance? Do we need another Inspire one? Another M performance maybe?

No. She keeps singing the same songs over and over on TV, so if she wants to leave these kind of compromises and do what she really wants, lets her do it.

I consider Ayu quite an intelligent person, so if she is making this movement on her carrer, she's got something on her mind. Let's wait and enjoy what comes next...

Check out her latest tweets :O She sounds so serious and independent

Ayu's just the same as ever :) She's always had that independence, but lately I do feel like her obligations have made it harder & harder to be herself over time. I definitely understand this. :)

So do you guys think she isn't gonna tour at all in Japan in 2015? I really hope she does, I was planning to visit Tokyo again and see her! I will be sooo depressed if she's not. I know I could always go to whatever part of Asia she is in...but I don't know the language, and now that I kinda know my way around Tokyo and the public transportation system, I thought it could make for an exciting trip... :/

^ me too! I was planning to be in Japan next July (studying) and I am really hoping to be able to see her

Well if she is doing things all over Asia next year, we know she won't do anything overseas for us..

What the hell is with the Negative Nancy attitude? She's opening up TA globally for the first time since its inception, saying she's going to try something new, and yet people still aren't satisfied. Can't you just be happy that she's starting to expand her activity overseas? If all goes well, maybe she will eventually do something to focus on the West.

Honestly. Take a friggin' chill pill.

at the beginning of Best tour ayu asked fans to tweet her city where they wanted her to come. There is any one of additional concert? And even more, next year she touring between 3 cities

she promised "new" TA and what special did we get? cut of Terminal that everyone already saw on TV, cut of tour making, that we get on dvd later. Empty gallery, no more screensavers and a calendar made of cover picture. Oh and 12 pages digital magazine

Where is song with two fans on back vocal?

I'm not going to believe what she say to us until she really do something. Because lately that's over exciting words and nothing else

I dont get why people get so mad about this. i'm happy for her. I even think avex stopped to put pressure on her. Colours was already really diffferent, her recent DVDs have been exceptionally greta and among the best since 2006.
Kohaku is nothing more than hot air these days anways tbqh, Her performance felt kinda smashed in since she had to leave early and their participant choice is kinda wanky anways.
She matured...she is moving towards a new her...its a progress...and we should support her instead of crticising everything she does.

I'm still so pissed at those fans who blamed her for featuring tracks on FIVE so that she had to apologize. That was rufe, not only towards her but also towards Naoya and JUNO...

I'm not surprised about this news as the number of Ayu's TV appearances has decreased year after year. Moreover, I don't know if I'm the only one who has felt that, but it seems she just dislikes TV's ambiance. The last times she took part to a show she sang as she does in her concert. It's this behaviour that set me thinking this.

My only regret is about her outfits. Because the last 3 years, she wore amazing ones!

If there's a tour next year, it's 100% will be in Japan too. In latest TeamAyu entry she's talking about activities not only in Japan, but in Asia as well. So Japan is still part of her plan. C'mon why would she skip it? I'd say the question is whether it's gonna be 3 cities tour or all Japan tour.

do you REALLY think she would quit Japan for a year? lol this is a ridiculous idea. Japanese fans would lose their shit xD

I bet she will touring all across japan and asia in smaller venues ! It seems that the configuration of the A nation in singapore left her a great impression ! I would not be surprised if she decide to only play in small venues ^^

True:laugh

She could just do what she did with PREMIUM SHOWCASE and only a hold a concert in certain cities~

It'll be less tiring for her and she'll have more time for Asian activities

^ I do think that is what she is going to do, but maybe not that few cities... Maybe six or seven in Japan I'd guess

Ha my "few" was subjective cause I have no idea how many cities she usually tour :laugh

still, I have my doubts on the whole thing..I am not being negative at all. I'm just being realistically honest while reading the post thread that she's going to Asia and doing NOTHING here overseas for us. Course everyone's been waiting for a long time and we shouldn't hold our breath.

If there's anyone who needs to chill, it's you. Don't jump to conclusions all at once.

hahahaha I see :laugh I guess she usually went to like 20~25 cities and held PS on 3, so it was a huge difference...

I think that would actually make for a really nice tour schedule. The design of the stage will have to be such that it can be easily moved (which is one of the reasons why they only held Premium Showcase in three cities) since she'll need to take it overseas. Hopefully tour dates will be announced soon and we'll have a better idea of what she's up to!

She has a much more significant fanbase in Taiwan, SE Asia, etc. and it makes sense that she would start small and cater to those areas first. She was never going to leap right into ~touring clubs in America~. Your comment came off as whiny and indulgent, and I don't understand why it's so hard for people to just be grateful that she's starting to take small steps to reach her overseas fans at all. It's a huge improvement from her previous way of doing things.

If she's aiming at an Asian market, I hope the quality is there!

Top Asian artists have very well produced music and videos, it's all very slick and clean and polished. Something her material has been having difficulty with lately. There are -very- talented Asian directors, designers and producers. I hope she utilizes these resources.

If she just takes her team and plops them into Singapore, I don't see a point in it. So hopefully she does more. ;)

In terms of Kouhaku, I don't mind so much. It's a busy day for her, which she's been doing for a long time haha.

whiny and ifulgent? I think not.

She's already made some concerts around SE Asia and Taiwan. I'm just saying for the few ties she's been around LA, you would think she would have done one of these at least once.

Now, everything kind of made sense as to why she did them in the past year. She tested with PREMIUM SHOWCASE to see if she can still hold quality concerts with fewer dates. She went to Singapore instead of Taiwan for a-nation to probably test her popularity.


And to those that want her to tour the US and Europe...it took her this long to actually want to extend into Asia as a whole, so the other continents will just have to wait :laugh

I don't mind. If she doesn't want to perform, I'm not losing my sleep because of it. And maybe this year's CDL will be more interesting than the ones in 2012 and 2013. I haven't felt that interested in those since HOTEL Love songs CDL which was amazing in my eyes. I did watch few clips from those tho, but they made me feel meh, which isn't a good sign. :<

well I guess that last year was the last kouhaku for me :(
now only idols, boyband and enka. Ayu was the only reason to watch it

i'm actually happy that Ayu has finally decided not to participate in Kohaku. There are just idols, boybands and enka in that event and Ayu is a different thing. Though its an exposure, i wonder how the ratings will change now that the opener for 15 freaking years is gone. <3

^
She is the opener since 2008 not before ^^ lol
Here is the rating for the different openers since the past ten years and you can see Ayu had the best rating :) (big drop for the last year but I think this kohaku had less good audiences overall)

2002年 藤本美贵　30.3%
2003年 BoA　31.1%
2004年 上户彩　31.1%
2005年 细川高志　30.2%
2006年 大和美姬丸　23.5%
2007年 早安特别队　26.2%
2008年 滨崎步　31.8%
2009年 滨崎步　33.7%
2010年 滨崎步　37.0%
2011年 滨崎步　34.9%
2012年 滨崎步　32.1%
2013年 滨崎步 26.7%

I wonder why she felt so much pressure in doing it?
I mean artist come and go all the time... I wonder why she felt like she had to do it for so long?

I guess a sense of obligation/duty/expectations for her fans and status...I respect her for...


Time to throw everything away and start again.

LOL Thanks for correcting me. Anyway, its just time for a new beggining. :)

but she toured Asia already, TWICE, in 2007 and 2008! so you're incorrect. I'm pretty peeved that she's ignoring us fans in the US and Europe constantly, yet she lives in LA. :grumpy

pommy said "extend into Asia as a whole". Back in 2007 and 2008 she only had a couple of dates in Taipei, Shanghai and Hong Kong... That's not really the whole of Asia.

It's like Ayu is already a Kouhaku tradition and I feel like it's not enough if she's not performing there. But I care less because I can't watch Kouhaku anyway, unfortunately. So let her concentrate more on live performances. :-)

It's about 8 years too late for any sort of US show...She'd just be throwing money out the door. Even Utada who was actually somewhat relevant in the states had to use her own money to do her tiny, stripped down tour. It'd be a nice gesture for Ayu to do something like that for her fans but she's in no way obligated. The point of seeing Ayu's shows is for those great visuals so unless she's playing the Staples or something...it'd be pointless for all sides to have a US show. Now Europe, I can definitely picture that happening. They just seem more receptive of international acts.

I think you need to understand her main audience is Japan/Asia. She can say all the "I'll go anywhere where people want to hear my music", that doesn't mean she'll actually do it. She still has to do what's profitable. We should just appreciate that she is branching out more.

Why does she live in LA? Other than for her marriage, she likes that she can go out without having to worry about paparazzi or fans. She can live the life she wants in LA, so don't confuse her personal life with her work.

And to be honest, she probably didn't even realize she had such a huge international fanbase until the recent few years. We can see that she's more receptive of us now, so just let time take its course.

Why you can't watch Kouhaku?

No. That's far beyond the point. Ayu does not need heavy visuals. Take a look at her a-nation performances...

She's going to held concert in Asia again, maybe another Asia tour, so saving money now, I also only watch Kouhaku because of ayu, it's getting bored now...

She's in this year's Music Station Super Live, at least that's a consolation for her not going to the Kouhaku...

^Amen bro !!!

Yeah, I'd definitely take MS over kouhaku any day!

Well this is new. Strangely enough I don't care that much. Looking forward to MSSL more anyway.