Distance
 

For some reason, I feel distant from Ayu right now...It's hard to explain. But ever since (miss) and Startin' came out, I feel that Ayu and I have grown apart. Maybe it's just because she's in her in-between period--between singles, but she feels far away from me. I am usually very dependent on Ayu's music in my life -- I rely on her music to get me through each day and keep my spirits high (I don't think she's a god or anything, she's just theraputic XD), and I used to be able to listen and it would be like she was right with me, consoling me in her own special way even though she wasn't really there (you know what I mean?)...but now, it's like I can't feel her personality as much anymore. I'm not saying that her music lacks personality or anything, but I feel like Ayu is far away right now. I'm not bashing her or anything and I still love her music and think she's #1, but there's lots of distance. Maybe she's off recording her next single? I'm sorry if this sounds confusing, but I was just wondering if anyone else feels that Ayu is distant from us right now? Maybe I'm just feeling weird? XD I apologize if what I said offended anyone or confused anyone, but if you get what I mean, then I would like to discuss it. I guess the biggest feeling I have about Ayu right now is that I miss her. Again, I don't know if this makes any sense whatsoever, but I feel as if she has gone somewhere, and she's going to come back soon, but she's been gone for a long time. Miss....? Yeah, I think I miss Ayu.

^lol wow greggerz that was a long post ^_^ But I know what you mean actually, I think. I listen to Ayu a lot, but lately I've been listening to other artists a lot more and depended on their music a lot more than Ayu's, like Mika, Utada Hikaru, Lee Jung Hyun, Gackt, Rin' and other random artists, but especially T.M. Revolution. I don't listen to her as much as I used to. I would talk more on the subject but I must got to bed... @_@

Don't apologize for what you feel. Always stay true to your opinions even if people beat them up or get offended.

I miss the old Ayumi as well. She's not 'original' nor 'edgy'. She's become bland and doesn't release with the quality she use to.

I've grown apart from her new things as well.

Old material all the way to Memorial Address is loved by me. I don't care what annoying crazed fan says about not supporting Ayumi for every single she releases. If I don't like it, I don't like it.

Cheers to you.

That's true though.

I fear the time where I feel I might be apart from Ayu. Her songs are like therapy for troubled souls.. her lyrics reflect many people's emotions at the moment, and there's just about one Ayu song or more for every feeling you can feel. :]

She'll probably come back to you, so don't worry about it :)

Oh I'm so glad that all made sense to you guys!! ::breathes a sigh of relief:: I don't think that the quality of her music has gone down -- I know she's just dabbling in other styles, but I feel like she half-assed (miss)understood. I still bought both versions of the album, and I'll always support Ayu, but like I said--the distance...I think she's just a little too commercial right now--too cookie-cutter. I guess maybe deep down I think that she's lacked originality lately, I just didn't want to come out and downright say it. I mean, generally I don't think that's the case, because some of my all-time favorites of Ayu's are on (miss) like HEAVEN and Bold & Delicious. But I truly feel like she rushed the album.

^^See how confused and conflicted I am!!! XD

thanks a bunch truehappiness--I really appreciate what you said. I'm sure she'll come back to me too. ^___^

Hm...I think I'm going to write to Ayu. I had planned on sending her a set of lyrics I wrote about her and her influence in my life, and I managed to use quite a bit of her song titles and still have the lyrics make sense!! Woot! Anyway, I planned on sending it to her a long time ago, and I think that now that I'm feeling distant, I might. I'll probably write a cover letter saying that my japanese is ICK! and that's why I'm writing in English, but I'm hoping she'll find a translator!

It might be quite hard to get mail to the most influential jpop queen in japan! :x

However, I do not believe she half-assed (miss)understood. I think that it feels sort of rushed due to the mass of GEO songs [no offense to GEO]. Ayu had a plan for the album, however her interest in Sweetbox and the staff's intervention of getting GEO caused Bold and Delicious' creation along with the other album tracks. I suspect that the 'team up!' happened in between August and October, since rainy day was already announced for Shin Onimusha by them. :x Plus, the album was done by November! Ayu recorded a bunch of the songs in NY as well. [I suspect she did the GEO songs there..]

The way you said it was like Ayu had died and we didn't know because Avex is covering up to put Ai Otsuka in disguise to act like Ayu and announce to the people that "I am retiring, here's my list CD, A Bestest!" to delude the masses so Avex could profit without Ayu's death getting in theway, and you could feel it.

It's just one single, don't worry, she'll get back soon. Maybe with something like Heaven...

No no!

They were speaking of Ayu not feeling like.. usual for the last two releases. [the album + the single]. In my opinion, she generated a sound that is so RADICALLY different that it really doesn't fit her or we're just not used to it because usually we have this one Ayu sound.

Another reason for greggerz confusion can be due to the GEO composition. x.x I want more CREA and DAI and Kazuhito Kikuchi.

Ah, yes, I know how you feel.

Ayumi really sparks people's interests and she... keeps them company. Like a lot of people say, she makes people not feel alone anymore and it's great. I'm one of those people.

Her newest single.. the lyrics didn't really reach me like the older ones. Teens is wonderful but the other two are a bit.. meh. I've been experiencing the distance myself, which scares me because she's one of those people I want to keep close, I don't know why the distance is there suddenly, ever since the new year began it seems as if a wall just dropped inbetween us.

My interest for her newest concert has been able to go through that wall and be a little closer to Ayumi again. I'm sure it'll work for you too. Don't worry about it. =]

Teens was NOT an Ayu lyrical work. It was done by TRF first. [Ayu covered it in their latest album and the acoustic version is on the single]

I think that Born to Be... and Startin' accurately convey the feelings of the products they were meant to endorse :]

Born To Be... is like her old stuff though, only much better. Much "modern". So no need to feel distance.. Maybe you could listen to all her old stuff again. Memorial Address and Duty are still good even now.

Yeah, it is like her old stuff.. but..

A lot of her new things can be listened to now and still be good. You just need to wait a while for them to become like finewine <3

[cause you can't know if something will be good in a year.. in a day,.. o-o] xD

Don't feel too sad about feeling like this, maybe you're just not getting used to her new style. Plus, you could always enjoy whatever you have now, and put those negative feelingsto one side. Music is meant to be appreciated and enjoyed, not obsessed over. :)

hmmmm...i know how you feel and i think i sort of feel the same, i noticed in these past few weeks and it's hard to explain but yeah...i think it's because i was quite dissappointed with her last 2 singles....i just don't feel hyper about her things anymore which makes me sad =(

hope Ayu comes back soon =)

greggerz189: you must be really a big fan of her..

I just started to like her since 2003...
and now her works are growing into me just now...
everytime I saw her pictures or anything that talks about her...I'll definitely really surprise about it and feel so happy about it...

when there's a singing competition that is being held in one of the Plaza in my country, they are using Ayu's picture, the evolution single one as the singing competition advertisement..it's a very huge picture of Ayu.. even though they are using Ayu's old picture..but in my country, Japanese singers are seldom to be heard or sold...I'm like..OH MY GOD..they're using Ayu's picture.. and I keep looking at the picture for a lot of time..and feel proud about it...

though my friends asked me to attend the competition and sing Ayu's songs.. but.. I think it's not gonna be really good to sing japanese songs in front of the people who don't really know about Japanese songs...

and Yes..I'm growing up into her very deep now!

everyone dun worry about that... ayu will be back to your heart pretty soon. i had the same experience during the Dearest --> A BALLADS era. It's funny tho the reason of me (feeling) distant from ayu is kinda opposite. During that period I feel like she's just repeating the same type of song again and again and I was getting tired of them (e.g., Free & Easy sounds like M; Indepedent sounds like her ones; etc.). After "&" suddenly the distance is shorten and now I'm OK with her release (except her pvs.. maybe..). You can't hope that you'll get hyper for every single song she releases. There're some types you dun like. Probly there're 3 consecutive singles you dun really like. But if you can stay tight at this position and not getting further, you'll be back pretty soon from that distance. Trust me, I enjoyed her latest music not because she tries to invent something new. It's just I think ayu is doing something on her own other than making herself as avex vending machine.

Well, I can't say I feel the same as you do, but I have been having different feelings as of late. Feelings like sadness and nostalgia because Ayu isn't as popular or influential as she used to be. I think it's a real shame that (Miss)Understood didn't sell 1 million copies, because I absolutely love that album. It hurts me in a way, yanno? Because I feel attached to Ayu. If people talk badly about her or something like that, I feel like they are talking badly about a friend. I don't mean when people say, "I hated this song" etc...I mean when people say things like, "she's not beautiful" or "she can't sing".

I am going to Ayu's concert on April 15th, so I am looking forward to being surrounded by lots of other fans. I think that will show me that Ayu is still well-loved.

I could feel (miss)understood as much as her older albums. I don't understand how can she be "way too commercial" now, when her music has actually always been very comercial. :shrug There's hardly an ayu song where there are no synth intrumentation, guitar solos or electronic beats (You rarely ever get a pure acoustic song).
Not talking about you greggerz, but sometimes I have the feeling people aren't getting tired of the new ayu, they've just gotten tired of ayu overall and instead of admitting it, just blame it in her recent releases (explains why the loss of interest gets worse progressively with every new release). I wonder how many times a day those hardcore "I am..." fans actually listen to evolution/M or still can feel them as much as before or if they just base their opinions because in the memory they remember having listened to that song 1.000.000 times in a distant past (but hardly cares to listening to the song lately).

i feel that way too greg
but i'm too tired now...i will discuss it tomorrow

You know what? I agree with you. There's like, something missing right? As if she has not really been herself? I'm don't know why, but to me... her new stuff doesn't have the same impact on me. If you compare "ASFXX" and "Startin'", there's a HUGE difference. It seems to me that Ayu has lost herself somewhere. Her look, PV music and all seem a lot weaker than it use to. I only hope the Ayu we used to know will come back soon.

so
even asongforxx feels it?
I'm shocked!
but you are right too
she is like lost herself
and
it's...
I think we must have been expected it
cause nothing lasts forever
and the impact she makes is different to what it was
and yes
her new image is weaker
maybe she is just had enough?
I mean...
maybe...
the strenth and interest have gone?!
cause 8 years already...

I can't participate in this conversation
it's so sad!!!
waha-a-a!
guys, you make me sad!
does this all mean we are losing our sweet Ayumi?

I don't think this means we are losing her or we have lost her completely. I don't think that her songs have lost identity, especially when you compare the songs on (miss) to the versions on Addicted. There's definitely Ayu's flair and style in GEO's songs. I guess maybe "half-assed" was the wrong word, but I do feel that she kind of just jumped on the (miss) bandwagon on a whim. I understand that she has been a commercial product her entire career, but I guess it's safe to say that she may feel a bit distant now because Startin'/Born To Be... is meant to endorse the products they are supporting. Ooh! Got to go! I'll talk more later!! Thanks a bunch! ^__^

i understand. Maybe the feeling i have is not as extreme as yours, there is that missing factor in her new music compared to her old songs. But i wouldn't worry about it because i think that she wants to show a new side to her, a side that has changed since she was her younger self. But yes, i do kinda wish the "old" Ayu comes back soon.

True true.. She made no compromises. Its all of us who need to compromise? I dunno. Its taste. Taste changes. Taste gets used to something. So if you're used to Ayu's style, and she changes but still retaining her quality, of course we'll all feel "distant"?

I can understand how you'er feelign.. I feel that way too ._. I loved miss understood, but when Startin' came out I started to feel more and more distant.. The new arena tour is making me feel kind of good again.. I don't know.. I'm just going to hope that releases a nice new Ayu-ish single around summertime, maybe even with a composition or two by herself or DAI ..

Is it that shocking that I feel it too? LOL!

Yeah, I agree with the "lost of interest". I mean... Ayu has NEVER dreamed of becoming a singer. She has never ever considered becoming an artist at a young age, like most singers. She was just discovered and decided to pursue this career because "she had nothing else to do". And this is something Ayu truly said. Maybe, she had never really had a passion for music, but that passion has certainely grow inside her. But lately, it has been fading...

But is this because her latest songs hasn't been composed by herself? I wonder.

I've sort of been feeling the same way, lately. As I said before, she needs to stop with all these tie-in things. The Panasonic/Visee/Morinaga ones are ok, but ones for movies and events are just bad. She took a step in the right direction with alterna and Will, but went downhill with some aspects of (miss) understood and Startin/Born to Be. I want a new feel to her music, something that sounds fresh. I personally think she needs to get rid of CMJK, HAL, and her normal composers. I would really like to see BOUNCEBACK again, and more tasuku. And of course, CREA herself. COLDFEET would be an interesting composer as well. I would love a song with just a simple acoustic guiar, a piano, and some violins. That aren't distorted or synthesized. But, I don't see that happening anytime soon. I also think, through her effort of trying to be herself, she's somehow left the "real" Ayu back in her old music, like I've also said before. Its sad to say this, but I think Ayu produces her best music when she's sad, or something effects her in a bad way. Rumors inspired "alterna", and look what we got. A masterpiece. Take away the fake "trying to be true to yourself" image and the tie-ins, and you get the old, real Ayu.

I wouldn't mind at all if she didn't release a single until August or September, but you know how that goes. I expect one in June or July. I just hope its good this time.

Quick, someone make Ayu sad! :p

Because right now, she seems genuinely happy. [Remember, back when people thought she was real Ayu.. she wrote about her problems and her friend's problems as well~ :)]

And when Ayu's happy.. I'm not so sure if her most of her fans are happy as well.

nyan! i feel the same way as you!!
yes right now her release are not like showing her personality anymore.. in the past wheenever i sing alogn with her music.. i always get to cry cos i really feel how im a fan of ayu and how devoted a fan i am t her.. i hoe she will get back to her odl style again.. where she can make peopel cry.. she's also been my therapy whenever i ahev problems she's the onyl artists that i can rely on and sit and listen to her msuic...balllads!

Between the period of forgiveness and NWTS, I was lost as an Ayufan xD I was like '...what the o-o? She did wha?' Then again, I had only gotten reunited with Ayu with & that year. :p

I even started graphic design stuff BECAUSE of Ayu. :]

Good god, if "being yourself" is a synonym of "depression and sorrow", I will never want to be myself ever.

Absolutely. I really do love her and I know she'll come back to me, and in an effort to try and get "re-connected" I've gone back to the roots and I'm listening to her A Song for XX stuff. That is, after all, what initially got me hooked into Ayu in the first place. I never felt especially distant from Ayu until recently. I mean, I felt a bit distant during the INSPIRE season and the MY STORY album, but when she was releasing her (miss) singles, I felt really close to her. I guess Startin'/Born To Be...just doesn't give off the same aire. I really hope she doesn't wait until August to release another single like she did last year, because that was just TORTURE. Healthy doses of Ayu are good for the soul.

OH Yeah! Definitely :yes You should see him at school, it's very amusing LOL :D But I guess I can't say much since I'm a big fan too...;)

Anywayz, greggerz, as I was saying before I know what you mean. Some of her songs are gonna be good and some aren't gonna be as good as others. Startin' and her My Story album aren't as good as her other albums, but they still are quality! I like all of Ayu's songs to some extent, there may be songs that I don't care for as much as others but there's no Ayu song I absolutely hate, which is why she's one of my top fav artists! ^^ what am I trying to say exactly? aaack! I think I'm a bit confused too.

I think a lot of it has to do with her different style. It seems as if her style is slowly changing ever since her My Story album. Personally, I feel that all though Startin' is a good song it lacks the symbolism and high quality classiness that is common to most of her songs (example: Moments, Fairyland, Heaven, all are high quality-classy-symbolistic PVs) and give them more meaning. Startin' was an interesting PV but I didn't feel like it had meaning like her other songs. But it's just one single. Who knows what Ayu will come up with next! Remember our discussion? She's still got it! She's definitely still got it! ;)

Maybe also we're a bit disappointed that (miss)understood didn't break a million. Ayu's got some fierce competition out there, like Koda Kumi, and she doesn't seem to be the icon we're used to seeing. But like you said before, she's not aiming to be number one, she doesn't even perform on Taisho anymore even though she can because she's giving other artists a chance. And remember you were telling me how she still performed for her fans even after all that drama with her losing her hearing and breaking her leg? There's no doubt she's very dedicated to her fans and also her music. She's not trying to be number one, I feel that she continues her career for her love of music and her fans. That's a good thing! (T.M. Revolution's like that too ^_^ and I remember you said BoA has that same dedicatioin too ^^ awesome artists are like that) Any artist who takes on that sort of attitude is bound to come up with something new that will blow us all awaaayy!! @.@ Have faith greggerz, though Ayu is distant from us at the moment, she WILL come back and when she comes back she will kick butt! Yay Ayu!! You go girl!! XD

Whew, this is a long post, but I had a lot to say ^^; I don't feel distant from T.M. Revolution at all, although I did slightly a little while back only because I hadn't heard from him in a long time becuase the Japanese TV we get here is limited and he stopped coming to HEy Hey Hey T.T But then he came on Kouhaku! Woohooo! And then he released a new album! Double woohoo! And then I discovered the existence of region code-less live concert DVDs. Yaaaaaay!! XD So there's no distance at all now :P I'm sure the same thing will happen w/ Ayu. Don't worry :yes Oh, greggerz, if you have the time please check out my poll in the gaming section. I highly value your opinions and it would be interesting to see what you would have to say ^_^

So you'd rather raise her chance of committing suicide by putting her in intense depression just so you get the type of songs you want from her? :no

Right, look at the stuff last year. You were bound to obsess over something she released. It would be easier to move on and just accept her new songs, the quality hasn't differred yet, its just the style and variety. :)

XDD!

No! I LOVE HER MUSIC NOW! ;_; I didn't mean that she needs to be depressing to the point of being suicidal or anything.. but I mean.. she seems to be REALLY happy right now, and it doesn't look like her fans like what she produces while in that state :p

Perhaps we might get a CREA composition if something sad happens to her or something.. I'm not wishing it upon her, it'd just be something that might help her... :\ Agh, I'm confusing myself HAHA.

But yeah, her music has certainly changed since the very beginning. But then again, it's almost been 8 years, so why not? The old Ayu is gone and done with after RAINBOW and A BALLADS, so I think its sort of useless to want songs like the old times.. hm

Yes, probably.. Who knows, she's so unpredictable. No one expected a song like Carols and Alterna from her when she released them. :yes

And OMG your sets are so beautiful they are a crime.

someone should go up to Ayumi's house with a big sign and a blimp that say 'WE WANT CREA COMPOSITIONS! PLEASE COMPOSE!!! ;_;' If her next single were to have a composition by her, I'd be extatic.. She hasnt composed a song for a single since, what, "forgiveness"?? ._. ;_; she's such a great composer

No, she co-compoosed WILL

Actually her last song she composed was Will and that was with DAI and before that there was WONDERLAND, winding road, and Humming 7/4 by herself.

Anyways...

I've been a fan of Ayu for a very long time (since LOVEppears/appears) and I've learned that it's Ayu style that changes and not everyone will be happy with what she does.At times we'll grow apart from Ayu then she'll do something that will make us grow closer or closer than before to her. Around the time between I am... and RAINBOW I set Ayu aside because I just couldn't connect to her but once & came out I quickly grew closer than before to Ayu. I've also noticed that I've grown with Ayu and the evolution of her music but that's just me.

WELLLLL~

My set indirectly states that by taking you to the beautiful place, I am a criminal in the corner~ blawhwhawhawhaw.. Not really.

Thanks though :]

o__O In any case, the top one is absolutely fantastic and I'm in love with it. Its so good. Bloody awesome.

And yeah, Ayumi co-composed Will. It shows that she still has a hand in those wonderful song melodies and structures.

Well she composed Humming 7/4 and winding road on her own too...

Honestly, Ayu should see that her composing = teh hotness.

She needs to be like Ai Otsuka and do it liek woah. :]

But then again Ayu didn't do the 'music' thing until 5 years or so after Ai started. >> I still would love to see an ALL CREA album.

[which hopefully, people like.]

Yeah...the only mostly-CREA album was I am... and even then, she had featured composers and the ppl who composed Connected and A Song is born...And even then, there was a distinct change in her music. I guess I get what some of you guys mean when you say that we feel closest to Ayu when she's sad. I have to agree, because even though I didn't know what was going on with her at the time until the NTV Interview came out three years later, I felt closest to Ayu during A BEST. I could really feel her pain and angst when she re-sang her A Song for XX songs and in her pictures for the cover. I guess it's just weird because even though her career changed with I am...and she started composing her music, I didn't feel distant or closer to Ayu than during A BEST because I kind of expected it. I knew she would come back fighting after the release of A BEST. I didn't feel such a distance when she released A BALLADS because the leading song RAINBOW was one of her most personal songs, and the video was so inspiring and my perception of Ayu became clearer. Even during Memorial address I didn't feel distant because when she released No way to say, I felt like she was singing her lyrics for me -- I could relate to that song so much. When she won the Taisho, I still felt as close to her as I did in the beginning. Like I said, I felt some distance over the INSPIRE period, but when the NTV interview came out that year, it truly re-defined Ayu's career and clarified lots of things for me. In a way, that interview, coupled with her Moments single made me feel especially close to her. Truthfully, I didn't feel such a distance during (miss) because I could still feel her in her music even though GEO was composing her songs. It's just Startin'/Born To Be...is really commercial...That's probably why the distance has grown. It's sad because I'm used to being close to Ayu in that way -- I mean, I truly grew up on Ayu and I always felt especially close, so I guess now the distance has me feeling strange. On a lighter note, I know she'll be back soon.

ANYWAY!

When did Ai-chan start her career? I always thought she didn't start her career until about the time Ayu released RAINBOW/A BALLADS...

this topic is getting interesting.. the first page are mainly filled with "i feel distant from ayu right now", then the second page mainly filled with "i felt distant from ayu before but now i'm closer than ever" :P. I realized that most of us who felt distant before are between I am to A BALLADS period.

One thing pop out of my mind while reading this.. When ayu was super popular people tends to think her lyrics are so good.. Some people said it's because ayu wrote something "real" (depression in youth ages, sadness with surroundings, blah blah etc.). Those lyrics are called "greatly connected to the teenagers." Now ayu's gone thru the depression era and is moving towards "happy ever after" state. Ayu's still real... probly just her lyrics are connected to more mature fan base rather than younger ones. That's my thought... dunno if it's correct tho.. ;)

She won awards for composition at an early age, I remember..

NEVER MIND LOL

But she's been playing piano for a while~

"A piano player since age 4, Otsuka composes and co-produces her songs. She also writes her own lyrics. Her music ranges from upbeat catchy pop/rock music that can be heard in tracks like Happy Days and Sakuranbo to touching ballads like Daisuki da yo and Amaenbo. " :D

Put bluntly, I feel the exact same way as you. Spot-on.

From Wiki eh? I sure wish there was more info on her online.. Thats the only one I know so far. Some of those who have felt distant from Ayu have hopped to Ai's bandwagon.. Ayumi no Yume for example. Well me too, but because I like Ai more lately.. :P

Well, I think Ai is easy listening imho, but its not meant for longterm use. :x xD

...cause if you do, you might go mad and end up in one of Ai's PVs as a fat guy! :p

/squees @ frienger

I've got one foot in each wagon. And I sense my pants splitting soon. >.<"

Seriously though, we should all try to enjoy her music for what it is, and not dwelve(sp?) into how it's different from her "old style" or something. After all, Ayu has inspirations from many different genres of music from the Smashing Pumpkins to Madonna, so we probably should expect a very diverse range of music from her already. Just take each song as they come along and try not to compare it so much to other Ayu songs, as hard as it may be.

Unfortunately, I find her upbeat songs rather tacky. I LOVE HER BALLADS SO MUCH. Her ballads are all 5 star quality ones. Up there with Heaven and Carols.

I guess people rely on ayu's music to drown their sorrow and insecurities within it? That actually never happened to me though. I can feel her songs but it's not like i use them for mindhealing, I just listen to them because I think they're cool and I enjoy them (I love her voice and the composition/arrangements of most of her songs). I guess I don't put much thoughts when i listen to music as I do it just for the sake of enjoying it, not to analyze if the singer is an opera singer, if the song is a cover, if they have vibratos, choir, the range of the song, how many octaves it has, whether the song is generic or random, pop or rock. I don't study music and I have no interest in doing it.
Maybe the sudden shift of her producing happier songs makes people egoistically think ayu is driving apart on a different way to enjoy her happiness and forget about them? I'm not guessing, it's just what I've seem from observations of comments of people who can't stand listening to "Beautiful day" just because they are always in a bad mood, and they feel they're being mocked while listening to the song. :shrug

I am kind of new to this forum, and I discovered Ayumi Hamasaki only a few months ago. I have known of her existance for many years, but I didn't actually listen to any of her music untill recently. The day I did, I cried. Music has always been important to me, Ayumi gave me a whole new dimension to the word important. During the time that has passed since I listened to her for the first time and now I have been reading up on her career, watching every single tour, everything I've been able to find. At the moment im planning a trip to Japan for the sole purpose to see her live, it is a dream, but it IS possible to realise. I'm holding on to that IS as hard as I can.

I read through most things that are said in this forum, but as you can see on my postcount I rarely post (I think that will change :) ). I'm active on a few other forums aswell.

Well, that's my little introduction, now to what I actually have to say on this topic!

I read every single post, and I have to say what you feel greggerz189 REALLY makes sense. Your words were really touching to read for me, because I feel almost exactly the same. To me I think the distance is created because I have the feeling that at the moment Ayumi is not as involved in the making and marketing of herself and her music as she has been. She has also gone through quite a big change herself with her voice maturing, giving her singing a new dimension. I don't think that is bad, I like the change, but it can give a feeling of distance before getting used to her new style, I don't know. Even though she still writes the lyrics, seeing compositions by CREA has become more and more rare, I'm hoping a lot to see more of them on her coming albums/singles.

She has, as has already been mentioned, matured in herself too, the Ayumi that was unsure of herself barely exist anymore, atleast thats what I think. Her attitude has changed immensely in just a short period of time.

I, as many other here, also think that this is just a period that will pass! Whatever it is that creates this distance to some of us we will push ourselves closer to her, step by step if so needed, because we all love our Ayumi.

I don't like any of her albums less than any other. There are a few songs that I do not always feel like listening to, apart from them I feel that all her music supports me through the day and keep my mood up in an equal way.

I also really hope that she won't take too long to release her next single :),
Martin

Yeah, I agree totally.I really don't want to offend anyone but the reason i've felt a little distant is that ayu isn't as popular as she was, and I think it's really sad that happens and I feel so sorry for ayu; I've only known about ayu for a few months so it is kinda hard to judge...I just think that with a new song or two, or a new image (a new haircut will TOTALLY stimulate everyone) is what she needs. It's an awkward way to feel because you feel like she's a friend, but for some reason you're not able to talk to your best friend about how you feel about her.
The main thing that will affect this is just a re-awakening of fans, because I think that the whole atmosphere of the low record sales are getting us down. I just have to keep in mind that with downloads the sales WILL of course go down. Arena Tour will get us through maybe.

Hmm.. If thats true.. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE PEOPLE! :P If they do reach the point where they think Beautiful Day is mocking, I think they might be overanalytical when it comes to Ayu. Or maybe no one's heard of Puffy Amiyumi yet.

actually I like Beautiful Day -- it's a pretty uplifting song IMO.

I've been pretty distant since Ayu released ourselves, that's the only song I remember being really crazy about. And know what?- I don't really care anymore. She's good to listen to once in a while, but I'm not going to die because I don't listen to her every single minute. I'm used to all her releases with crappy mixes, and all the photoshoots, and commercials, and this and that. After 3 years, it's just not as amazing anymore :shrug There's no need to feel bad about it- if she influenced your life in a good way once, then be happy :) Things eventually get old.. and that's it :shrug (I'm talking about obssessions getting old, not Ayu herself) We still have 50, 60 years of our lives to go thru (hopefully) ..she's not going to be around forever for us to obssess over.

well I too have been listening to other artists lately... but not because I'm distant from Ayu... there's just alot of new stuff out that I like... such as Koda's second best... or Boa's OUTGROW... but I still listen to Ayu alot... it is an in-between kinda feeling... I am listening to her older stuff right now, I go through phases...

Maybe she's just run out of stuff to say. To all the people that say her lyrics are bland and recycled, I give her props for still writing her own lyrics. I would love to see an average person write as many songs as she has and not repeat themselves with the same ideas or concepts. Even Shiina Ringo said after KSK, that she really didn't have much more to say. Her lyrics are bound to seem the same sometimes. But I thought some songs on (miss) understood were great. I think she just needs to cut the tie ups for events or movies. I don't mind the Morinaga ones or Panasonic CMs, because they don't have an effect on the type of song she's going to make. It just seems to me like a big tie in comes along, and they ask her to write a song for them, and she does it. Thats what bothers me. I have high expectations for her next single though, I really am excited about it. (Whether it be the rumor one, or one to be announced). I think she's due for a big hit that will hit home for all her fans in Japan, and on AHS. I would love it for everyone on AHS just to be happy and love her new songs once again. But maybe thats asking too much :P I would also love to hear CREA compose again, but I don't think she'll re appear anytime soon...there were a lot of mixed reactions from winding road and Humming 7/4, so maybe she got discouraged again.

Remember that it's not really Ayu's fault.. technically xD for the tie-ups anyway. Blame the tie-up coordinator! Boo on him!

Well I just went through this period...but I've returned somewhat. The newer stuff just doesn't seem as influential, regardless of whether it is good or not.

i guess i'm like some of the people here .. I'm still crazy about Ayu these days, I tune into all her news, listen to all new songs repeatedly .. but just not as crazy as I was back a year or 2 ago ... my playlist then was 100% ayu .. n nothing else ..

now I'm listening to Kumi and other artists

It's normal, I guess. I admit that I don't like every single thing that Ayu does but I'm still here.