[2006] Does AYU smoke?
 

This question came to me a few good times already...does Ayumi smoke? ...just curious...

There are supposively tabloid pictures of her smoking but no one knows :P

maybe yes maybe not...
i'm not so sure she's smoking or not~

oh well...excluding those commercials..wadeva

In the pictures I've seen of Ayu smoking, she looks like a 40 year old man. Tabloids obviously aren't too reliable.

But who knows? Maybe she used to be a smoker. On the RAINBOW album, her vocals sound a little raspy and hoarse. Well, more strained than raspy, so I doubt she smoked.

maybe, if she does, i dont think she does it too much

Yeah, there was pictures of Ayu smoking. (I believe it was her birthday) Was she smoking a cigar or a cigarette? Not sure. I doubt that she's a regular smoker if she really do smoke. Because if she did smoke everyday, her voice would have turned out like Mika Nakashima's...

I have read many blog said that AYU is smoking. But I have never accept that, 'cause I like AYU so much!!!!!!!

Ayu smokes when she goes out for fun / parties

its proved

get over it

To be fair, there's no "PROOF" until she comes out and tells us this. Just tabloids with mad photoshop skillz :P

And if you guys are wondering where the pics where she is shown "smokin", it's in the A photobook.

Actually.. we were talking about the tabloid.. at least, I was.

can i see the picture of ayu's smoking?

Party smoking.

Someone did post the tabloid pictures when we discussed this earlier. She is a grown woman, so she could be smoking. Isn't there a high percentage of smokers in Japan? Oh well, at least Ayu smoking in legal... :irked

I thought the topic was about her smoking, in general. Nothing specific to tabloids...

It's not a big deal anyways. If she can continue producing quality songs/PVs, I don't think it matters. Unless she dies of lung cancer or something.

oh!:OMG
perish the thought!
but I agree with you 100%. she's a grown woman and as long as she's making a lot of music for us to enjoy it really shouldn't matter.

What's wrong with Mika's voice?:mischief

^ yea? what's wrong w/ her voice? it's actually quite nice D<

Well, she's a smoker and I find her voice weak... Certainly no vitality in her voice. That's why sometimes, I find her songs dull. She doesn't sing with energy. In my opinion of course.

(Don't get me wrong, I like some of her song. But I don't find her voice great.)

oh gosh i hope not, smoking is a (in my opinion) disgusting habit that should be illegal. If i ran my own country it would be lol.

I think the pics you talk about are edired with Photoshop!
I really don't think Ayu smokes-cause she's not that kind of person.

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but I don't find anything wrong with her voice at all. I couldn't even say she was a smoker until Brittany told me :shrug. But if you think so, that's your opinion :)

And yeah, I could totally see Ayu smoking, even though I may not want her to, and whether this may be true or not.

Same here! I didn't know she was a smoker until Brittany said it! But I never really liked her voice before knowing that. For me, it was kinda like "Oh! So that's why her voice is so weak... She's a smoker!". XD

I think Ayu is a casual..ish smoker.

I mean most people smoke in Japan anyway, right? :/

Who cares if she smokes or not, its her life...she is not that kind of person? there is a kind of person who smokes? that means smokers are bad? I dont think so...I am not a smoker even I used to be in illegal age but I stopped for my own sake but everyone does what they want, if she wants to smoke then why bother? =)

^^i agree with you. Most people in Japan smoke anyway, its not seen the same as it is here in the US.

i think Ayu smokes every time to time. Not everyday, but maybe on special occasions or something

Maybe its because she mostly sings ballads and the like, its hard to exactly show, but you do make a valid point. Like in Glamorous Sky-- a rock song -- Mika looks like she's having a hard time singing during the performances.
And so as not to stray any further from the actual topic, I'll stop here. ;)

Though no one should smoke, artists should especially take that precaution.

Yes, I think she smokes from the pics I've seen. (Yes, they maybe tabloid, but I remember it the tabloid story wasn't about her smoking, it was about her celebrating her b-day at a gay bar without her bf or something)

I don't think she's a regular smoker. A casual one, at most.

Smoking in JPop is pretty weird. IMO, Gackt's voice hasn't changed because of it, and if at all, Shiina Ringo's non stop smoking has made her voice even crazier and stronger, in a way.

But, I wouldn't want to risk it.

^I agree.

And to be honest, it's her life.

Meh, I don't really care what she does on her own time. As Kikaru said, it's her life. Ayumi can do whatever she wants with her personal life. As long as she keeps looking cute and keeps churning out great music, I'm happy.

^_^ yeah...and as long as it doesnt kill her o_O! (musnt think that way o_o;;;)

Some people smoke cigarettes once in a blue moon. That's probably the case of ayu. Anyway, does it really matter if she smokes or not? It's her body and she does whatever she wants to it.

Mika Nakashima's vocals sound like that because she's a very shy person, not because of cigarettes. It's noticeable how she gets nervous when she sings, how she doesn't interact much in stages and how she can be rather clumsy on live shows. That's typical of someone who's anxyous. That's not because of cigarettes. For cigarettes to cause restriction of lung capacity and damage to the larynx, it needs years and years of regular smoking. Being nakashima that young, and I assume she isn't really a heavy smoker, you can't really blame the cigarettes for her vocals sounding the way they do. Maybe in 30 years or so we can make such assumptions but it's not like someone smokes 1 cigarette today and they will already have severe vocal impairment. (I honestly don't see any other problem in her vocals, they sound clean and nice. She does have signs of anxiety when singing sometimes though. And her last song, her voice is a little hoarse but well, I don't think it was smoking)

Ah, so that's the case. I feel bad for Mika; I hope that she would become more comfortable being on the stage. :(

but now,i think ayu doesn't becuz, smoking will do a lot of harm to her voice!

i wish she didn't. i hate it when ppl that sing smoke... itz kinda dumb...

ask j_nerd LOL :laugh

i think she does, but only during special occasion...like said above, but like everyone else, i dont care...its her life.

is it the "male" ayu smoking in the book?

She actually hav a sexy low voice...:)

I am just curious whether Ayu smoke or not..and I wanna know the answer..for people who replied/commented correctly, according to the question..thank you..

for people who keep posting things like : does it matter? Its her life... and anything that runs along that line...please read the question I posted again in my 1st post.. I didn't wanna hear anything more than those.why? cuz i see some ppl arguing over some things which wasn't the pourpose of this thread.. :)

Those answer that say "it's her life, I don't care" are really lame if you ask me. If someone ask "Does she smoke?", a good answer will be "Yes she does", "No she doesn't", or simply "I don't know."

Remember, there's no stupid question but only stupid answer. Don't imply your way of thinking on someone else, they just want a clear answer, not what you think about it. The more you write about what you think, the more likely this all will become a huge debate like it used to be because people like others to think like themselves.

Lastly, here's the picture from A Book where she looks like she's smoking but she isn't, don't tell me you gonna believe he's a guy now because of those moustache (same applies to her cigar):

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/2023/a378sf.th.jpg

Oh to the question, my answer is "I don't know". :P

Pulsar, things like this cannot be helped. If people have something on their mind in regards to the topic, they will say it...I mean...look how many threads end up with, "I think she had plastic surgery...NO SHE DIDN'T AYU IS NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON..." (I'm personally waiting for people to start talking about how they have a right to express their opinions...)

Your question has been asked, and the answers are always the same. It's just like the surgery threads, I don't think anyone can ever be sure unless Ayu tells us herself.

i already said...I think she does every now and then. It is EXTREMELY popular in Japan to smoke, and most of the country does it. I'm sure she at least knows how.

Lame is rating what is a good or bad answer. People have the right to voice what they want. A lot of users seem extremely bothered by the fact ayu probably smokes and they try to find a definite answer, probably to ease their feelings about the matter. Yes or no answers here can be rather biased sometimes based on how people feel about smoking. Some people almost treat smokers like criminals, getting into denial about the possibility of ayu smoking.
Why do people need so much to know whether she smoke or not? For me their intention is probably just for them to either get annoyed or relieved by ayu smoking or not smoking. Maybe it's just me, but I find it rather discriminatory to rate someone as a smoker and look down on them just because of the habit. I find smoking bad and I do encourage people not to smoke, but I won't get annoyed when I discover someone I know smokes. It's their life and they do what they want, as long as they aren't causing problems to other people (alcohol abuse, disrespectful smokers, etc). I can explain to them about the risks and such but I won't look down on that person just because they've just chosen to do that.
Seeing 1 pic or 2 of ayu smoking still isn't an answer to tell whether she smokes or not. What if those photoshoots have actually caught one of the very few times she decided to just try a cigarette? Does drinking one beer on your entire life makes you an alcoholist?
There will never be a definite answer unless we clearly see ayumi smoking regularly, like in the case of artists such as KEIKO (who will actually make references to smoking). so far, there's not such a definite answer.

Yeah, the whole point of a forum is so that we can talk about the related issue and expand upon it. I dunno, that might make us more enriched individuals if we listen to others rather than just tossing their supposedly 'stupid' answers to the sides.

As for me, I would have no idea. I've never seen her with a cigarette in hand in any pictures. I don't like smoking, but in Japan, it's really not a big deal. For a singer, it's rather risky and MAY be detrimental to her voice, but hey, so long as she has it under control. Her voice could be lower for any reason: getting older, conscious style change, et cetera. I honestly think she doesn't have the same clarity as she did at the beginning of her career (when she sings live, this is most apparent to me), but is it because of smoking? I don't know.

OMG..u totally said all I wanted to sae...lol...

And yes I get wad some of you mean..a thought came to you and you simply just typed it out..but HEY!..All that I really want to sae on the previous post was..dun go off topic....yea...peace

You have just written down my thoughts and opinion :D
Thanks for that, you're Mika's defender :friends
I guess she's smoking because of the nerves, she's a bit nervous and as you have said anxious person.

Definitely agree :yes

sorry for oftopic

if it comes to Ayu, thanks for the pic of 'male' Ayu. IMO, such discussions are pointless, because until Ayu by herself will tell in interview she is a smoker, it'll be just a speculation.

Out of pure speculation from what I have seen and read, no, she is not a smoker.

I'm very sure she has tried smoking though, more than once, at some point in her life.

I was more talking about the CD version, than on live shows... I never heard her sing in TV performances. =/

I personally think that IF she does, it's on rare occasions, like if she's at a party or something. Think about it: Don't you think that if she was a heavy smoker, she wouldn't be able to do all that singing and dancing under all of those hot lights while wearing clothes that could be tight and uncomfortable?

If she was a moderate smoker in the past, she could've thought about her career and lightened up on it.

BUT there is no proof, so I'm just stating what I think. You should all know that everything I probably said in this post is not necessarily true. :yes

I'm thinking the same, she surely tried smoking, she might be smoking on occasions, but I guess if not she herself decided to completly drop it, then Avex would press her to not smoke, obviously due to voice issues.

Nice point, yet it's quite obvious we can't prove that Ayu smokes or not.. Lol

Well Namie Amuro used to smoke and she did heavy singing and dancing. She winded up quitting when she got pregnant though.

But I think Ayu smokes...in private.

there have not been any official word that she is a smoker and there wont be one... why? because they have to protect her image...

all the other things that have been said are only rumors and speculation... if any1 wants a definate answer, forget it...

Curious Question: Why do they have to protect Ayu's image and didn't protect Namie Amuro's image?

[off topic (about Mika), sorry]

I basically think that after debuting and singing for so many years, Mika shouldn't feel as anxious as she was before, which is really not a reason why she's not so great on live performances. Her voice cracks on every performances! ie: On her glamorous sky perfs, her voice cracked severely on every live. The acoustic version of the song just made her voice sound worse than the original version.

To the question: I really don't know if she smokes or not and I don't think you should believe in anybody's answer until Ayu says so herself =P

I think Namie is different than the image of Ayu, Namie is like trasgresive, tattoes and smoke..Ayu was like an innocent and correct model of teenagers, dont know how to explain better sorry -.- I am not against anyone who smoke or have tatooes =) Namie is my fave all the time =) but its so stupid that artists have to protect their image, why should they hide that they smoke? it will ruin the image?? why??? they are persons like us that instead of have a "ordinary" job they have another job...

^^i don't think it would ruin her image now...i mean...people already think she's a fake doll...

would it be worse to be a fake doll who smokes...when everyone around you smokes anyway?

I completely agree, she is a fake doll everyone know that she is not the same person u see on tv (or at least I hope everyone knows that) so if she smokes I dont think she needs to hide it anyway, she is on legal age so who cares?

This opinion is based only on the assumption that Smoking is looked down upon in Japan like it is in the USA.

If it is publicized that Ayu smokes i think it would damage her reputation severely, young kids who've been told their whole life that smoking is bad would shy away from ayu. Ayu's fanbase is comprised of a good portion of young kids, and if they start going away from her the sales would hurt for sure. So if I were managing Ayu i would try hard to hide her smoking(if she actually does).

With that being said back to the OP's question, i don't believe that Ayu is a smoker, like others have said I'm sure shes done it on multiple occasions but probably not regularly. If she is a smoker they are doing a pretty good job covering it up.

well I think its stupid, I dont like smoking actually but I think its wrong to do it but who cares if my fave artists do it, my life continue even if they smoke, I like their music so as long as they continue to do it I will listen to them, smokers or not, actually those fans who would go away from Ayu if she smoke are not real fans, they are obsessed by the person not by the music, because they think its perfect, but no one is perfect in this world. I am sure all my fave artists have a dark side and part that are bad and if I would know them I would get hurt by they selfishness and so on but I dont care because I like the music, I dont search for their perfection =)

I think it's quite possible that she smokes a little. It would be in keeping with her self-proclaimed attitude, that she lives in the moment. (I think she mentioned it in one of the two articles on Masa's page? It's where she says if she wakes up one morning and feels like dancing, she'll do it. This is an old quote, but I think the sentiment is fundamental enough that she probably carries it to this day...) I'm sure there are moments when she feels weighed down by stress, and that smoking might make her feel better. On the flip side, I think another part of her, the part that takes care of her prettiness, checks herself so that she doesn't smoke very much.

Thus, if she does indeed smoke, I don't it's a big enough part of her life to warrant calling anything "hiding." It's not enough to differentiate between the public image and the private person by its own merit alone. If everyone knew that she smoked a little bit, I doubt people would think badly of her for it. I'd say they'd understand her and respect her for putting so much effort into doing what she loves while NOT smoking up a storm to relieve stress, especially in a society where so many people smoke. Empathy would not be scarce.

As to her being a fake doll, I'd have to disagree to a large extent. The appearance of sincerity on stage is a major part of her appeal, isn't it? Sure you can fake looks and actions, but can you fake the look of sincerity? That is, I think the central question is whether there exists a fundamental, universal quality of sincerity. Even if it doesn't exist, I think it's unlikely that she could fake sincerity itself that well.

Her stage personality and her private personality, though different, are both facets of her personality as a whole. Despite her saying that she is a product, I don't think anyone could completely fake everything we see of her. Moreover, a lovely, sincere personality can certainly be a product. In fact, I sincerely hope that no one has that kind of deceptive ability...the thought of it disturbs me profoundly.

I wonder, does she appear to be less sincere of late? Does she have to spit out a line of profound philosophy every so often to reassure the world that her mind and heart haven't been reduced to a hollow log? She's proven how profound she can be; I don't think that's something that's going anywhere. Besides, she said she's a spur of the moment kinda girl...

Call me gullible, but I think we're seeing the real deal here.

Still, does the general Japanese public think she's a fake doll? Do people really see her as some kind of "make-up monster"? (Doesn't she pull off make-up exceptionally well, though?) If that's the case, then I throw my hands up in consternation.

On the other hand, there is sometimes when you felt too stressed and find anything to do just to release stress, and smoking is one of them... But Ayu, may think of her prettiness before she smokes... In my opinion after reading this, I think there is a high possibility that she doesn't smoke..

I can see that she is that kind of innocent looking, image-loving kind of lady... She knows that if she smokes, those points on her are gone... I'm not saying that it isn't possible that she doesn't smoke but it is just quite low

I wouldn't think so. The majority of the women, at least in Tokyo, do wear excessive amounts of make-up. Ayus make-up for photoshoots is created by proffessionals though, and therefore look the way it does, almost unaturally good.

Even if she is a smoker it's very possible she isn't hiding it, it might just be that she doesn't walk around telling people that she smokes. If you were a smoker, would you tell everyone you met, "I'm a smoker, only so that you know"? She's probably quite careful though, because it would (and it has happened) create tabliods immediately if she was caught on picture. I don't think it'd be any serious blow to her career if she was "revealed to be a smoker". Ayu isn't moving around in the open very much, she might smoke a lot, only just not when we see her (on stage/tv).

Yeah, anything's possible really... I just felt like I had to find some sort of a personal opinion after following this winding thread. I tried my best to reason things through and come up with what I thought was the most probable scenario.

Yeah, I think what you wrote is very relevant, and the winding-ness of this thread really proves how much we know - nothing. Speculating is fun though :).

I'm very anti-smoking, I'd be happier if Ayu is not a smoker (I'd be happier if anyone was not a smoker), but it's nothing that'd bother me.

Yeah, I'm anti-smoking too. I'm sure smoking and drinking didn't help prevent my dad's colon cancer. I've always thought smoking was seriously self-destructive, so much more so than the little self-destructive things we do everyday. That was why it shocked me to hear that Ayu might smoke. I care about her, y'know? lol

I bolded one word in your quote and take a look at it..

Btw, I don't like the smell of cigarette... It just smells so bad and I hate smoke.. my friend (he is 19 now) smokes and the smoke... OH! *faints*

Hey, English isn't my first language and typing 2,355 perfect posts isn't the easiest thing :D.

The mistake is a bit funny though, ironic :P.

Everyone can make typo or grammar error, I am sure I make a lot in english and also in my language loooolz

yeah errors are unavoidable since we are all humans... but back to the topic, i personally would also be that little bit happier if ayu doesnt smoke... maybe its just me but girls that smoke turns me off...

btw i think its important to emphasize the fact that all of us know NOTHING about whether ayu somkes or not... as i was going through this thread, i came across some who were pretty concerned about this issue and wanted to know the "truth"... therefore i would like to point out that everything here are just pure speculation and opinions of others... people should not be misled into thinking she smokes or she doesnt, cos nobody has a clue about the "truth"...

and unless you actually know ayu, there is no way to find out whether she smokes or not... this issue will forever remain unresolved...

Before she took the hiatus for her pregnancy, I remember her live performances being very shriekey and a bit hard on the ears.

I can't stand listening to much of her newer music anymore just because of how often she cracks or will downkey the note to this pathetic, little wimpy noise. For the beginning, "Oooohhh~" in All Hands Together the first thing that popped in my mind was how many times that had to have her rerecord that first note due to cracking/phlegm/etc. I stopped singing due to my nerves and with all the mistakes I did hear played back to me you could tell I was nervous and it wasn't confusable with smoking in the least. Only once when I had to perform when I was sick did it sound anything remotely like what Mika does. I did like Sugar Cat however because she didn't strain her voice and aside from that, had a cute fluffy kitty in the PV.


Back to the topic, I'm pretty sure she(Ayumi)'s a casual smoker, but she continues to exercise her voice constantly and doesn't try ranges too far out of her reach anymore so her vocal agility shouldn't be hampered, and in my opinion hasn't been hampered for quite some time. Certainly she'll sings things in ways that are displeasing to me but not because of some technical error with her voice. When she used to strain on things like Fly High, UNITE!, etc, you hear her perform them now and she tones them down to her actual range rather than reaching too far out. Sounded painful to listen to back then. Also, compare her "iiiii" notes back then to something like her "iiii" notes in No Way to Say. Much more listenable and more suited to her voice.

Gackt always sings in one vocal "style" that is quite comfortable for his voice, and considering how much he trains his physical body, I'm certain he's in the same camp as Ayumi in concerns to keeping his vocal agility, although it's fact that he smokes as opposed to her.

if ayu only relies on sales generated by her "true" fans then she'd be broke, all top tier singers have to try and sell their music to the fickle fans. Thus if a lot of people see smoking as a negative it'd be hard to recoup the loss of sales because of that, it really has nothing to do with who her "true" fans are, being successful is all about winning the people who are on the fence.

Er, what were you replying to?

Maybe to me =P yeah, True fans are at least 2/10 of all the fans in the world...

I care about Ayu too. And smoking is self-destructive. It causes cancer and emphysema.

Gackt announced that he will try to quit smoking (I think he announced it around february). But yes, Gackt never really did things other jrockers did that stretched out his voice too much, and plus he's pretty fit.

Ayu...I dunno, I never believe the tabloids because they could be just pulling stuff out of their asses, but I don't see a significant damage to her voice over the seven years. ANd if all it did was to lower it, then it's a good thing. (I like the live perf. UNITE! now much better than the 2001 version. Just sometimes a little too high-pitched >____<

yeah something a while back i messed up, lol. meant to quote. Sorry bout that, fixed it.

cup-o-ayumismokes

Just to reply, since this was bumped anyway:

I've read that it was featured in a book that Ayu smoked at some point in time before 2001. And then she got her tinnitus [the ringing ear condition] and stopped. I don't know if it's extremely true, but the information came from a fan who has been a fan since before A BEST. And I have noticed that after 2001, Ayu's voice started to change..

Oh, and she was a rebellious teenager. It would be even weirder if she didn't smoke at all in her lifetime. It is Japan after all.

on occasion.

i think she does. i am not sure, but i would not be surprised if she does.

I don't care if Ayu smoke...It's her problem anyway, if it's true!!hehehe love yah Ayu!!!

Does smoking effect your hearing?

I know when I first starting smoking (heavy) my ear would actually hurt. But, that only happened when I was a newbie smoker and I chain smoked packs.

this one may be fake
it says ayu went to gay bar and smoke
if you dont like it DO NOT CLICK
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...nowaytosay.jpg

omg tabloids again XD

People who have ear problems are likely to get more infection and complications if they insist on smoking. The ear has a direct communication with the airways, so that it can make the proper air pressure adjustments to your eardrums and make you able to listen if you have to climb to extreme heights for example, called auditory tube (try climbing a mountain pretty fast,at a moment you won't hear anything because the eardrums collapsed, then if you just do the "swallow" action, the auditory tube opens and you can now listen to everything normally). The epithelium that covers the auditory tube is pretty much the same as the one that covers most of the airways. Since cigarette smoke is toxic to such cells, their ciliary function can be compromised, and if that happens, beacteria can ascend from the airways to the medium ear, susception to infection and other ear problems might increase. This problem is a lot more severe in children who are exposed to second hand smoking.

Thanks Terri for answering with your personal experiences and thank you Impact for the thorough explanation, I didn't know about it.

Well, that figures if she did smoke. I live with my mom (who happens to smoke), so I'm used to it. :P *I wouldn't be surprised*

LOL i remember seeing this picture. Some one made a hilarious "Walking Proud" signature with the pic. Apparently Ayu was drunk lol and she went to the gay bar with some of her crew just to have a good time. At least there she wouldnt be getting hit on lol Ayu is freaking awesome!!!

LoL she looks like she cant walk without that 2 mens..but yeah I think she smokes

I think she smokes too.
But like, RARELY. Especially now.

She probably smoked a lot more before/during/after her debut.. but now?
I don't think so, since she'd probably have been spotted by some paparazzi somehow..

Some people smoke once a year. It could be the case of ayu. Probably when she gets extremely drunk she ends up giving in to cigarettes, most likely shared by some of her friends who smoke.

Yeah, that one guy who is part of her staff looks like a smoker..

[the one who is very feminine]

What's the problem if they see her smoking? A lot of people smoke its not a tragedy..

Ayu isn't exactly "a lot of people."
People make a big deal out of things she does. While a lot of people do smoke, when popstars/celebs smoke, there's news to be "reported."

Perhaps she's a social smoker?