Do you think can sing in an ethereal style? Rainbow is the one song I'd call ethereal, and I loved it from the first time I heard it. By ethereal, I mean the song conveys a dreamy, surrealistic (no pun intended) mood. I'd say Utada's Passion (song + PV) is great example of ethereal style, as well as most of Arai Akino's work, if you're familiar with her (she did music for Macross Plus, Outlaw Star, Record of Lodoss War, among other anime). Actually I used to think Akino would always be my #1, lol.

So do you think Ayu is compatible with a more ethereal style? Personally, I'd like to hear more of it from her.

Rainbow is perfect etherealness packed in a shiny glass bottle. Ayu's voice sounds a lot better in those kind of songs, yeah she should. It'd work for her fairly well if everything is as good as Rainbow.

i dont think it goes with her voice

I haven't heard too much ethereal music, but what I have heard I've liked. I don't know how compatible Ayu's voice would be for it, but I would like her to try it and see what happens :yes Good idea :)

yeah i wanna hear Ayu sing more ethereal songs! rainbow is very dreamy and soothing song i love it!

I think that she is! I love rainbow because of the singing style used in it and I wish that she would make more songs like that (instead of screaming at us..)

Raibow was a good ethreal song. (everlasting dream too, even if it was only like a min.)

I thought...that connected was a rather ethereal song. A lot of her remixes are also very ethereal. <3 RAINBOW.

^yeah, like who...(blue obssession remix) her vocals were amazing as well as the music behind it (the percussions...the everything)...<3<3<3

Connected was trance.

Hmm....I was wishing if she will do something lounge-ish, like Two of us -touch of mahogany mix
But something ethereal like RAINBOW or maybe...HANABI, suits her.

Just because it was in the 'trance' genre doesn't mean that it can't be ethereal.

RAINBOW was a ballad. Not all ballads give off an ethereal feeling.

I know, but I didn't get the ethereal feelings in that song. Perhaps it's just me.

Err, me neither. Connected was trance but really soothing trancey trance. Like you get into a relaxed mode. Does that mean its ethereal? o__O I dunno.

Other ethereal songs by Ayu I would say Forgiveness. And also Voyage, kinda.

Please, let's not turn this into a genre discussion. =P

Allthough I think RAINBOW is one of her more boring ballads, I htink she would suit ethereal music perfectyl. I still haven't heard a genre (besides "gospel" perhaps) that she can't do perfectly.

If it weren't for Rainbow, I would have probably said "no". But Ayu should definitely do more music like that. She sounds good singing in that way.
Other than Rainbow, I would say that the chorus to Seasons sounds ethereal sorta.
But Utada is definitely the master of this-- Sakura Drops, Passion, Keep Tryin', Travelling, and so many more.

Ayu can own any style; she proves that every time..

I think "End roll" and "still alone" are also a bit etheral. I loved RAINBOW and I wish she did another song like that. Too bad it was used to promote A BALLADS instead of being the title track for the RAINBOW album.

ever free (HALs Mix 2000)

I think that song is rather dreamy.... :)

i loved hal's mixes.. they should release H~A~Ls Mixes

I LOVE Rainbow! I agree that that song really has an ethereal feel

I think forgiveness does too... can't think of any other ayu songs at the moment -- but I can think of a few of Hikki's -- this is love, sakura drops, blue, passion...

Cathcher in the Light had that feel too, I think.

Even though Utada's made some awesome surrealistic songs, I think Ayu's voice is more pleasant for that type of beatific atmosphere. Her voice is softer, breathier, in her head opposed to her chest like Hikki's. I'd love to hear more songs like 'RAINBOW'. It's definitely one of my favorite Ayu tunes, if not my favorite.

That is kinda why I said "I thought".

What about "I am..."? I know it's a stronger song than Rainbow, but it brings some special powers with it's sound. And Ayumi's voice is like whoaaa...
btw thanks for saying about Akino Arai (checking youtube for more her songs). I've noticed she sang the ending for Noir anime ^^ - awesome :3

:yes :yes Agrees! Maybe one day she would go :" hmmm maybe ethereal sounds good, maybe Ayu should try it" and wrote a ethereal song.... just like how Bold and Delicious is created;)

Well, she's a free and easy person that do whatever she likes, right?

I think the etheral feel applies to ever free and theme of a-nation '03 a bit, but I'm not very used to the word so I'm a bit unsure.

excuse me...
what's ethereal anyway?
pls somebody explain to me..

Oh! I forgot about Catcher in the Light and Everlasting Dream! Ever Free, I think the beginning is, but not the chorus.

immel:
1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
Highly refined; delicate. See Synonyms at airy.
2. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.
3. Not of this world; spiritual.
4. Chemistry. Of or relating to ether.
[From Latin aetherius, from Greek aitherios, from aithr, upper air.]
*From American Heritage Dictionary (on dictionary.com)

I mean it in the sense of 1., 2., and 3. lol you could probably figure out I wasn't talking about chemistry. I was talking about music that has a heavenly quality about it, a lightness and a dreaminess that uplift you. The word "ethereal" is related to "ether," a hypothetical substance that people used to believe filled all space (as opposed to the existence of empty space, vacuum). Also related to ancient words for upper air, as you can see.


AyUmIXx: do as kirika did and go to www.youtube.com and search for "akino arai," pretty much all of her work is ethereal

^Yeah, I figured that ;). Thanks for the explanation.

I still stand by my choices, theme of a-nation '03 and ever free. I think that still alone qualifies aswell, to my ears.

Actually...umm...I guess I'm a little ashamed to say it, but I've never actually heard Theme of A-nation '03... It's like the one Ayu song I've never heard. Back when I was downloading her stuff, I never found it. Well anyways, I've got CDL05-06 now, but I'm watching it veeeerry slowly...so I'll get to it eventually lol.

I started listening to Ayu 6 months ago, I heard theme of a-nation '03 for the first time only about a month ago. I had heard it before while watching CDL2k5-2k6, I loved it but I forgot about it and was happily surprised by the & single when I got it :).

That song, together with ever free, are my two favourites.

I can't believe nobody's mentioned Dolls!!! That's like her most ethereal song. I love ethereal music, and I of course love Akino Arai and Hikaru Utada's ethereal songs. Rainbow tried to achieve an ethereal feel, and only half succeeded in my opinion.

Here are the songs that I think are ethereal:
-Dolls
-Rainbow
-Over
-Happy Ending
-Rainy Day
-Ever Free
-most of Ayu's interludes (kaleidoscope is a great example, also Catcher in the Light and Everlasting Dream)

Also, a ton of her songs' intros have an ethereal feel, such as:
-Blue Bird
-Close To You
-End of the World
-Game
-Is this Love
-Liar
-No More Words
-Still Alone

yes...i love this kind of music....

doea rainy day count as ethereal? I don't know...her voice isn't the same style...with the effects...^^okay it is...gosh it took me forever to edit this post...my computer is all crazy...

i agree w/ RAINBOW and Passion. and i think Ayu sings like that alot. she has a really different voice so i think it easily sounds surreal. ironically, i think she sounds very etheareal in the brigde in SURREAL

It's only you and your ears that can judge that :). It has to do with the feeling you get when you listen to the songs, not only how 'mystical' they sound.

The Huge Fairy tale mix is slightly ethereal IMO. And I am suits it perfectly (it was actually the first version I ever heard of I am..., I diden't hear the album version like more than 6 months after.)

The author of the topic also added the "surreal" part, which by that dictionary isen't related to the word. I don't think ayu has many "surreal" ethereal songs, like björk and the new Utada style. But some of her songs has an ethereal feel, the ones that larisa mentioned mostly.

still alone AO was more ethereal than the original. the beginning of rainy day was more ethereal than the whole song in a sense. RAINBOW is total ethereal...this is an interesting topic...i should post more in here

alrite, i'm pretty understand now~

RAINBOW and no more words were really ethereal.

Is there a specific ethereal style of singing? For me, songs that really stand out as ethereal tend to be breathier in general, regardless of the singer. Sigh, I watch the zegapain ending animation that Arai Akino sings on youtube, and for some reason, it's very hard for me to imagine Ayu singing it. Ah, ok I think I imagine it vaguely now after listening to it a buncha times. I've got a hunch that she'd sound awesome singing that song. But agh, no way to say for sure...

I would rather say "Passion ~after the battle~" than the original mix...

To me, theme of a-nation'03 was more like a background music with some random vocals.... Not bad, but just... I was quite surprised she performed it on CDL.