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Originally Posted by identity
I only became a big fan around 2007 and followed her closely since then, but I've listened to her music years before that. I don't think becoming a fan in 2000 or something would make me witness some sort of "loss of touch" either...
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Hmmn... I think it's sorta different. You became her fan in 2007, and since then you keep looking back her older materials. Of course I have no doubt that you know a lot of ayu's stuff (her older songs, lives, magazine scans, interviews, events, etc). Looking through the stuff you can see her changes, and probly to you (and some other newer fans), she does evolve a lot, giving new sounds, getting better voice, etc.
There's something you can't get even when you just read the info tho. That is the experience of following ayu's career at specific time. Let's use A BEST as an example. Probly you know that ayu and hikki released albums on the same day, and you know that it was an extreme event in Japan music history (via interviews, old lives, etc). But you can't get the feeling of being nervous on who's gonna win battle in the end. Since the first day avex made the announcement in January, I remember that I had at least 3 months of mind torturing. I can tell you back then I really wanted hikki to win (cuz I discovered hikki 4 months before ayu). At the same time, I felt soooo bad to see ayu not getting no. 1. And there're lots of things in the mid, like waiting for the release of evolution, NEVER EVER, ayu-mi-x III. Also, the moment of waiting for her single and album's commercials (yes, back then ayu cm are like valuable stuff, such as A BEST cm. I remember that we got excited by seeing a new cm every single day from day 5). I bet most of ayu or hikki (or fans like me who love both) had emotional roller coaster before and after A BEST/Distance release.
What I'm trying to say is that we have been going through her career concurrently. We have witnessed her ups and downs, her dynamic fashion changes. So it's a bit different compared to just looking back without that particular moment's emotion being connected. This is not only applied to you, but to everyone else as well. Let's use me as another example. I'm not a namie follower until probly 2 years ago (can't say myself I'm a truly namie fan because I dun really buy her cds except BEST FICTION). I do know her existence since 1997 (she was much earlier than ayu). I know she was like the biggest artist before her pregnancy, and I did witness her going to the bottom, and climbing back to her current position rite now. I do know what she has released for the past few years, and I see her music direction is fresh. But truly, I dun focus on her so sometimes I dun get the same feeling of what those namie fans talking about even if I look back what she did. And I can tell you that I dun really like namie's older work that much. But the older namie fans may not agree on that.
I'm not trying bring namie out for comparison btw, I just wanna point out myself that I'm an older fan to an artist, but I'm also a newer fan to some other. That's why I understand why we have different feelings toward ayu's recent (or older) releases. Nothing harm.
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Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer
They'll understand when in a couple of years they will long for the days of Next Level.  |
I hope in a couple of years, I won't long for GUILTY.. cuz I really dun like that album at all... But there's a chance that I may do... lol. I didn't like RAINBOW before, but last time I played the whole album, I found RAINBOW is quite soothing to listen...
Quote:
Originally Posted by all.night.raver
But, for all fans, you rarely ever feel that "feeling" again. Like, it was something completely new, something fresh. Ayu's music was/is great - but after being a fan so long, it doesn't feel "fresh" anymore. But everyone loves Ayu at different stages and it usually is for about the first year or two that they discover her. Everyone is yearning for "that feeling" again, but it's impossible to get the feeling that one would get when just discovering Ayu. Because then, everything was completely unknown - and now, we form expectations, hopes, wishes...
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Hmmn... I sorta agree on that. For example, I used to like CHEMISTRY (the duo). I thought their songs were fabulous, and their voices were great — up till One x One. Since then I found their songs getting more boring, and I lost interest on them eventually (maybe I didn't have enough "love" on them).
There is one exception for me tho.. I haven't got disappointment from hikki yet.. (except probly her fashion sense.. well she doesn't have much since day 1 anywayz)