OMG, I can't believe you people read all that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tourniquet
I don't see why it shouldn't be considered pop music anymore? it still applies to the usual schemes.
talkin' 2 myself and Mirrorcle World took chances, but in their core elements they're still more pop than rock, no? (Microphone too, to cite the newest example)
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The best classification of it (in my opinion) would be Pop-Rock. It is neither 100% rock nor 100% pop. 60/40 sometimes, 20/80 other times. However, if you're comparing her newer (post-RAINBOW) music to her older music, there is a much stronger element of rock influence as well as songs that I would consider more rock than pop (for ex., I think Microphone is more rock than pop. Alterna is another). Sure, albums like Duty had quite some rock influence, but I don't think too many people on here need arguing that GUILTY is a much more rock-influenced album than say LOVEppears or I am... The whole Europop and electropop phase was going on back then during her peak, and um, lol, GUILTY sure as hell ain't no Europop.
That's something that I think gives artists like Namie and Utada an edge on Ayu. The music styles that got them popular are sort of timeless. Ayu worked that Gal and Europop image back then. But now that fad is over. Her trademark image is outdated. Whereas Namie worked the R&B/hip hop scene, which is far from being run out. And Utata, well...I don't know exactly what you'd call that kind of style (blues? relaxing pop? what?), but it's certainly not done for. Ayu's trademark music is out-of-date and so she went on making music of any type that she wants. She's not defined to one genre. but it also means that she's not defined as pop, either, and that's what she was build upon.
So if Ayu kept making songs like she did during LOVEppears and I am... and kept that look, would Japanese fans buy? Probably not as much as some people would think. Sure, they may think those songs were legendary, but that kind of music isn't as popular anymore. And then she risks not being "up-to-date" and going into another type of market, an old-school one and probably a niche one nowadays. And then there will be people who say she's unoriginal and can't come up with anything new. And she's a person herself - she can't just not evolve. She's going to have new experiences and new emotions. She can't mentally stay in one era.
(btw, before someone says it, I don't really know if Europop was necessarily the right genre I was aiming for...maybe it was, but I think there's a different word I wanted)
Edit: I deleted the rest. It was stupid.