[Don't look back]

Originally Posted by AngelSenshi

Because music is so important to me, I was really able to enjoy GREEN and BALLAD; it's actually a real shame that other people couldn't. Even if sales for Ayu were to decline, I hope she persistently goes on with the styles of music she wants to explore.

Namie's music is waaaaay too generic; so generic I actually can't have any sort of real feelings towards any of it. I mean I don't like it because I don't feel anything from it. It's just catchy stuff recorded to get things to sell well. Then there are loads of reasons I don't like her as an artist, but that's not the point of this discussion so I won't really go into it...

I guess that over the years, putting aside the economics all over the world, people really lost the relationship they had with the music of the past. It was music that made people cry, that touched them immediately because it suited their feelings perfectly. These days topics tend to be a lot more general and not the same way, and people these days don't quite look at those emotions the same way. These days...it's different.

Music like of certain other JPop artists is more popular in the world today, so when an artist releases an album that is greatly promoted, and the music is played everywhere, and it's music that's catchy and people can just dance to then people are going to take interest.

I think for emotional, powerful, moving music, people don't go to female Jpop artists very much anymore, like they used to in the past; a lot go to pop or rock bands, or enka singers or something like that. Somewhere along the line, things began to change and a lot of the artists showing up, even in the last five years, are the sorts of artists used to promote fun, cheerful, dance etc sort of music, with the occasional ballad for some diversity.

nice post and i agree with your comments on amuro. right now she's overrated in my eyes. at least some of her old music that sold well had meaning beyond the cringe worthy engrish, now there's nothing. ayu has catchy songs with deeper meanings so it's a shame she isn't promoted more to get the high sales she deserves. not that the sales are bad, but most of us can agree she deserves more than this with her strongest album in years.