1.) How long have you been a fan of Ayu? In how many ways has this musician/artist changed your life?
early 2006.. so it's been 4++ years now.. the longest period I have ever had to be someone's fan. My friend offered his I Am album to me years before that, but at that time I just turn it off after listening to a song, coz I don't like it. In 2006 after watching her AT 05, I was addicted to her songs and starting to look for information in the internet, then I stopped at this site and read all of her lyric translation (thanks to Masa) after that.. I just can't stop listening to her music and the funny thing is I Am is one of my all time favorite now..
she made me interested to Japanese culture and I'm learning Japanese language now because of her..
2.) Do you find yourself inspired/influenced by her? If so, can you name some instances?
She helped me.. going through a lot of things.. she made me understand in order to achieve something you have to work hard, she also inspires me to stand for something even if it's different with others, to be myself and to be stronger.
3.) What can you say about her fashion tastes and music style(s)?
she has a wide variation of music and fashion tastes.. she's dare to try new things. I personally love it when she sings a lot of rock songs, luv it luv it.. her fashion style, I love her style in the LOVEppears, I Am, Rainbow era.. and when she's trying to dress up more maturely in the My Story, (miss)understood and Secret era.
I don't really like it when she's trying to dress up sooo cute in her concert/magazine.. I mean come on.. you're 30 YO already.. she doesn't look weird though.. but I don't know, just don't like it
4.) What do you love the most about Ayu?
her personality, creativity, and she knows what she wants, how she focus and willing to work hard to achieve it.
5.) How do you think Ayu presents herself to the world? Do you think she has an "edge" over others (who are in the same industry as hers)?
in the early years she regarded herself entirely as a product, and she worked hard as a product until a point when I guess she could take no more of it. It's no longer about how she presents herself to the world.. It's more like she's using her music as a prove of her existence in this world, as she has stated before, "music is my life" and how she will be dead if she's no longer a musician..
Do you think she has an "edge" over others (who are in the same industry as hers)? --> I think half of the young entertainers in Japan are influenced by her.. music wise, attitude wise or maybe marketing skills wise..
since she's one of the most successful artist ever in Japanese music industry.
6.) Have you ever talked with Ayu? How was she like?
NEVER. sadly.. haha but I wish I would have the chance someday
7.) Can you describe what her music is like?
her lyric are awesome! and she's sooo good with words, and so smart with it.
every time I have any emotion I could always find a lyric suits me, how cool is that?? Sometimes it makes me think that she's using certain words cleverly in order to reach wider audiences.
8.) What kind of personality do you think she has? (Is she warm, friendly, etc.)
I think she's the kind of person who could be sooo demanding and annoying when it comes to work. She's a perfectionist and control freak I guess.. she has these images specially in the early years of her carrier..
although she produces mannnyy good lyrics and so good with words, I personally think she has the difficulty to "connect" with others orally, she tends to be a passive side when it comes to a conversation with a new person she meet. (like me actually). But when it comes to someone she knew then she could be someone warm, bubbly and chatty..
9.) What can you say about the people she works with? (The photographer, director, etc.)
GOOD, everyone seems to work hard and giving their best
I think they see her as a professional who will give everything to achieve the target.. and I think they do pay a high respect to her because of her commitment to her music.
10.) If you've been a fan of hers for more than two years now, do you believe that there has been a change in her personality in some ways over the past years of her career?
YES definitely. The fact that she's no longer regards herself as a product affected the way she interacted with others. She seems to be opening herself to others in these 2 years? Using the TA messages, with lots lots of photo taken from her home, before that.. there'd never be a picture taken from her private residence.
I think in the early years of her career, she sort of trying to draw a line between her, her staffs and her fans, I guess since she's seeing herself as a product, so staffs to her were just her colleague, and fans to her were just her customer. She was not accessible, particularly about her private life.. but everything has changed lately, she opens up, to her fans, her staffs..
In the past she also seems to be struggling with herself A LOT (I guess because she's restricted to do a lot of things she wanted to..) and she seems to be having a difficulty to trust others (she has it too now, but it's much better compared to the past).. but along with her growing age and maturity, she seems to mature a lot.
11.) Lastly, can you name some of your favorite songs by Ayu?
hanabi, hanabi episode II, I Am, Secret, Endless Sorrow, Dolls, Pride, Is this love
To me she's a very interesting person, I love to read her interviews and her lyrics, she's the kind of person who thinks a lot about herself and anything surround her, she also has this amazing skill to observe anything surround her and then turn it into a beautiful lyric.
and by the way, I was actually planning to use Ayu as a topic for my thesis too!! but I still have no idea which side of her I will use as my topic since I will not start to write it until the next two semesters.
Good luck with your paper and update us with it.