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Originally Posted by Northerner
Speaking completely from my own biases and interpretations, I can't help but feel like she's been really tired and bored for the past few years. She gives off the distinct impression that she would have liked to have retired after "Love songs" but keeps going because it's what Avex (and the fanbase) wants her to do.
I base this on a few (unsupportable) claims:
- She spoke of "L," her 50th single and last before the "Love songs" album release, as being her "final fortress" or something to that effect. Looking at it thematically and in light of that comment, it seems like it was meant as a conclusion of sorts.
- She looked and sounded completely bored during "FIVE." I've honestly never seen her less engaged. I know some of that may have been caused by her unhappy life with Mannie, but the whole project seemed off. Also, "BRILLANTE" and its video have ominous connotations when interpreted in terms of her career. For one, she's shown being literally destroyed by the Crowd, suggesting that she may no longer feel in control of her own image.
- The whole "Party Queen" project seemed like a rebellion, from the garish covers to the Timmy invasion to the odd showtune experiments at the end. It also went out with nearly no promotion. I know it's probably unlikely, but I really wonder if she wanted it to flop in order to "get back" at Avex. (No offense to those who really like this album!)
With this in mind, the "cure" would be for Ayu to get back that spark she had before "Secret." I did see glimpses of it on "Love songs," which may have had a deliberately nostalgic feel because it was meant to be her last.
Also, the type of music she makes (rocky pop) seems to be out of vogue in Japan. Listeners there want R&B ballads and K-pop style electro, which explains why Namie has done so well reclaiming her dominance. Namie also seems really energized and interested in making her latest album a success. I have no doubt that Ayu could pull a Namie in the future if she really, really wanted it. This would take her coming back with some genuine surprises, though. I'd love to hear a hook-filled superhit a la 2NE1's "I Love You," personally!
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I actually find these to be a really interesting interpretation of what's been going on in her career the past few years and I feel like a lot of it makes some kind of sense. When news of her divorce broke out, I immediately thought of BRILLANTE but upon watching the PV again, I felt that the song's lyrics were a lot darker and aimed towards the fans, or rather those that put her on a pedestal. It reminded me a lot of the struggles she had with her career when she released "Duty."
Only thing I don't remember is her comments about the release of "L" :c I'd be really interested if anybody has the original tweets or interviews where she referred to it as her "final fortress"