Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsuyuki012
Two examples of being successful at an older age.
Obviously industry can make it harder but it's not impossible.
Overall, as you said it just takes the right people.
That actually made me think of when Cher (different country I know) had her highest solo debut at the Billboard 200 with #3 and 63,000 copies sold at the age of 67 (I think she even got #1 digitally). Or when she was the oldest female to top the Billboard Top 100 with her Believe single which is the best selling single by a female in the UK. her highest peak to this point. And that at 52.
One can still achieve things (not that it matters) when things are right. But artist needs to want it first.
I think Ayu could go for more success but something needs to be done. She needs to want it first. If she doesn't, no one can push her anyway. Some just still need to accept that just because ayu isn't trying to be at the top again, she doesn't have to retire since she still does her thing and has fun.
But that's all about success, with my point being, it's fine if they are not huge anymore when they're older but it's not like one HAS to be totally dead career-wise in that department. It depends on how one wants to continue at a certain age. Still, successful or not in your 50s/60s/70s there shouldn't be a reason to retire if the artist is happy imo.
If it's about the musical direction, again, let them do.
When older artists make music that some don't like I keep hearing "retire, you had a good run" etc.. Like, you don't tell that someone who's in their 20s, do you? Then you just wait for the next album or just 'leave'.
Plus, 39 is not even old.
Anyway, as it seems that no one has uploaded it yet, here Ayu with fans:
EDIT: apparently it already was, sorry x.x |
"39 isn't that old" is a relatively new way looking at 39. It's still a relatively new phenomenon that someone like Madonna could debut at #2 with her 15th studio album, or that Kylie Minogue could hit #1 in the UK with her 15th album almost 31 years after her first release. I mean, look at artists like Britney Spears, who have half their longevity and relatively similar success. Britney will be a bigger star in 10 years as popular music becomes more diverse. (I hope it does sooner rather than later. I love Cardi B, but I am already sick of rap music dominating everything. We did this in 2002 and 2003, and back then you could at least hear the words through the sizzurp.)
I think Ayu needs to sit down with another team like HAL, Tim, and definitely Kikuchi Kazuhito -- people who truly get or built Ayu's sound with her -- and figure out what an Ayumi Hamasaki song should sound like if they started over today. Ayu has pulled in a lot of people who simply don't know what to or how to produce things that actually
add to her canon rather than distract from it. Ayu is diverse artist, but everything has a common thread. Her best work is ethereal and cinematic, melodic, evolving and complexly layered and has unexpected twists. Songs like Free&Easy, OVER, Real me, July 1st, M, are all songs we
experience more than we listen to. I think songs like Sweet scar fit that evolution wonderfully, while songs like petals or You&Me are just
there. They're not present, they're just "and then i recorded this one too" songs.
Also, Ayu needs to make videos with serious budget again. I've been over these one-dress-one-scene-for-five-minutes-shot-in-a-studio videos. I want the BALLAD PVs and the GREEN PVs and the You were... PVs again. That has always been a huge proportional element of Ayumi, and I think less touring, more serious heads down self-discovery would be right for her right now.