Quote:
Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold
We are on her forum. Ayumi hamasaki ❤️
@voltron ayu debuted around that time. Coincidence!? I think not!!!
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Haha, of course! But we're all familiar with Ayu's music. I think the time surrounding her ascent to fame was a great period in history, and there was so much space for all sorts of artists - even less popular artists were able to sell a lot. Musically, there were Western influences, but it was still very much a unique J-POP sound. So my goal here is really to just highlight artists and songs, some more or less popular, that newer fans of J-POP may not have heard of.
In the early 2000's, the members of SPEED were all pursuing solo careers. Hiro was obviously the most successful, as she's typically the most loved. But for me, Eriko Imai has always been the star. Her first solo album, My Place, released in 2001 was such a good moment in time. My favorite single from the album was "Set Me Free!" - the third single.