[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Cahz-

Whenever there is a conversation of international jpopers / fans about Ayu declining sales, the "same old sound" factor is one of the most mentioned.
That she makes the same boring ballads, recycle sounds, every album is like the prior one, etc.
But all the japanese comments I've red all through the years about Ayu's sales, the following things are mentioned:

· She was cute on her prime and now not anymore
· She has turned into a joke
· She turned into a diva
· Her voice is not so high pitched like before (this one I read it when Love songs was released)
· She can't sing anymore

Not one single time I've red japanese comments about the sound of her albums.
So, what is the truth?

I think "the same old sound" is something that's causing her to lose more foreign fans than Japanese ones actually. For instance, I thought Colours was a step in the right direction; do something a bit different and have fun with it, but it didn't seem well-received by Japanese fans. So what do we get next? A ONE.

Originally Posted by voltron

Then there's the unconscious level. And this is maybe my own theory on things, but Ayu was the voice of the "lost generation" in Japan. People always connected to her on this really personal level for her lyrics, her attitude, etc. During her prime, Ayu was a "bad Japanese woman" because she broke out of the mold in so many ways, and that was exactly what the general public was feeling and wanting during that time. Now, those people have all grown and settled into the more "expected" roles they play in life, and the current younger generation in Japan is really much more insular than the previous. Now Ayu's actions and behaviors as a "bad Japanese woman" are something to insult her for, it's not something they want to see in a Japanese popstar. I also contribute this to Namie's success - despite the bumpy rode she faced earlier in her career, but scrubbing her private personality from things (like, literally having her tattoos removed), she became this aspirational image of a cute, beautiful, talented, hard-working Japanese woman. And all of those things are certainly true, but it's a very specific image that she's portraying, and exactly what the general public want.

Exactly this. Society shifted in Japan significantly from the generation of the 80s/90s and the current generation (and imo, regressed) and Ayu still embraces and embodies the prior generation's mindset and unlike many of the people in that generation, she never fell in line as she got older.