CNN Talk Asia Interview Transcript

[Delirium-Zer0]

This can probably go in the database, but anyway here's a transcript of the interview for anyone who can't download it. It's a good interview.

Please don't take it for your own site without crediting me: if you take it, copy and paste EVERYTHING between the spiffy tilde/asterisk line I made. Thank you!

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Talk Asia interview on CNN International
December 8, 2006
Transcribed by Delirium-Zer0
Thanks to all ayu fans who shared copies of the interview!

Note: Italics are used when the voice is that of the translator speaking over ayu's japanese. When ayu's speech is shown without italics, she is speaking english. I've done my best to transcribe what she says, not what I'm understanding from it. That way readers can interpret for themselves what she meant. Her english is not perfect, so sometimes it is hard to tell.

Atika Shubert (narrating): To her fans, Ayumi Hamasaki is better known as just plain "Ayu". But there's nothing ordinary about this petite, wide-eyed singer. She's had more number one hit singles than ANY japanese female artist, she's won every music & style award in the country several times over.

Ayu: If the people think I'm doing very well and being successful, I think it's because I'm sincere about everything.

Atika Shubert (narrating): She's the ultimate icon of Tokyo pop; her unique style triggers fashion trends instantly copied on the streets of Tokyo.

Ayu: My job is simply to be myself, to be Ayumi Hamasaki.

Atika Shubert (narrating): Ayu squeezed Talk Asia into her busy schedule for a rare sit-down interview, in between photo shoots and promotions for her new album.

-Opening Sequence-

Atika: Tell us a little bit about your album. First of all, why is it called "Secret"?

Ayu: Yeah, it's called "Secret" because... everyone has a secret. Right? Of course I have a secret. I think maybe you too? (smile) So... but I can't explain to you, because if I told you, it's not a secret, you know? But I hope this um... this album will reach people's hearts.

Atika: What was the inspiration behind this album?

Ayu: My inspiration come from my deep inside, you know? Just feeling, not words. I think feeling and words are of course similar, but not the same. That's why I can change my feeling into words, because I have these feelings, that's why I can continue to sing.

Atika: So what inspired you to become an artist and a musician?

Ayu: I originally did not have any ambition to become famous or to become an artist like this. I have not at all expected in any way that I would become famous in this way. But at the very beginning, when i started to sing at the age of 19, I prepared myself and made myself ready to accept many different things that would happen, such as the responsibility that comes with fame, the lack of freedom that I would experience, and my role as a performer and as an artist. So at that point, I was finally ready to take on all those things and I began my singing career.

Atika: Did you ever imagine yourself in that role? And how did your friends & family react to your fame?

Ayu: When I began to sing professionally, I decided to accept all those consequences. Of course along the way some people left me and some people have stayed with me. Some people have changed their attitudes towards me, and others have remained the same. Of course that's not something I'm pleased with, but I suppose you could say that I knew that would happen and it's a situation that I was well prepared to handle. So in many respects I was okay with those changes happening.
The people who have stayed with me, alongside me until today, are those who knew me before I became famous, before I was the person I've become today. They're the people who've continued to love me and have stayed alongside me. The relationship I have with these people is very real, and all of them are very important to me.

Atika: What is the thing you love most about being a star, and what is the thing you like least?

Ayu: (smiles) That's very difficult to say and difficult to figure out. I would say that in many respects it's both sides of the coin. It's hard for me to figure out how to explain exactly what I like & dislike most about being a star... because there's really only a paper-thin difference between the things with respect to my fame that make me happy, and the things about fame that make me very sad. (Laugh)

-Commercial break-

Atika: Now, you regularly top the charts, what do you credit to your success? What makes you different from other artists?

Ayu: I'm only myself. I can be nobody else other than me, I am who I am. I don't know the difference between myself and any other person or artist and I can't compare because I was never that person. Listeners are able to choose which music they like to listen to on their own, by themselves. They decide for themselves what kind of lyrics they love the most. It's very hard for me to compare myself to other singers & performers. I've never done that, and I would never like to do it either. I only know about myself.
If the people think I'm doing very well and being successful, I think it's because I'm sincere about everything. I tackle everything sincerely. That's the biggest reason for my own personal success, I guess. And I think being very honest in life is another thing. Having said that, I think it's actually very difficult to distinguish between being honest and being selfish. I myself am very childish, so I sometimes get confused about the border between being honest & being selfish. Anyway, the important thing is this: What I care about most is to be honest with myself, and to be sincere with other people.

Atika: You say there's a borderline between being honest and being selfish, and you're that way because you're still a child. But do you ever see yourself outgrowing that?

Ayu: I don't think so. Maybe... I'm child forever. Until die.

Atika: Really?

Ayu: Yeah. I think so.

Atika: Do you want to be?

Ayu: Yeah. I don't wanna... I don't want to become adult.

Atika: Actually that reminds me of something you said earlier about it being a dream.

Ayu: I wanna keep, like... THIS me. This is real me, I think. Forever, not gonna change. I can't change.

Atika: You're known for your lyrics being unique and deeply personal.

Ayu: mm-hmm.

Atika: What has inspired those lyrics for you?

Ayu: My job is simply to be myself, to be Ayumi Hamasaki. I might have a day during which I feel upset or sad, or perhaps a day when I feel very happy about something. No matter what my mood, my job is to sing as Ayumi Hamasaki all the time regardless of how I'm feeling on any particular day. For instance, when I'm performing on a music show, I would have just 5 minutes to sing one of my songs. My job is to sing a song of Ayumi Hamasaki in just a short 5 minutes of time. It doesn't matter whether I feel sad or angry at any given time. Of course, I don't always want to show those feelings either, but what can I say? I have feelings too, as I am a human being, so I put the emotions into all my songs.
It's often hard to put such feelings into words, into lyrics for a song. Sometimes there's a certain truth that you can't explain or communicate to others. Because my lyrics are so real and so emotional, fans feel empathy and they're able to have a certain connection to my music.

Atika: You're also known for your unique, frequently changing style. (ayu laughs) Why do you change your style so often, and when you do change your style, are you changing your identity or your character each time?

Ayu: (laughs) No... umm... sou da na... The media talks about my fashion sense quite often. But in reality, I simply like clothes & shoes! There's really no more to it than that. I never made an effort to be particularly extraordinary or completely different from others when it comes to what I wear. I just put on the clothes that I want to wear at the time. The most important thing for me is, like you said in your question, not to change my character with fashion, but to remain true to who I am. Whatever I wear, wherever I am, or whatever I do, it is most important to be myself. Whether I happen to be wearing a patchy sweatsuit or dressed up in a pretty dress like I am today, I think it is most important that I'm just myself.

Atika: So it's an expression of yourself.

Ayu: Yeah.

Atika: You have all these fashion changes and these deeply personal lyrics, where do you find the inspiration for these new ideas?

Ayu: I often find myself saying "Oh, it's coming down to me now!" when I get the inspiration to create music. I do not create something only because I have to. Of course I sometimes HAVE to make music, because it's my job, but when I really WANT to create something, some mysterious power - I don't even know what it is - it pours down on me quite briskly, and it gives me a surprising power and it helps me to create great music. It always catches me in disbelief. That happens to me quite often.

Atika: You know, you always have to be "Ayu Hamasaki", and everyone has to help you be that, so I'm wondering, do you ever get to have a holiday? Do you ever get to have a break from being that icon?

Ayu: I don't think I got a holiday. Of course my staff too! (Laughs) But we are so... workaholic! Nope, that's not problem. Yeah. We're so.. happy. When I work hard.

Atika: So you're happy working without a holiday at all?

Ayu: I don't need it! But that's just right now. I don't know about future. Maybe I should be rest. I need a rest. (laugh)

-Commercial Break-

Atika: How important is it for you to retain creative control over your music and your image, and how do you do that?

Ayu: Originally the reason I started to keep tight control over all my productions was because I did not want to blame others if the production failed. If I decide to do something all by myself, it all comes back to ME, it's MY responsibility. That way if something goes wrong, I can say it's my own fault because I chose to do this at that time. If I leave it to somebody else, I have to ask the person why things went the way they did. I didn't want to do that. So that's why I went through everything by myself and why I controlled every single bit of my production, so that I can take all the responsibilities on my own.
That's how it all started. But as time passed, I found professionals in each field and I can leave many of the responsibilities to them. I've also changed my approach because of the trust and the ties I've had to these people over the years of working together. Now I would like to find professionals like these, as many as possible, to move my team along more efficiently.

Atika: So how, then, do you see your role & responsibility as an artist, but at the same time, your responsibilities as a business?

Ayu: You might have a certain image of me in which fans approach me or talk to me when I'm walking on a street, where I always try to excuse myself, saying, "It's private time for me now." But I think in fact that I'm much different than this image. For instance, it might be a day when I choose to do some personal shopping. But to my fans, I am Ayumi Hamasaki wherever and whenever they see me. It does not matter to them whether I am working or not, so I believe I have the responsibility to be Ayumi Hamasaki all the time, anywhere.
The same thing applies to my staff. We all carry the name of "Ayumi Hamasaki", and we all have to build & maintain our lifestyle with the sense of responsibility that goes along with it. I consider it my responsibility and my role to be Ayumi Hamasaki.

Atika: How do you know what sells then?

Ayu: There should be no falsehood in my music. My songs do not have any lies in them. How can I put this... I always believe that in music, the truth will always prevail. I'm confident that as long as I sing no lies, and stay truthful to my fans, they will understand my music and continue to buy it. The reason that I am able to sell my music is because my fans understand me and feel empathy for what I sing to them.

Atika: Who do you consider as a hero, or somebody to model yourself after in that case?

Ayu: It's my mom!

Atika: Your mom?

Ayu: Yeah.

Atika: Why?

Ayu: I really love and respect my mom very much, you know, because she worked hard all her life to make me happy. That's why I wanna work hard to make others --um, so for example, my staff, for my friends, of course my mom -- happy too, like that. (smile)

Atika: Looking to the future a little bit, do you plan to enter other markets such as in other parts of asia, or the US even?

Ayu: Now I'm just thinking about Asia, because I have Asia tour next year from March to end of June. Of course Japan too. This show, it's going to be real cool, no doubt! I think so or I hope so! So.. but if people will listen, I will go anywhere in the world! (laugh)

Atika: Even the US?

Ayu: Yeah. Of course. (smile)

Atika: What's the next direction you'd like to explore? Is there something new that you'd like to do, that you haven't done yet?

Ayu: I don't know yet! Because... always, my-my idea... from... from God. Like that. That's why I don't know yet. I don't know my future. I don't know about tomorrow. I can just control for today or present, right now.

Atika: If you didn't have music as a career, where would you see yourself? What would you be doing now?

Ayu: I don't want to think about that but.. um, because basically, my love is music. Music is my life. If without music, or I can't sing anymore, it's like, I die! I'm nothing! Because music is everything, you know? That's why.

Atika: In that case, 10 years, 20 years from now, where do you see yourself?

Ayu: Ah, yeah about the future...

Atika: Yeah.

Ayu: I want to keep write and sing. But I don't want to think about future too much, because present is most important for me. Always, you know? That's why. I don't know yet about my private future. Because private is private, right? I want to keep my private future secret. (laugh)

Ayu thank you for joining us today. And that wraps up our special edition of TalkAsia from Tokyo. I'm Atika Shubert, thanks for watching.

-Program End-

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[Cyria]

Thank you so much for the transcript!

[sexysaucestar]

The transcript is very helpful Thanks

[kaue_]

Thanks, so nice of you! I think I'll be making portuguese subtitles... don't know exactly why...

[SheFliesHigher]

Thank you for your efforts! Makes for easy copy & pasting. =0)

[MemorialAddress]

Ayu was so cute in the interview! Her Engrish was nice lol. Thanks for posting the transcript! =)

[Delirium-Zer0]

Did a little bit of correction on there (there was one part I couldn't hear too well so I fixed it after listening today with fresh ears). So all done now, hopefully (if you find any typos let me know!).

[alternarist]

wow!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for the translations!! i wonder how u can listen to them speak while typing at the same time

[Axel_Grease]

Ayu: I don't think so. Maybe... I'm try to forever. Until die.

Should try be changed to child? Cause I think that's what she said.

[Dustie]

Originally Posted by Axel_Grease

Should try be changed to child? Cause I think that's what she said.

I think so too. She was asked about that thin difference between selfishness and honesty and explained she's like a child, becouse that's how children are in matter of selfish/honest, they just make everything simple, either this or that, no inbetween. Than she's asked "Do you want to be" and she says yes, that she doesn't want to grow up

[ayu1m]

Nice job !

[Ayu6179]

I love Ayumi CNN Interview!

[yatsuda]

Thanks Deli-chan!! Wonderful job!!!

[AyuGAME]

ASIA TOUR!!!
i think its official right now...
cant wait!!!
thanks for the transcript

[ohsixthirty]

thanks a lot for the transcript! i appreciate it. there were a few parts that were hard to make out, so this is helpful.

[enoise]

an interesting read.

[criminal]

Thank you so much! I'm trying to translate the interview and I got a bit confused over some sentences, but this is so helpful, thanks!

[elepop]

Thanks, you rock!

Ayu's english is funny! But her pronounciation is improving!

[explodingbird]

Oooh... thanks for the translation. I've gotta see this interview - Ayu speaks a lot of English in it, from what I can tell by reading this, so... I must know. I love when she speaks English.

[Jo-chan]

Thanks for this! I could remember all her cute expressions and gestures while I read through it.