[Article] Will she sing like before?

[Maxker]

www.electricnewpaper.com

Ayumi Hamasaki loses hearing in left ear
Will she sing like before?
Fans say performance has suffered. Industry insiders say practice will help
By Chang May Choo



IT started with an ear infection in June 2000.

Then came a bout of ringing in her ears a year later.

Now, J-pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki has announced that she is completely deaf in her left ear and that it is not treatable.

But the 30-year-old has vowed to continue singing and will 'use what's left of the hearing in my right ear to sing to my limits, until the very end'.

Still, one cannot help but wonder how the affliction will affect the singer who has built her career on staging spectacular concerts.

Already, some fans have noted on online forums that because of her deafness, Ayumi's performance during the recent NHK Red & White Singing Festival on TV was not up to mark.

Local singer Sing Chew Sin Huey agreed, telling The New Paper that she saw Ayumi's clip on YouTube and felt that she was 'not her usual self'.

'Her voice was different and she sounded like she was sick, and she couldn't hit some of the notes.

'It felt weird because it was such an important occasion.'
Click to see larger image

It was only later that Sing found out about Ayumi's hearing loss - which would explain her unusually flat performance.

A check with industry sources also revealed that Ayumi would have to make certain adjustments to cope with her lack of hearing on one side.

Music producer Goh Kheng Long said performing live can be 'very tricky' if Ayumi can only rely on one ear to monitor the music on stage.

'You can't make good judgement if you're so used to using both sides of your ears,' he said.

It is also likely she might sing out of tune more often if she cannot hear herself so clearly through her earphones, he added.

Mr Goh has not come across singers with hearing impairment, but he figured that Ayumi would have to work closely with the sound engineer for her concerts to help her perform better on stage.

ONLY TAKES PRACTICE

Songwriter Roy Loi, however, said it only takes practice for Ayumi to overcome her hearing disability.

Mr Loi, who also manages a music school, said he has two students who are deaf in one ear, but they both have no problems singing or doing studio recordings.

He added that the biggest problem Ayumi might face is her pitching, but that could be corrected with practice.

'As long as you put your heart into it and practise hard, you can strike a balance. Ayumi is musically inclined, so even with just one ear, she can still sing.'

The cause of Ayumi's hearing loss is not known but Dr Nelson Chee of Chee Ear Nose Throat Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre told The New Paper that it seems from reports it could be caused by the dysfunction or damage of her inner ear hearing organ or hearing nerve.

'Nerve-related hearing loss is usually permanent and not reversible,' he said.

But there are possible rehabilitative options.

This could include wearing a hearing aid or undergoing surgery to install a device in the skull to 'divert sound to the good ear'.

Dr Chee's advice: 'Take good care of the good ear since you're very much reliant on it and be careful of over-exposure to loud sounds that might cause damage to the good ear.'

Luckily for the J-pop queen, her fans have been showing their strong support.

Since the news broke, many have flocked to online forums and fan websites to express shock, sympathy and concern for her health.

Netizen Imuya wrote on the Ayumi-hamasaki.net forum: 'Ayumi, if I could give you my left ear, I would do it in a heartbeat.'

Others, like Minlichi, felt sad for Ayumi but admire her attitude nonetheless.

'I can't even imagine what it's like to have music be such an important aspect in one's life and only have the ability to experience it with limited senses. She's so strong.'

REMINDS FAN OF BEETHOVEN

Keikeiaznqueen wrote: 'She reminds me of Beethoven - what great, dedicated musicians they are.'

Other fans suggested that Ayumi should go on a hiatus instead of pushing herself so hard.

Her new album Guilty is just released on 1 Jan and she is slated to embark on an Asia concert tour that starts in Japan in April. Her label Avex Trax told the Japanese media that it will go on as planned.

An industry insider said Ayumi taking a break now would give her rivals a chance to overtake her as the reigning J-pop queen.

'In Japan's competitive music scene, whoever works the hardest will get the biggest rewards.

'Ayumi has always been a hard worker and with people like Kumi Koda catching up with her in terms of success, she'd definitely have to work harder than before to maintain her status.'

7 1/2-year fight with ear problems

June 2000: Suffers ear infection. Forced to postpone two concerts

June 2001: Starts to hear ringing in her ears. Loses balance and falls from the stage during a final rehearsal. Sent to hospital but still performs despite a sprained ankle

2004: Admits she can't hear very well

2005: Rumours spread among fans that she is going deaf

Sep 2007: Found to be wearing a hearing aid while performing at the Music Station programme on TV

Jan 2008: Announces on her fan website that she is completely deaf in her left ear. Doctors tell her surgery will not help

[naxxo.licious™]

Wow thank you very much. I think it's a great article cause it gives ayu and us HOPE.
Of course she will do it fine with some practice. Nothing can beat Ayu.
Arigatou!!

[Qt Mashi]

thanks for the article, they mentioned AHN Imuya!

Originally Posted by Qt Mashi

thanks for the article, they mentioned AHN Imuya!

I know, ew.

[Foxxy_Fuyumi]

Jeeesus!!
Of course she will continue to sing amazing!
Lord, why she told about the ear thing xD

[hiroshi_ben]

this is a great piece of news~and it really made sense in most of the parts~esp when one of the guy uses 2 guys who are also deaf in one ear as an example~hope ayu will see it and will feel better n slowly get used to it~

anw its a pity that if she will to go on a hiatus,koda kumi will really catch up with her..i hope ayu takes proper care of her right ear from now on and will not neglect it..

[Rurutia]

ayu-chan...I'D SO GIVE YOU MY LEFT EAR IF I COULD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[norain]

Ok some of it seems to be factually wrong..didn't she say she's been deaf for a year? Meaning she's already been able to practice with singing with one ear?

OR AM I FACTUALLY WRONG?

[truehappiness]

She's had limited hearing [20% of normal] for about 6 years so far..

[polka-dot-jewel]

Wow, they mentioned imuya from AHN. XD

Firstly, I'm gonna say that she's 29, not 30.

I'm glad these guys weren't criticizing her...more or less, they were, I guess you could say, concerned about her (after hearing some of her latest performances), and after they found out the news, they were, like, "Even WITH her hearing loss, she can still be great." (Kinda like what Ayu said - the press is talking about her, but not in a negative way.)

I'm pretty much speechless apart from what I just said...I dunno, seeing all these articles makes me teary eyed (I have cried after reading / hearing about some) and makes me feel pretty sad. =(

[minkAYuko]

Thanks for the info!.

IMO: She's been singing just fine since 2001, so it didn't stopped before and I don't think it will stop her soon.

PLus these recent lives (since glitter) have been the best of her career, I was suprised how good she started to sound (some lives better than others of courser) but in general it has been like that n_n.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by minkAYuko

Thanks for the info!.

IMO: She's been singing just fine since 2001, so it didn't stopped before and I don't think it will stop her soon.

PLus these recent lives (since glitter) have been the best of her career, I was suprised how good she started to sound (some lives better than others of courser) but in general it has been like that n_n.

Honestly I think her lives this year have been her worst year ever vocally, but it seemed like she was getting a bit better with Together When and the CDL. At least now there is a known reason for why she had troubles with the vocals this year - especially at A-Nation. And this isn't something that I just recently noticed after her deafness announcement(although yes, many people seem to be jumping on that bandwagon now), I've pretty much been saying this all year, I just couldn't figure out what was causing the change.

I saw her live in person over the last few years and here is how I was rating the vocals in my head:

2004 My Story Tour - GREAT. The best live vocal I heard from her.
2005 Miss Understood Tour - Still pretty great, almost the same as My Story Tour
2006/2007 CDL - This is where I noticed a bit of a downturn. Vocals weren't bad, but they weren't to previous standard either.
A-Nation 2007 - Like woah, the worst I've ever heard her. By a lot actually, a pretty drastic change. There were some sound problems the night I went, so originally I chalked the vocal problems up to that, but then I saw the news broadcast clips of the performance from the next day and it sounded just as bad as the night I had gone. What was aired on the full TV broadcast was NOT how it sounded. It sounded like in those short newsclips, so Avex obviously did some tinkering before the performances went to air. It also makes me wonder if that is part of the reason why Tour of Secret has taken so long to even be announced.

btw, this is overall a nice article, though a few inaccuracies.

Originally Posted by Maxker

This could include wearing a hearing aid or undergoing surgery to install a device in the skull to 'divert sound to the good ear'.

That maybe an intriguing choice for people who just live their everyday lives, but for someone who is constantly in high decibal environments, won't that just make her right ear deteriorate faster?

Also, any surgery that installs a device in your skull sounds too scary.

All of this talk about medical marvels that she should do is all just speculation though as no one except Ayu and her doctor know what exactly the problem with her ear is.

[MemorialAddress]

I do hope she practices more often
It will be nice to hear a good live

[angeliko]

Ayu's hearing in her left year has been deterioating for a long time now so she probably has already adjusted to her loss of hearing... I don't see why these people are suddenly noticing that her performances are not up to scratch and "not her usual self" its not like she lost her hearing overnight. =_=;; I think people are just more inclinced to notice the "faults" in her performances now that her deafness has been confirmed. Personally I feel nothing much has changed with her performances, besides, Ayu's a fighter, she'll keep delivering! ^_^

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by angeliko

Ayu's hearing in her left year has been deterioating for a long time now so she probably has already adjusted to her loss of hearing... I don't see why these people are suddenly noticing that her performances are not up to scratch and "not her usual self" its not like she lost her hearing overnight. =_=;; I think people are just more inclinced to notice the "faults" in her performances now that her deafness has been confirmed. Personally I feel nothing much has changed with her performances, besides, Ayu's a fighter, she'll keep delivering! ^_^

No.. I think the complete deafness did something. She said she could notice something different about her usual "hearing" in that ear..

[namiie]

Originally Posted by angeliko

Ayu's hearing in her left year has been deterioating for a long time now so she probably has already adjusted to her loss of hearing... I don't see why these people are suddenly noticing that her performances are not up to scratch and "not her usual self" its not like she lost her hearing overnight. =_=;; I think people are just more inclinced to notice the "faults" in her performances now that her deafness has been confirmed. Personally I feel nothing much has changed with her performances, besides, Ayu's a fighter, she'll keep delivering! ^_^

Uh. No. I've been an Ayu fan now for seven years strong, and I have to say that 2007 was really, really bad in terms of vocals. The beginning of the year wasn't so bad but the clips I've seen of AT '07 were not very good, and a-nation 2007? Uh. I really felt embarrassed for Ayu during her a-nation 2007 performances (especially during the vocal disaster that was "fated", geez).

Nearly all TV performances of "talkin' 2 myself" were too deep and strained-sounding. Nearly all TV performances of "Together When..." were off-key somewhere (not to mention they employed the really terrible "o" vibrato that Ayu unfortunately whips out sometimes). Countdown Live 07-08 was actually better compared to the rest of the year, though "SURREAL" sounded off-key at some parts and "untitled~for her~" was full of voice cracks.

I love Ayu a lot, but her voice during 2007 really did go downhill compared to how great it was before. I don't think people are "suddenly noticing"; it's more like they're connecting observations to this new left ear conclusion.

[DA1SUK1DAY01691]

Originally Posted by namiie

Uh. No. I've been an Ayu fan now for seven years strong, and I have to say that 2007 was really, really bad in terms of vocals. The beginning of the year wasn't so bad but the clips I've seen of AT '07 were not very good, and a-nation 2007? Uh. I really felt embarrassed for Ayu during her a-nation 2007 performances (especially during the vocal disaster that was "fated", geez).

Nearly all TV performances of "talkin' 2 myself" were too deep and strained-sounding. Nearly all TV performances of "Together When..." were off-key somewhere (not to mention they employed the really terrible "o" vibrato that Ayu unfortunately whips out sometimes). Countdown Live 07-08 was actually better compared to the rest of the year, though "SURREAL" sounded off-key at some parts and "untitled~for her~" was full of voice cracks.

I love Ayu a lot, but her voice during 2007 really did go downhill compared to how great it was before. I don't think people are "suddenly noticing"; it's more like they're connecting observations to this new left ear conclusion.

I agree with you. Although glitter sounded fine druing studio performances, talkin' 2 myself and Together When... were pretty much trashed during performances.

And I was researching this. (Source) Her type of hearing loss can come from either physical trauma or acoustic neuroma (a small tumor). I'm assuming it's trauma as she said herself it's "inoperable". However, it makes me wonder if it really is neuroma, because many patients admitted to ringing in the ear. (Not to scare anyone, hopefully. Just out of curiosity.)

[Huaka]

Originally Posted by DA1SUK1DAY01691

And I was researching this. (Source) Her type of hearing loss can come from either physical trauma or acoustic neuroma (a small tumor). I'm assuming it's trauma as she said herself it's "inoperable". However, it makes me wonder if it really is neuroma, because many patients admitted to ringing in the ear. (Not to scare anyone, hopefully. Just out of curiosity.)

Umm, ImpactBreaker has already made extensive posts about what her ear condition might be. Try look those up.

[AyuGAME]

the best article about her deafness!!! thanks for sharing

[LacusClyne]

The NewPaper?? that is a singapore newspaper...how come i miss it????