Has ayu lost her touch?

[Andrenekoi]

^I wouldn't be surprised if Ayu isn't virgin since mid teens if u ask me...

[truehappiness]

But repeating in circles how awesome this song/album/shoot etc is, how she can't do anything wrong etc. is alright?

I guess the concept of having a fan forum having fans that love (almost?) everything she does and that being somehow not alright is just so very strange to me. Of course, not everyone is going to love everything, and that's normal. But it just strikes me as a little odd to discourage liking what she puts out and promote not liking it when fans of an artist usually like what they release, you know?

But maybe it's just me... hm.

[Corvina]

I know what you mean, but it's this kind of repeating that gets really annoying, isn't it?
To be honest I don't wanna read pages and pages of people praising the stuff an artist is doing - or destroying it. A nice discussion is something different than "going in circles". You know what I mean?
But that's something that will always be in a forum, cause there are so much people here and of course people will repeat their opinions, good or bad. And it seems Ayu is in a state now where more and more fans are disappointed. And that's maybe the reason some of you find that annoying.
Really, the best thing you can do is to ignore this or at least the too harsh or unfair posts about Ayu. As long as you like what Ayu is doing, you shouldn't be too troubled.^^

[njanjayrp]

^ to be honest you rarely see people repeating how they love/like something all the time

Anyways, as someone said Ayu isn't that innocent and I'm sure she could write about sex if she wanted to and it's not really like she didn't as you can pretty much see that my name's WOMEN, Sparkle, ourselves and a few other songs have some pretty obvious sexual/physical references, of course I don't think she should ever do a typical sex song with loads of meaningless English phrases such as "boy you're so fry" xD

[bluegie]

^ there are a few members keep on their repeat buttons lol, and those are the ones who love her recent works. Nothing wrong with that IMO, cuz it is her newer materials dragging them into ayu sekai.

Originally Posted by non3ko

As far as her career, her sales have been declining. It's not something I'd like to see as she is my favorite artist, even if I don't like her recent music.

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Well, they were going to decline at some point, people are over-reacting about this too...

I know how you feel non3ko, but like Andrenekoi said, every artist will face this path eventually. It just depends on if they can stop/slow the decline, and luckily bounce back to the top at some point. I've seen hikki (one of my beloved artists) being able to bounce back (ULTRA BLUE --> HEART STATION). I kinda hope ayu can at least manage to get her album sales back to ~600K one day (note: not by making 10 covers tho...)

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

A lot of people who turned into or became Namie fans during the past 2-3 years want her to change her image into something more "urban" and "sexy", but to be honest after being an Ayu fan for 5 years now that would be the only thing I couldn't imagine her to do, as I think her music goes a bit further than that of a simple pop star

She can be really sexy. Don't forget about her LOVEppears/Duty/I am... covers. They maybe more about fashion, but a hint of sexiness also presents in those covers.

I can't relate ayu to urban though...

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by bluegie

She can be really sexy. Don't forget about her LOVEppears/Duty/I am... covers. They maybe more about fashion, but a hint of sexiness also presents in those covers.

I can't relate ayu to urban though...

Yeah, I know but I wasn't really referring to images, but her lyrics, I didn't say she can't be "sexy" or whatever just that I have troubles imaging her singing something like Some Boys Touch!, JUICY or FAST CAR (not that I have something against those songs ^^). The same way Koda tried to sing an etno ballad with classical music and imo pretty much failed (even though Alive was nice over all), as a song like that would suit Hitomi Shimatani way better~

[truehappiness]

I kinda hope ayu can at least manage to get her album sales back to ~600K one day (note: not by making 10 covers tho...)

I think at best, she'd be able to get to 400-500k at the very most...

If someone as big as Namie right now is only able to manage <600k with an original album (which is what Ayu was able to do in 2006 with Secret and then some with 666k) at this point in time, where does that leave Ayu? I hope that with the upcoming album, she is at least able to sell as much as NEXT LEVEL did in the first week.

Regarding Hikki's "comeback", perhaps it had a lot to do with the very strong drama tie-ins (the songs themselves were also easy to digest) that album had? But overall, I don't think Hikki really ever has much to worry about because she has such a strong casual fanbase that she could avoid releasing an album for the next 5 years and it's still possible that her album afterwards will be able to sell a 900k+. It's scary. As for Ayu's album, musically, I really wonder where Ayu will be going with the next album, and hopefully it'll be a sound that the public can enjoy. Judging from S/S and Y/B, the songs will be traditionally Ayu, but since when have the first two singles ever dictated how the album will sound? Haha.

You know, in order for Ayu to sell more copies, she's going to have to reach out to the public when releasing an album. Go on more shows, promote on the radio, be on more magazine covers, and actively try to gain more casual fans. It seems almost as though she's simply keeping the 300k+ who are hanging on from the 1.1 million from MY STORY/Memorial address instead of trying to attract new listeners. That's one of Ayu's biggest issues right now when it comes to selling more. There's a possibility that she feels that she has already oversaturated the market and doesn't think it's necessary to continue getting more fans, but I really hope that's not how she feels. Doing ARENA TOURS in place of the usual methods of promotion just doesn't make sense to me. If that's what's going to happen this year, I hope the promotional schedule for the album isn't as barren as it was for NEXT LEVEL.

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

I think at best, she'd be able to get to 400-500k at the very most...

Regarding Hikki's "comeback", perhaps it had a lot to do with the very strong drama tie-ins (the songs themselves were also easy to digest) that album had? But overall, I don't think Hikki really ever has much to worry about because she has such a strong casual fanbase that she could avoid releasing an album for the next 5 years and it's still possible that her album afterwards will be able to sell a 900k+. It's scary. As for Ayu's album, musically, I really wonder where Ayu will be going with the next album, and hopefully it'll be a sound that the public can enjoy. Judging from S/S and Y/B, the songs will be traditionally Ayu, but since when have the first two singles ever dictated how the album will sound? Haha.

You know, in order for Ayu to sell more copies, she's going to have to reach out to the public when releasing an album. Go on more shows, promote on the radio, be on more magazine covers, and actively try to gain more casual fans. It seems almost as though she's simply keeping the 300k+ who are hanging on from the 1.1 million from MY STORY/Memorial address instead of trying to attract new listeners. That's one of Ayu's biggest issues right now when it comes to selling more. There's a possibility that she feels that she has already oversaturated the market and doesn't think it's necessary to continue getting more fans, but I really hope that's not how she feels. Doing ARENA TOURS in place of the usual methods of promotion just doesn't make sense to me. If that's what's going to happen this year, I hope the promotional schedule for the album isn't as barren as it was for NEXT LEVEL.

Yeah my original thought was 500K, but I typed 600K because I have a higher hope. I know probly it's a bit silly, but who knows?

And I agree that hikki has a larger casual fanbase compared to any female artists. That is why her digital sales are ridiculously high compared to other females (and probly to the male artists as well). Hikki isn't doing something to please the public either, somehow her songs are fresher. Probly because hikki hasn't made too many songs yet. As for ayu... I really think she should work with new people. Like you say, she's trying to keep the hardcore fans instead of keeping them while inviting new ones at the same time. I dun think she's oversaturated yet IF she makes some new ayu-liked with new tune. And AT doesn't look like a promoting method anymore in Japan. Back in 2007 or so, I thought hikki's ULTRA BLUE sales would reach million copies with a boost of her national tour. But the sales wasn't affected by the tour in the end. Ayu really should do some more promotions instead of just appearing on the ViVi, (S)Cawaii, and music station. I know she was overexposed before, but right now she's a bit underexposed.. Also, use a composer that has never worked w/ her (hikki will be a great composer ).

[Andrenekoi]

^IMO it still is kinda early for her putting her face everywhere again, considering her super-exposion on the past decade

[njanjayrp]

^ The only thing that I could disagree with is the statement that Hikki isn't doing anything to satisfy the public, wasn't the whole purpose of creating This Is The One for public to easier accept her music, as opposed to EXODUS which was more or less experimental? HEART STATION was also very poppy sounding and it had an over all more positive feel to it (that imo UB didn't have), UB and HS are imo pretty similar genre-wise as Utada also developed a recognizable sound over the years, sure she doesn't have as many songs as Ayu and to casual listeners her music might seem more fresh, but I've been listening to her since 2002 and yes her music did have some obvious changes and freshness to it at least back then, but in my opinion she has been running in circles since Keep Tryin' the same way Ayu has since Memorial Address.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

^ The only thing that I could disagree with is the statement that Hikki isn't doing anything to satisfy the public, wasn't the whole purpose of creating This Is The One for public to easier accept her music, as opposed to EXODUS which was more or less experimental? HEART STATION was also very poppy sounding and it had an over all more positive feel to it (that imo UB didn't have), UB and HS are imo pretty similar genre-wise as Utada also developed a recognizable sound over the years, sure she doesn't have as many songs as Ayu and to casual listeners her music might seem more fresh, but I've been listening to her since 2002 and yes her music did have some obvious changes and freshness to it at least back then, but in my opinion she has been running in circles since Keep Tryin' the same way Ayu has since Memorial Address.

I would say neither Ayu or Hikki are really trying to satisfy the public... what is good actually, cuz it makes ur music generic... The more poppish and easy their lastest releases were, besides ayu seasonal singles and Hikki drama tie-ins, they aren't stuff that people really put their faith on as good sellers

But still, Ayu needs her summer/winter singles in order to do her less generic stuff, and so does Hikki with her bitter-sweet break up ballads for dramas...

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

^ The only thing that I could disagree with is the statement that Hikki isn't doing anything to satisfy the public, wasn't the whole purpose of creating This Is The One for public to easier accept her music, as opposed to EXODUS which was more or less experimental? HEART STATION was also very poppy sounding and it had an over all more positive feel to it (that imo UB didn't have), UB and HS are imo pretty similar genre-wise as Utada also developed a recognizable sound over the years, sure she doesn't have as many songs as Ayu and to casual listeners her music might seem more fresh, but I've been listening to her since 2002 and yes her music did have some obvious changes and freshness to it at least back then, but in my opinion she has been running in circles since Keep Tryin' the same way Ayu has since Memorial Address.

I never like hikki's English side in the first place so I dun really care about TITO or Exodus. But true TITO is much more radio friendly compared to Exodus. As for UB and HS, they are in similar genre (synth computerized music) except, like you said, the former album was pretty blue. Also, the way she constructed the songs and the album was too complicated at some degrees. HS is a more soothing one and I prefer HS much more than UB in overall. Still HS isn't something really public friendly at all. TITO gives me a feeling that she's going to head into another direction again and I really expect her to release something weird, as she loves to do experimental stuff in Japanese side.

I should stop right here cuz I dun wanna turn this into hikki vs. ayu thread, which is not my intention. When I brought out hikki, what I meant is that I hope ayu could resume her popularity like how hikki did after UB period. They are two of my most beloved artists (the last one is a Hong Kong singer btw ), so I want to see them doing good .

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by bluegie

I should stop right here cuz I dun wanna turn this into hikki vs. ayu thread, which is not my intention. When I brought out hikki, what I meant is that I hope ayu could resume her popularity like how hikki did after UB period. They are two of my most beloved artists (the last one is a Hong Kong singer btw ), so I want to see them doing good .

No no no, it's fine really, I like Hikki ^_^ and I didn't intend to start an argument either I liked ULTRA BLUE just a bit better, even though both the albums each have one of my fave Hikki songs (BLUE and TAKE 5, the third one being Letters <3). I don't have a problem with her continuing the synth pop pat she has already taken, same goes for Ayu and rock. Oh and I personally enjoyed the majority of the songs on Exodus 04, while I can't say the same for TiTO as some of the songs were simply un-acceptable for me, especially when it comes to the lyrics >_>

[tommy96814]

Originally Posted by se7entheaven

Evenbefore this CDL, everyone has been complaining about her. Whether it's the costumes, vocal, tour, etc etc.

After watching this CDL, I got this feeling that ayu somehow lost her 'touch'. I don't really feel it anymore. Everything is starting to get boring. Considering ayu produces her tour and everything, kuu-chan who produce he own tour always has creative ideas, dare to do sth different, be it song arrangements and performance-wise. ayu sometimes looks as if she's rushing everything...she's even not as busy as before...

1. Stage-wise (I know the concept of this CDL stage and AT stage with the steps are good) she's been using this design for like...3-4times???

2. Costume-wise, ok she have had a lot of costumes, and I must admit she recycled the design by adding different details and stuffs, coz Namie do it as well (think Namie's infamous short dress/skirt/schoolgirl outfits, she has like 1000 different versions each tours), but ayu....doing something different won't kill you. Performing Pride doesn't mean you have to wear HUGE dress, for example.

3. Performance-wise. Like how many times has she repeat the same thing again and again? why can't she just sing 1LOVE with the bands? I'm sick of the cage thingy and all the same antics that she do for the songs. you get the idea.

4. and more...

I'm sorry I'm just tired of seeing the same thing again and again...even NEXT LEVEL tour didn't surprise me that much, let alone this CDL, we've seen the same antics since 07-08, 08-09, and now this.

i think is because her voice changed big time.

[njanjayrp]

^ ah that's true I guess xD Even though Ayu's seasonal singles usually satisfy my taste, it would be nice to get rid of the whole seasonal concept...

[foxhana]

YES! this discussion stopped a few days ago! wahaha.

I like reading pages of these..

Oops.

Even though I don't know who Hikki is.. (stopped reading also), I hope Ayu's 'losing her touch' does not have anything to do with her okay ear. because you need a louder volume to be heard in one ear.. and her surroundings are alwyas sooo loud.

[bluegie]

Hikki is the nickname of Utada Hikaru. (ehh.. I guess you know who she is rite? hehe).

[Cherry Dynamite]

The topic died? Aww this is a great topic.

Anyways I don't care I'll just write what I think in here.

She still have her touch if she doesn't her career would have been over.
Hopefully her next single would be much much much much better.
I honestly think it will be since her London trip I've been excited about her release again I feel inspired and hopeful that She'll release something great this year.
I want her to rest and just relax for a while but I know I'll miss her even when her release aren't that good I still get a wee bit excited just hearing her voice again, Yes, Her voice isn't exactly the same but she's been singing for a long time not just simply singing she's singing probably until she can't talk anymore so it's expected her voice will change and she lost half of her hearing that would also affect (but no I'm not using the old She lost half of her hearing that's why she sucks now excuse). Actually her recent performance wasn't that bad compared to her performance of Sunrise/Sunset on Music Fair.

With all that I can now say "I'm eagerly waiting for her"

(btw I haven't been her fan for a long time I haven't even reached the 1 year mark)

[JackieRos]

*throws her 2 cents in here again and again*
of course she has

[hanabiwings]

I'm concerned about her overall health, specifically her voice. It appears that her vocal range has become quite restricted when compared to the first part of her career (notice that most of the songs she sings live now are in lowered keys) and she ends up singing even when not in top form (e.g. when she has a cold). This hasn't anything to do with losing her touch; it has everything to do with being made to be 'consistent' as a performer/product rather than doing what is best for her health. I think she is probably aware of this but has resigned herself to doing her best. I remember watching news from her 2001 concert and her injury while in Japan and thinking, "How can they ask her to perform after that?" She's a trooper; I hope it doesn't continue to injure her voice as it obviously has up to this point.