Lets vent about ayu?/why did your fandom decrease

[Delirium-Zer0]

I don't think anyone's really nailed the problem, although most of what you all are saying is contributing to it.

Think of it like this... Ayu and her career before were like... the wrapped-up gift under a Christmas tree, and we LOVED the shiny wrapping, which was folded and taped with care, clearly time was taken on it. We loved the sparkling, hand-tied bow on top. And clearly money was spent on the foil-embossed gift tag, which was carefully hand-selected after ages of browsing. Everything was so pretty and neat and exciting. She was the one in charge of that wrapping, hinting at the box's contents with the type of wrapping she put around it (like wrapping an Elsa doll up in snowflake wrapping paper). And we liked guessing! What's inside? It's so pretty, I bet it's something amazing.

But then she unwrapped the present in an effort to get closer to her fans. We'd earned the right to see her with the wrapping off, but under the paper... It was just a cardboard box. Not a bad one - it's in good shape, not many dents, not dirty, not flimsy. But... it's so NORMAL. So easily torn, so blah brown colored, taped up in a few places to keep it in decent shape. Just like any other box, but clearly well taken care of. The present was simply not that interesting anymore. And maybe there's more shinyness inside that cardboard box, sure... but Ayu is self-conscious for one thing, and has things inside that she doesn't want to think about. So she'll never just dump the contents out. She'll bring them out a little at a time, but whenever she does (see "Party Queen") no one likes it. So she just keeps the cardboard clean, shows us all HOW she keeps the cardboard clean, and goes on with her life. But fans want the wrapping back.

I think the key issue is "distance." There's a certain specific amount of distance that I think is ideal for a popular figure to hold onto - one where little solid, specific personal information is revealed, but where we THINK we can probably figure it out through lyrics and videos and interviews. This gives us just enough information that we think we have a good idea of what a person is like, but not so much that we can't project our own ideals onto her. That exact mixture of honesty & secrecy is what makes a public figure like Ayu relateable.

We saw one room of where Ayu lived in that 2000 NTV documentary and that was AWESOME. But even at the time, while she did live in an apartment, it was a ridiculously huge fancy new york type of apartment that's totally inaccessible to any normal Tokyo resident. She was unattainably rich even then, but she still seemed like a "normal girl" and her lyrics were still personal and relateable. So no, it's not the money making her distant. It's how much she's chosen to tell us.

Once she'd hit a turning point of trying too hard to get close to us, and her sales hit that permanent slump, she then catered to mainly the Gyaru community and her built-in fanbase rather than the general public. She no longer had the allure of relateability that made her popular with teenagers. Sales were no longer based on the quality of the product she was selling - she just needed to hang on to fans & the gyarus. So she had to go safe.

While other artists like Namie have taken a slump of this nature and used it as an opportunity, Ayu hasn't. It feels as though Ayu is desperately trying to remain "safe" because when she isn't, people react with such vitriol, and she's a rather sensitive and self-conscious person. When she tries new things, the reactions range from "Oh hey, not bad" to "WTF IS THIS!?!? WHERE IS MY AYU FROM THE PAST!!" Whenever that happens, she tries to recapture what she did in the past by using older songwriters and such, and even on this new album she's going back to doing dancey music since that was such a HUGE part of her image & brand back before "I am..." All these attempts to recapture the past are failing, however, because she's missing the specific level of distance from her fans that made her charming.

Now she does seem to be aware that fans have lost a feeling of "connection" with Ayu, and she's trying to fix that, but things like "ayu LIFE STYLE BOOK" and the upcoming TA q&a sessions and twitter are all overcompensation. She SHOULD be putting wrapping paper around herself again. She should be using deliberate & methodical symbolism and imagery in her album & single shoots, wearing fashions that create a brand for each new release, being "vaguely specific" in her lyrics again... give us HINTS about what you're saying so we think we can figure you out. Don't show us your actual bed - sing about how you feel when you're in it alone, & then put a photo of you on the cover where you're the only black & white person in a colored crowd, or where you're sitting alone in a sparsely furnished cell of some kind. Let us assign the specifics - our own bed sheets and ourselves and our rooms, our own missing lover, our own sad faces. That way the song can be about us too.

[Chris85]

The amount of lip syncing during her recent CDL made me sad.
Countdown Live 2013-2014 lip synced songs include:
1) Feel the love
2) Free & Easy
3) Because of You (except final refrain which is weird)
4) CAROLS
5) Momentum
6) is this LOVE?
A BEST LIVE tour had 3 songs she lip synced - poker face, Fly high and HONEY.
Now when I think of her new concerts I can't help wondering how much of the show is actually going to be LIVE. Of course I still like Ayu very much but realizing that your favourite artist is heavily relying on lip syncing isn't a pleasant thing.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Chris85

The amount of lip syncing during her recent CDL made me sad.
Countdown Live 2013-2014 lip synced songs include:
1) Feel the love
2) Free & Easy
3) Because of You (except final refrain which is weird)
4) CAROLS
5) Momentum
6) is this LOVE?
A BEST LIVE tour had 3 songs she lip synced - poker face, Fly high and HONEY.
Now when I think of her new concerts I can't help wondering how much of the show is actually going to be LIVE. Of course I still like Ayu very much but realizing that your favourite artist is heavily relying on lip syncing isn't a pleasant thing.

I really doubt from the preview that Feel the love was lip synced, it was way too edited for it.

People should notice there's a difference between lip-synching, using heavy backtrack, using backup singers, using backup singers AND backtrack and using voice filters live... All of them are used to make the singer sound better than they actually are, but the amount of effort the singer must put on each case is completly different.

Ayu (and almost everyone else in the business) use all of those techniques, but Ayu rarely lip-synchs more than 2 or 3 songs all the way... From both live reports and video releases (that aren't very trustable), she isn't lip-syching whole tracks since 2009 or so...

[emi♡]

^I think I'd actually be okay with her lip syncing Feel the Love. I don't want to even know wth that sounds like live. Leave it at home Ayu.


And Deli up there, telling hard truths~ +1

[ayumisrael]

I don't believe to all this lip sync stuff because most of the time when people on the board says a song is lip synced it doesn't even sound like that, and she will probably never lip sync more than 1-3 songs tops since the japanese will ban her for good. (Even though BoA did more some lip syncing to up beat songs too).
I know that songs like poker face and Fly high on A BEST LIVE and ANGEL'S SONG/HONEY in PCDL were like that but even from this digest vid, no way Feel the love is lip synced and sounds like that. CAROLS is NOT lip-synced. ayu lip-syncing got too overrated, like people just throw X performance lip synced in the air. People that were there usually state what performances were lip synced too, but did they say anything about the recent CDL? And what Andrenekoi said.

For what deli wrote, I think that ayu is in a big conflict, I don't know if she really thinks of foreign fans but it's like - Japanese fans want only the old ayu, foreign fans want a new ayu all the time. With no relation to fans she probably wants to try new things from time to time but she has hard time doing stuff with the Japanese audience.

Originally Posted by emi♡

^I think I'd actually be okay with her lip syncing Feel the Love. I don't want to even know wth that sounds like live. Leave it at home Ayu.


And Deli up there, telling hard truths~ +1

Feel the love is probably live, so you do hear how it is, regardless of live filters and editions.

[primavera♥]

I like what Deli said. So on point. As always.

Also about lip sync. I highly doubt she did that for all of those songs if any. If it ever seems like she does, it's always just a couple at most.

[channy]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

People should notice there's a difference between lip-synching, using heavy backtrack, using backup singers, using backup singers AND backtrack and using voice filters live... All of them are used to make the singer sound better than they actually are

You forgot the pre-recorded full-playbacks, which, based on my own perception, are also a very common gimmick for Ayu's concerts. Thus, it is somewhat hard to differ between live singing with realtime-sound/voice-enhancers and pre-recorded playbacks. However, that's why they use this technique after all and it probably takes place in most of Ayu's concerts.

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by channy

You forgot the pre-recorded full-playbacks, which, based on my own perception, are also a very common gimmick for Ayu's concerts. Thus, it is somewhat hard to differ between live singing with realtime-sound/voice-enhancers and pre-recorded playbacks. However, that's why they use this technique after all and it probably takes place in most of Ayu's concerts.

Pre-recorded pretty much means lip-syncing to it like was mentioned, but even if she does 1-3 songs, it's not very common in one concert to lip sync more than 2 songs on average, and these are usually really high pitched up beat songs, that get short versions (in medleys for example).

I'm also sure that if all the songs above were lip-synced (had full pre-recordings) the tabloids would probably eat her up for this since it's kind of a big deal in Japan. They ate her for much less and if not the media then the fans. Even 2ch never mention lip-syncing in their trollings (probably because she doesn't do that much and if she does it's 1-2 songs in a concert usually so it's not worth trolling).

What's more I don't know how Feel the love and CAROLS were lip-synced to be honest since even from the digest video they don't sound/look lip-synced.
I don't think she would lip-sync first song in a concert either, otherwise she would just change to a song she could sing live from the first place.

I don't know about the other 3 but they don't seem like songs she would lip-sync. She would lipsync cuter songs/really high pitched ones maybe that are not ballads.

[RylanJames]

I need a November on this album or I'm going to freak out and bulldoze my Ayu disograpghy.

[marty]

@ Delirium-Zer0:
Honestly, I can't really feel you on this.
Your description is on point, and I think it's probably the reason a lot of people's interest (especially the general public) decreased, but it doesn't make sense to me (and maybe that's why my interest in her is still, like, VERY HIGH, lol).
I liked her when she was this mysterious emotion-vessel supreme lyricists icon and I like her now that she's open and relaxed and allowing herself to be a more normal woman. In my eyes she just changed and grown up, not only in her life, not only in her music, but in her priorities and musical approach too.
If she's going back to her old ways of promoting, fine. But it's not really the point for me, I still find her lyrics and persona very relatable (relatively, because she's much older than me). She's so emotional and stuff.
But I totally agree with you saying Ayu started keeping it safe with her dropping sales, relying on her hardcore fanbase and gyarus. And I feel too she's trying to rediscover her past, but I don't think she's so desperate doing so...

[channy]

Ayu once said in a documentary that her time/era is about to end even 12, 13 or 14 years ago (don't know the exact date). So I doubt she's trying to sustain any standards of bygone times. Avex and Ayu know that her time is over but it's still possible to have her sell music to the die-hard fans. I feel, that has been the selling point of the past couple years.

[ayu-michan]

Originally Posted by channy

Ayu once said in a documentary that her time/era is about to end even 12, 13 or 14 years ago (don't know the exact date). So I doubt she's trying to sustain any standards of bygone times. Avex and Ayu know that her time is over but it's still possible to have her sell music to the die-hard fans. I feel, that has been the selling point of the past couple years.

That was from the 2004 documentary, and yes she did say "My era is over". I agree with you on the bolded part. Ayu never intended to be a musician in the first place. I'm positive that she only wanted to make music so she can be herself and express her feelings.

[waterballoon]

there's a difference between acknowledging your era is over, liking being a musician and then.. not putting in effort at all recently.

the question is, can she be like this again? perfect music with amazing arrangements and effort.. something that clicks and links everything together.. a musical package that we've loved so much?

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

there's a difference between acknowledging your era is over, liking being a musician and then.. not putting in effort at all recently.

the question is, can she be like this again? perfect music with amazing arrangements and effort.. something that clicks and links everything together.. a musical package that we've loved so much?

The only thing I see there is a incosistent singer with a runny nose dressed on a birthday cake while singing a generic ballad...

[waterballoon]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

The only thing I see there is a incosistent singer with a runny nose dressed on a birthday cake while singing a generic ballad...

runny nose? Have you watched AT 12? That's a real runny nose.

I'm still a big fan, and as generic her recent albums are, she still dishes out songs that are WAY better than most others I listen to.

I just feel that she used to be so coherent with everything pre-2009, and that she always had brilliant ideas which she executed so, so, so, well and beautifully. From LOVEppears to (miss)understood she really was at her prime because every era felt like a package. IDGAF that she was shrilling in the Duty album or that her hair was shit in the RAINBOW era.. what matters is that as a whole, each era was complete - a nice little package that felt consistent, with effort, and well thought out.

Recently, she's been haphazard. Good examples are her 10th and 15th anniversary. I love Days to death but the 10th anniversary singles were quite lackluster in terms of a whole package; A COMPLETE was nothing special. 15th was worse because she didn't do anything but tour, and you can argue that she's touring even more blah blah but FFS she's ayumi hamasaki, she's THE Queen of J-Pop, yet her 15th anniversary felt like a muted song in a corner of the room.

the 50th singles project was rubbish as well; the link between MOON/blossom, crossroad and L is..?? Though we did get Love songs which was her best album since MY STORY imho, the whole era felt so disconnected and I couldn't believe her 50th single was about her one year husband.

Which brings me to my next point - the way she's handling herself these days makes me because it feels a reverse; she should be behaving like how she did in 2010 - 2013 when she was younger because those silly mistakes are so.. unprofessional and unbecoming of someone like her.

I'm still unhappy about pasting Mannie's face on the PVs of her 50th single, I'm even more appalled and disgusted with the whole Maro saga, pasting his face on PVs and an album cover is just.. self-indulgent.

That's it. I think she's getting self-indulgent, and you know what that reminds me of? Lady Gaga. She's self-indulgent and she doesn't make a buzz anymore.

I repeat what I said on another thread that AT 12 was so disgustingly self-indulgent that I couldn't stand watching it. There's something attention-seeking about the "I am the Lonely queen" shit that puts me off.. however low her life was (ASFxx - Duty, I am.../A BEST, GUILTY) she was never self-indulgent, attention-seeking and being a baby about it. I hate Party queen so much, that year was her lowest to me.

And the discussion on Feel the love? We wouldn't be getting it if she had proper execution for it. She touched on dangerously scandalous topics in the past (price of fame, politics, homosexuality) in her PVs and every idea was executed with a nice thought process (Endless sorrow, Dearest, GREEN, Lady Dynamite, my name's WOMEN, alterna, Free&Easy).. in the past we may not always get her message, but none was offensive or at least came across offensive, and what we understood was what we perceived. Yet we can't point a finger and be so certain because nothing was obvious.

In Ftl, she had a good albeit typical concept for loving thyself but like what emi mentioned, the execution was so so so bad. I cannot believe she let the last part with James Ellis slip; if this were evolution she would move from the director's camera, to James, told him off and get his shit together to get THAT expression SHE WANTS to convey the message she wants. But she didn't.

Which brings me to my next point. She really doesn't care anymore sometimes does she?

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

runny nose? Have you watched AT 12? That's a real runny nose.

I'm still a big fan, and as generic her recent albums are, she still dishes out songs that are WAY better than most others I listen to.

I just feel that she used to be so coherent with everything pre-2009, and that she always had brilliant ideas which she executed so, so, so, well and beautifully. From LOVEppears to (miss)understood she really was at her prime because every era felt like a package. IDGAF that she was shrilling in the Duty album or that her hair was shit in the RAINBOW era.. what matters is that as a whole, each era was complete - a nice little package that felt consistent, with effort, and well thought out.

Recently, she's been haphazard. Good examples are her 10th and 15th anniversary. I love Days to death but the 10th anniversary singles were quite lackluster in terms of a whole package; A COMPLETE was nothing special. 15th was worse because she didn't do anything but tour, and you can argue that she's touring even more blah blah but FFS she's ayumi hamasaki, she's THE Queen of J-Pop, yet her 15th anniversary felt like a muted song in a corner of the room.

the 50th singles project was rubbish as well; the link between MOON/blossom, crossroad and L is..?? Though we did get Love songs which was her best album since MY STORY imho, the whole era felt so disconnected and I couldn't believe her 50th single was about her one year husband.

Which brings me to my next point - the way she's handling herself these days makes me because it feels a reverse; she should be behaving like how she did in 2010 - 2013 when she was younger because those silly mistakes are so.. unprofessional and unbecoming of someone like her.

I'm still unhappy about pasting Mannie's face on the PVs of her 50th single, I'm even more appalled and disgusted with the whole Maro saga, pasting his face on PVs and an album cover is just.. self-indulgent.

That's it. I think she's getting self-indulgent, and you know what that reminds me of? Lady Gaga. She's self-indulgent and she doesn't make a buzz anymore.

I repeat what I said on another thread that AT 12 was so disgustingly self-indulgent that I couldn't stand watching it. There's something attention-seeking about the "I am the Lonely queen" shit that puts me off.. however low her life was (ASFxx - Duty, I am.../A BEST, GUILTY) she was never self-indulgent, attention-seeking and being a baby about it. I hate Party queen so much, that year was her lowest to me.

And the discussion on Feel the love? We wouldn't be getting it if she had proper execution for it. She touched on dangerously scandalous topics in the past (price of fame, politics, homosexuality) in her PVs and every idea was executed with a nice thought process (Endless sorrow, Dearest, GREEN, Lady Dynamite, my name's WOMEN, alterna, Free&Easy).. in the past we may not always get her message, but none was offensive or at least came across offensive, and what we understood was what we perceived. Yet we can't point a finger and be so certain because nothing was obvious.

In Ftl, she had a good albeit typical concept for loving thyself but like what emi mentioned, the execution was so so so bad. I cannot believe she let the last part with James Ellis slip; if this were evolution she would move from the director's camera, to James, told him off and get his shit together to get THAT expression SHE WANTS to convey the message she wants. But she didn't.

Which brings me to my next point. She really doesn't care anymore sometimes does she?

So, when she was singing about how much the cruel evil world made her suffer, and about how much it hurt to be such a naive person on a world so cruel to her, she was being brave/mature...

When she was singing about how she was fucking up her own life by avoiding pain by partying and drinking and blaming others, she was imature and self-indulgent?

Ok...

[emi♡]

A generic ballad with an interesting, beautiful melody and gorgeous lyrics.


Makes all the difference when you actually have good, well-produced music.

[SolarAngel]

I think when releases are accompanied by decent promotional efforts by ayu herself, personally I would feel that it was well thought-out and planned. So even if I don't like it (sunrise/sunset), I still respect that there was a concept, extensive preparation and thought process behind the whole thing. It was an effort by ayu standards that set her apart from so many other artistes for me.

These past few years I found it very lacking. For eg the moon/crossroad/L with the 'trilogy' concept just pasted onto it and no promotional effort outside of her live concerts. Just from the songs and pvs I knew that the much effort was put into the production but I also felt that ayu didn't prepare her schedule well enough to have time to promote it. That was a dip in her lofty effort standards and then with subsequent releases it seemed to sink lower and lower.

At this point I feel so attached to ayu on a personal level that I'll probably hang in until she retires but I find myself wishing she would improve her act. I think it's fitting her decline is how it is (unlike r&r circus period which I thought was awesome and didn't get what it deserved).

That being said I always hope she does well in her musical endeavours and I'm crossing my fingers for this new album.

[Zeke.]

^ she didn't need to blatantly spell it out "I'm the lonely queen." She had to explain Party Queens cover but it was unnecessary to be so upfront with asserting herself that title. It's like when Kumi claimed herself queen of live or even how ayu raps in self indulgence in m-flos songs - it's gross to be self indulgent. It's just not likeable.

I do miss the "package" feeling. I can't complain about 10th anni singles though cause I do believe those were put together well. The photo shoots and covers were some of her best, if not the best. Stunning.

Also regarding manny in the PV, that's how they met lol. She wasn't married to or dating him when he was cast.

[Zeke.]

Lol, Pray is like the one of the most generic things she's done. Really, calling Dearest generic and favoring Pray.