[Scans] Ayu featured in German Magazine "J Beat"

[WalkingProud]

here comes the second and final part of the translation. unfortunately i had to leave some small parts out because i couldnt read them probably because of the scan.

hope you enjoy it nevertheless!!!!

Using her pseudonym “Crea” (named after one of her dogs), Ayumi writes her own lyrics in which she speaks about experiences made by herself or her friends. Her lyrics and as-well her live performances are full of emotions and it’s hard to believe that this woman, so full of energy, once was shy and reserved.

*next paragraph is about her dogs; can’t read it properly because of the scan. Basically it says how many dogs Ayu has, how they are called and that they are very important to her*

Ayumi Hamasaki is one of the most successful and most popular singers. Due to the fact that she earns about half of Avex’s annual income, the famous record label tries to keep close ties between them and the singer.

Being that popular also allows Ayu to star in countless commercials (TV, etc). Up until today, Ayu participated in *here would come a number probably; can’t read it because of the scan, sorry*

Between Ayumi Hamasaki and Hikaru Utada there’s said to be some kind competition going on: Who is most featured in TV commercials? Who has most PV’s played by the TV stations? Whose songs are better? Who has more of them placed within the Top 10? And that’s not all. Moreover, both were featured in famous games or movies. For the Japanese adaptation of “Snow-White”, Ayu provided the song “One Day My Prince Will Come”. A strictly limited number of DVDs and VHSs included a four minute long music video for this song, not available anywhere else.
Ayumi’s music videos are always full of fantasy and glamour. It’s obvious that she gives everything to make those clips look perfect which is also one of the reason why they are so popular with the viewers. She succeeds in putting a spell on her audience.
Proper presentation of her lyrics is also an important part of her music videos. They are about different issues, like human society, for example. In one of her videos Ayu presents us the life of a star caught in a golden cage, in another one she shows herself as a seductive tigress. Then again, we discover her as a some kind of “visual geisha” who seeks to teach us “the dark side of Ayumi Hamasaki”, an Ayumi who doesn’t want to become a vitreous human. A further clip, wants to teach us forgiveness and points out that the world isn’t only painted in grey. Absolutely beautiful is the scene in which she lets a child grow a wing.
I can’t wait to discover which worlds Ayu will show us in the future and which problems of human society she’ll critisize next. Keep going like this Ayu!!!
As-well as her music videos, Ayumi’s live performances are costly framed. Each of her appearances on stage is a real event, no need to comment on her concert tours ( nine sold-out mega tours, and four concerts between 2000 – 2005!). It doesn’t matter if you see them live or on DVD because Ayu is simply breathtaking. With almost every song the star changes her outfit or surprises the audience with other special feature.
*can’t read because of scan, sorry*
... she keeps surprising her fans, again and again. Her fans show their appreciation by buying each and every bit that Ayu releases. Up ‘til today, there have been 23 albums (13 of them are top-sellers), about 40 singles (25 of them are top-sellers), 14 DVDs, 13 VHSs and 13 VCDs released. Moreover, there’s obviously merchandising like posters, photo books, cowboy hats etc. sold.
Ayu’s most recent effort is supposed to be the title track to the movie “Shinobi”. The movie’s told to be similar to “Romeo & Juliet” and if we are lucky we can expect a beautiful ballad. Release is set to be this autumn. Furthermore, her tour homepage confirms that we can look forward to the summer release of the “ARENA TOUR 2005 – MY STORY” – DVD. Ayumi’s star is still shining bright above us all and so we can expect more singles, albums and music videos in the years to come. Word on the street is that she’ll also participate on some TV dramas and movies. We’ll see with what Ayu will surprise us next. Go Ayu!