Ayumi ~ The Anything Goes Thread 8 ~

[tenshi no hane]

I love Ayu's voice when she sings 'haru yo, koi'

I wish she would always sing like that.

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Hikki was able to put 3 albums among the 10 best selling in Japan history and had the best selling album of the years 4 different times. She also has the best selling non-japanese album in Japan, I wouldn't count her out or even compare her to Koda who never really had this kind of massive market attention.

Seiko still have top ten albums even if her release pace makes Ayu seen lazy And unlike Ayu, she didn't really need tricks to keep her single streak. She still is the ultimate Japan idol and the one every other idol will be compared to.

Just a correction for hikki. Did you mean she has the best selling non-japanese album for a -japanese artist- in Japan? Because Mariah Carey's "The Ones" sold 2,809,000 and is the best selling non japanese album in Japan Mariah Carey also had "Daydream" selling 2,203,000 and "Merry Christmas" 2,080,000, "Music Box" 1,589,000. hikki's EXODUS sold 1,074,000 in Japan (plus 40,000-60,000 more in US and EU together?).

A bit of foreign albums in Japan (that sold over a million):
1. Mariah Carey - The Ones 2,809,000
2. Mariah Carey - Daydream 2,203,000
3. Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas 2,080,000
4. Mariah Carey - Music Box 1,589,000
5. Carpenters - Best of Carpenters - 2,300,000
6. The Beatles - The Beatles 1 1,940,000
7. Whitney Houston - Bodyguard - 1,882,000
8. Michael Jackson - Thriller 1,616,000
9. Scatman John - Scatman World 1,561,000
10. Queen - Queen Jewels 1,343,000
11. Celine Dion - The Very Best 1,246,000
12. Bon Jovy - Crossroad 1,150,000
13. Mariah Carey and others - MAX 1,147,000
14. Avril Lavigne - Let Go 1,136,000
15. Utada - EXODUS 1,074,000 (Japanese Artist)
16. Enya - Paint The Sky 1,063,000
17. Celine Dion - Let's Talk About Love 1,031,000
18. Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin 1,029,000
19. Mariah Carey - Butterfly 1,025,000
Mariah Carey was HUGE in Japan, probably the most popular foreign artist in Japan ever. Madonna doesn't have a million selling album in Japan.
So there are 19 foreign albums in Japan that sold over a million and Utada is at #15. I'm kinda both glad and surprised that Japan didn't have the same boy bands (or girl groups) with foreign artists like they are with Japanese ones. No Backstreet Boys, Five, Westlife and Spicegirls on the list lol =P Even though Spicegirls were nice.

As for tricks, in a fading physical copies industry, they have had to use tricks to sell, but at least they sold it without using idol groups tricks like selling tickets, events, election, 8 editions per each release. It helps AKB48 to sell over a million for the 16th single consecutively, it's crazy.

[Andrenekoi]

^My Exodus numbers are outdated, haha! It was the best selling non-japanese album in Japan when it was released

Or was it the biggest opening week?

About Ayu, sorry, but changing release dates isn't fair game... And her singles didn't have 8 verions, but some had 4, what is already a lot.

[mizuki-7]

Humm comparing Seiko and Ayumi is not very appropriate ... Seiko was even worse in term of publicity stunt to sell records ... Ayumi has not yet made a press conference televised announcing her divorce with behind a huge promotionnal poster announcing the release of a new BEST OF unlike Seiko ... and considering how her singles sold rather poorly during the second half of 80's I wouldn't be too sure that there were no tricks in order to sustain her record of most 1# single ... =)

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^My Exodus numbers are outdated, haha! It was the best selling non-japanese album in Japan when it was released

Or was it the biggest opening week?

About Ayu, sorry, but changing release dates isn't fair game... And her singles didn't have 8 verions, but some had 4, what is already a lot.

Until 2008 with Mirrorcle World she had only 1/2 editions with different contents (CD and CD+DVD) to releases and most stuff since then had 2-3 versions each besides some releases with different limited covers (or CD colors like A).

For hikki, it could be EXODUS first week but no way best selling non japanese album in japan.

Also releases being pushed back is not unheard of, we have luck it happened like just twice(?) with ayu.

^And yes, I would say that this stunt pretty much wins everything ayu did on recent years lol.

[Andrenekoi]

She still didn't (as far as I know) change her release dates based on what day would have the less competition.

[mizuki-7]

^
For which single they did it ? I don't recall to have read something about this ?
At the end I don't care ! it's not because she has 25 1# that she is better than other singers who don't have any ... I just want to point that in the past decades they had differents tricks to sell records too ... it's not something specific to Ayumi ...

[Andrenekoi]

She did it to 2 singles I believe, You were is one of those, isn't it?

I also don't believe she is better than anyone for having those streaks, but we shouldn't be dismissing the acomplishments of other popstars... Ayu's career is amazing when we look at it, but is hardly the only amazing career in the Jpop industry.

[mizuki-7]

Ok I will search !
I absolutely don't and I totally agree with you about this point ! I'm not the type of person who like to put something I like on a pedestal without looking what there are around

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

She did it to 2 singles I believe, You were is one of those, isn't it?

I also don't believe she is better than anyone for having those streaks, but we shouldn't be dismissing the acomplishments of other popstars... Ayu's career is amazing when we look at it, but is hardly the only amazing career in the Jpop industry.

The whole point was actually because of the general consensus of degrading ayu compared to hikki and Namie.

[Andrenekoi]

Yeah, but we don't need to degrade them back... All of the 3 have amazing archievments.

I also believe that Namie, Koda and Hikki all have songs much more western friendly than Ayu ever did... What makes them easier to the regular western jpop fan. A lot of Hikki hits could play on American radio and Namie's recent music isn't much different from what J-Lo is doing.

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Yeah, but we don't need to degrade them back... All of the 3 have amazing archievments.

I also believe that Namie, Koda and Hikki all have songs much more western friendly than Ayu ever did... What makes them easier to the regular western jpop fan. A lot of Hikki hits could play on American radio and Namie's recent music isn't much different from what J-Lo is doing.

The point was is as much as ayu has her minuses in her career, all of them should have these.

That's right, but I still wonder how ayu could be as big for foreigners or even non asian demography as her music isn't as westernized as the others'.

[tsumekaze_]

I've just finished re-reading the famous rockin on japan interview. The feels strike me everytime as it was the first

[YUKARI]

I wonder how ayu feels now when she doesn't have spring tour first time in 10 years or so I guess she's relaxed & happy and works at her new album without hurry

[ayu-michan]

I'm into gyaru style lately and they call Ayu the gyaru Queen, can someone explain since I've never noticed her make-up that dramatic...right? I thought Namie was the gyaru icon or something.

[Yumi(e)]

Originally Posted by ayu-michan

I'm into gyaru style lately and they call Ayu the gyaru Queen, can someone explain since I've never noticed her make-up that dramatic...right? I thought Namie was the gyaru icon or something.

I think it was for the hime-gyaru style(?)

But her makeup has always been soft, her eyes never have been 'marked' as the common gyaru.
Namie: tan skin and b-gal, I guess; Ayu: soft make-up and 'princess/chick' style, maybe.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Ayu updated TA and mentioned big news will be released soon!

[TeamAyu2004]

I wonder if this big news was the other post???
Was planning on going to japan at the end of july... i might have to bump it up to the start so I can go to this tour!!

[maneayu]

I am enjoying and looking at how they pile up the +20 CD's I recently bought, not only including Ayu CD's, but also Laruku, Judy and Mary, and others from the 2000 era when I was going out of school (yes, I'm old... T_T).

I found a Dome tour as well! T_T

[Livey~]

I wonder if the songs of the new album will have the same amazing vocals we heard in My Way~