I need Ayu to inspire me again

[PoetGirl]

I forgot to put 'current' real voice. You get my point. Her vocals are perfect on PQ

[Zeke.]

Being that this IS Japanese. And many of us DO NOT SPEAK Japanese, the lyrics really aren't the focus when one listens to such songs. At least for me. If a song is good or sounds like it has emotion (November, reminds me), reading the lyrics can help ADD dimension and make you love a song more... But, when you can't understand the lyrics as you listen why the Hell would you want to listen to a /average/terrible song that's horribly produced. I'm just speaking in general terms here but really, I don't think anyone is making the argument that her lyrics are bad. It's about how the music SOUNDS to us. I could give a damn if the lyrics sucked and the song was catchy. Good lyrics can add dimension to a good song but good lyrics cannot make a song that you just don't understand anyway.

STEP you's lyrics aren't her best but it still remains my #1 Ayu song because I love the way it SOUNDS and how much fun it is to listen to. Moments is my #2 favorite song and that one actually does have beautiful lyrics, but it's more of an after-thought - like "wow, those lyrics are really cool" and it just makes me appreciate the song a little bit more but it does not really detract or add too much of a difference on how I rank the songs I love to listen to.

[happiholic★]

Originally Posted by Jennie Mae

I adore the story that Party Queen tells. It's not a typical Ayu album where you have "rock songs" and "ballads" and whatever. Each song tells a part of a story. It's every aspect of the "party queen" from high to low. I think some of the lyrics of the song "Party queen" are actually really dark. And I think "how beautiful you are" is the genuine Ayu, the one that's present today, the one that outshines the extreme emotions throughout Party Queen.
Also I don't understand how people can say her music is bad/trashy/whatever, because Ayu has never not wrote what she was currently feeling. Saying that her music is bad is saying that her feelings and emotions are bad, and I could never do that. If you were having a bad day and told someone about it in the most expressive way you could, would you want someone to say, "Wow, that was pretty bad, the other times when you were really awesome was a lot better than this."
Ayu's music is what she wants to show us at this moment in time. There really isn't any other artist where you can watch their personality change and mature throughout the years. That's what I love about her.

Lyrics aside, I can see people saying that Party Queen is bad/trashy/whatever. The song PQ sounds like something from a gay club or something, and I personally find HBYA to just be Ayu trying too hard to be epic and touching and not genuine. Perhaps its Timmy's influence on the song and his way of over-doing things and making them kinda cheap, even if Ayu meant for it to be genuine. Plus, I don't think her lyrics are bad, when I say negative things about the songs, I'm talking strictly music, and since I don't know Japanese, that's all I really have to base my opinions of the song on. And really, everything about Ayu as a singer is subjective. People are allowed to dislike her music for whatever reason they see fit. No one can say "Her music is the best and the most touching" as a fact, just an opinion.

EDIT: Zeke. beat me to one of my points. I agree with the whole lyrics thing 100%.

[Rurutia]

all i can say is me too party queen was bleh

[hsienko]

Maybe you guys have just lost interest. It's normal but I could see how it might be hard to admit it when you've listen to her for so long.

Like for example I used to really like Tori amos and I used to think she was the best. But then eventually her new releases weren't something I really cared for and even though I tended to just stay with the songs I liked for a while, eventually I lost interest and I listened to her less and less until now where I don't listen to her at all or even have any of her music.

Maybe ayu appealed to you guys more perhaps when you were younger and now after sometime as passed you just can't relate to her and what she is doing as much as you could before. Of course it's normal to just not like every single thing she releases.

[MissElin_]

^Yes that's probably it. At least that is one reason of many.

I also agree to Zeke. Now, I do understand japanese and what she sings but, I get the general point of not understanding (since I'm a huge fan of Eurovision Song Contest and looove those countries singing in their own languages that I don't understand - yet the music comes out great. I love sometimes to be blinded by music and voices only, not lyrics). Ayu have always had great lyrics and I don't think anyone in here thinks different.

Originally Posted by SKYia

She doesn't inspire me for quite a while, I'm slowly giving her up although I don't want to, she had few great moments with AT10 but apart from that her taste has became too different from mine. She's not this fashionable and beautiful, stylish woman I admired up to 2006 anymore.

Agreed It's not that Ayu's current taste is bad or whatever. Only that it's not for me.

Originally Posted by xLuna&1LOVE

Well, when I had a feeling that I outgrow Ayu, I listened to her earlier discography: the songs that gave me a great feeling. This is how she is inspiring me again. I also did listen to the song I once disliked (Moments). As a result: now I cannot understand why I ever disliked this song including PV. So; my answer: if FIVE and PQ don't inspire you, then go back to the earlier discography. You can find inspiration always, ever and in different ways.

Yes, to all points made in here. I guess I have outgrown Ayu a bit. But her older music is still heavenly sent for me and just like Luna I find more gold in her old disco everytime I dig down into it again.

Originally Posted by FoObY

Her discography is strong enough that listening to older songs still captivate and INSPIRE me. Ayu is the one artist I always go back to listen to once I tire of other artists.

She will always have that special place were I go to when nothing else is left. I love her for that. And I will always love her for that.

I will (at least that is what I think for now) always follow Ayu's steps. Even though I don't connect with her and her music lately - nothing says that I won't for the next album. reminds me was a nice track but that's about it from PQ. I get the whole story and picture of PQ and that's nice, but still I don't like the music or the covers. Or the PVs. But I'm simply waiting for her next album, maybe she will do something awesome, maybe she won't. But that is all okay for me because she have already given me so much great music since her debut that I'm more than pleased and she will always be "my #1".

[PoetGirl]

it would be interesting guys if you did wrote how old were you when you became a fan and how old are you now.

[MissElin_]

I became a fan when I was 16.~ Now I'm turning 26 in a couple of months.

[emi♡]

I became a fan at 13 and now I'm 21..I think all this stuff is normal.

I think for me, now, I follow her more because I love seeing her perform, and I like to see Ayu the artist and what she's doing. I still genuinely love so much of her music, and I love her so much.

But...these days, I'll probably like and listen to one song off an album. Unless it's Love Songs, which I don't listen to at all. Cause I just don't like it It's not a big deal.

I think I love ayu because to me, she's an artist, within this world of pop music that's supposed to be mainstream and easy. When I hear her music, regardless if I like it or not, I see her, and I see me, and it makes me think, and analyze, and listen, and question, and understand, and all of those great things art makes you do.

And I like that. I think also...not liking the music, kinda makes you take a step back, and look at everything from a different point of view. Not a better one or anything like that, just different, and you can begin to understand a lot of everything in a different way, and that's ALWAYS beneficial.

And go out and explore other artists. There are people out there just as amazing as her, and some less, and some more. Sometimes it takes forever to find people you like. But don't give up!


I think being flexible is really important too. If you're really rigid with what you want from artists...they're going to constantly let you down.

[Mayayu]

Became a fan in my late teens, 10+ years ago

i think Ayu's music and style are following the spirit of the times, so i just wait for the tables to turn... and Ayu's feelings to meet mine at one point. i became old and wise you see LOL

my favorite eras are I Am..., then Duty, then MY STORY. When new releases are meh to me, i get inspiration listening to the old songs. They're still the same but you're not

Originally Posted by PoetGirl

I forgot to put 'current' real voice. You get my point. Her vocals are perfect on PQ

Yup! except for the sky high [i] sound... have to lower sound/skip sometimes. Spoils the fun in Tell Me Why around the end.

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

I became a fan when I was 16 and I'm 21 now, she's inspired me so much already that I just can't stop following her, even though I might not be as obsessed as I was back in the days, which is fine I think.

It makes it more interesting and fun, discovering her again, old songs that made you feel certain ways, or liking some of them now even though when you first listened to them you hated them or didn't care for them lol

And it's funny how I've stopped talking to some of my "friends" because they stopped following ayu, maybe because it was the only thing that attached us I think I'll always be an ayufan, no matter what, a not because of her works nowadays which aren't as good as her other works, but because of those old works that inspired me in the first place. They really changed my life and helped me find who I really was, so yeah

[channy]

I like A Song for xx till GUILTY best

Her remixes always fascinated me the most though. I love to listen to her regular studio albums but the wide range of electronical joys that can be found throughout her entire remix discography are actually one of the things I appreciate the most when it comes to Ayu.

It's a shame we had to wait seven or eight years for ayu trance 4. I do not think Ayu necessarily needs to change her image she carries on these days. But I would definitely wish for a more consistent release-routine of singles, remix albums and maybe even remix singles.

That's what it needs to inspire me x) But hey, the good stuff from the past won't vanish because newer stuff can't keep up with it!

[sinfonietta]

It's reading posts like this that reminds me that I became obsessed with Ayu in a different way from people here.

For me, I started taking an interest in her when glitter/fated came out when I was 15 (I'll be 20 next month) and I had no real interest in looking into her back discography. I tried, but only a couple of songs stood out (Bold & Delicious, fairyland, voyage & Moments). Even though I followed her releases I wasn't obsessed. It took until her Love songs era for me to really start to love her. Even though I had a lot of her music (thanks to my Dad's friend, Mark, loaning me his CDs) for months my Ayu playlist only consisted of glitter, fated, Mirrorcle World and the MOON/blossom, crossroad and L singles. This was the Ayu I was falling for; her older music meant nothing to me for a long time. I gave NL and RnRC a listen every now and then, but I wasn't really into them. Then Party Queen was announced - and I decided to give all of the music of hers I had a listen as I debated whether or not the £30 for the CD+DVD ver was going to be worth it when I'm so selective about her songs. But as I was listening to it again I really started to love it and her music was all I could listen to in the months leading up to the release despite the fact my favourite band of four years (KAT-TUN) had just released their new album. On top of that, Party Queen just sucked me in and for me it's her most relatable album - so it's her newer styles that have drawn me to her music, rather than the more "classic Ayu" sound that many people here got into her with. I can appreciate all eras of her music now -- including NOTHING FROM NOTHING -- and even though I originally started listening to her music in her GUILTY era, it's the current Ayu who speaks loudest to me.

[Jennie Mae]

I became a fan at 13 and now I'm 26.
It wasn't her lyrics that first hooked me, it was the sound of her voice. The first song I heard by her as A Song for XX, and even though I didn't understand it, I could hear the pain in her voice. Just as you can hear her pain in "reminds me" and "Return Road" and "Tell me why".

[truehappiness]

I find that it's easier nowadays to sort of zone out when it comes to Ayu during her tour date bonanzas. Until 2007-2008, she had always had something coming out to be excited about or she had been promoting despite the fact that she was touring but lately she's been very focused on the touring aspect of her career with very long breaks inbetween releases or TV promotion. I think for those who are looking for her to be "fierce" like she was before just aren't realizing that she doesn't need to change her image as often now that she's not exactly releasing every few months like she was in 2005/2006. She would always have a different style and a different haircut, sometimes every month or two, but the changes are now very much more spread out compared to back then. (Basically you would have gotten the "UK" style from early 2010, the girly Love songs look from late 2010, and the FIVE "fierce" look from 2011 all in the span of a few singles as opposed to two years) There's nothing wrong with that really imo since she's been slowing down when it comes to CD releases (though contentwise she put out 4 albums in the last two years).

I became a fan when I was 11 or 12 so it's been a little over 10 years since I started listening to her. Despite that, she still surprises me and manages to make music that I really love listening to. It's really not a big deal for me personally to not listen to Ayu for a while (though during those times I don't really listen to any music at all haha) because I eventually get back into that groove again.

[kumiko.koda]

I'm loosing interest in her recent stuff. I liked every song on FIVE but I don't really like Party Queen.

At least I like the Power of Music Concert a lot, her vocals are simply amazing in this live.

I hope that her next album will hit my taste again....

[happiholic★]

Originally Posted by Jennie Mae

I became a fan at 13 and now I'm 26.
It wasn't her lyrics that first hooked me, it was the sound of her voice. The first song I heard by her as A Song for XX, and even though I didn't understand it, I could hear the pain in her voice. Just as you can hear her pain in "reminds me" and "Return Road" and "Tell me why".

While I can agree with that, again, those are some exceptions that deal with pain. Also, without lyrics, you can't tell what is causing the pain. Boyfriend, family, self-doubt. Not to mention she has songs like Startin', where its pretty hard to tell what she is singing about without lyrics.

[Delicious n Bold]

Looking at this post makes me wonder how I became a fan.
I did download one or two of Ayu's songs back in 2010, but I wasn't a fan.
This January, I told myself: download her entire discography. So I did. Now I love her music.

Anyway, I really have no point where "Ayu no longer inspires me" since I recently got to know her as an artist and person. I came to love her and her music from point in time, not too far away, basically.

Listen to some of Ayu's old music and just let the nostalgia flow. If Ayu can't inspire you herself, let the nostalgia inspire you. Maybe paint your own new image of Ayu using her old music and let the creative juices run wild.

[Kazeyomi]

To be honest, I don't think you should force yourself to love what you won't. I'd tell you how much Party Queen is perfect to me, but if you don't feel anything towards it.. it's quite useless to try to change your mind about. As for me, I had a fandom breakdown when she released GUILTY. I really thought 'Ayu what the **** are you doing?' that time lol.
I'm not listening to her all the day long as before, I discovered her when I was 14 and I'm 25 now so it's been a long time. But I still love her and I still buy her stuff.

I don't think people should worry if they don't love Ayu like the first time, it doesn't make you a bad fan if you prefer her older stuff rather then her new one, in my honest opinion. Ayu's one of the few artists who is really changed over the time, so I can understand how people could feel about it.

[love in music]

you don't NEED her to inspire you. there are other people/things that are much more inspirational than her. not saying she's not inspirational at all, because to me she is a lot of the time.. but i'd recommend to look to different people/things for inspiration and you won't feel so devastated when she has releases you're not feeling.