[Official Message] New Album.

[orbitalaspect]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Yeap, I'm pretty sure aerial acrobatics for example are some latent x-men power she was hiding from us instead of "delicate planning and hard effort."

Ayu is not the only artist spinning around on fabric for a few minutes during a show. There's nothing wrong with her doing that in a show, but it's not the whole show, and one song is not the whole album, and one scene is not the whole PV.

That's what I'm shooting straight on. Ayu has this attitude that she's been there, done that, and got the jacket. But her shows are playing between artists who feel they do have something to prove; her albums are on the shelves right next to artists who feel they do need to go on television and radio to promote their career; and her PVs are sharing the same social media as artists that who feel they need to be more engaged and responsive to their fans.

Ayu is good at what she does, but like Oprah said on her final show, you have to stop to listen, wait and hear when doing something is going in the right direction. Ayu is good at what she does, but she hasn't stopped to ask if what she's doing is good.

[Andrenekoi]

^If she result of her asking that would be she releasing a new different version of MY STORY or I Am every single year, or all of her tours being like AT05 or Dome Tour like some people around here seen to wish, I'm glad she is not asking.

I still don't understand why people around here seen to think something they don't like is universally bad, instead of just not being of their taste.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^If she result of her asking that would be she releasing a new different version of MY STORY or I Am every single year, or all of her tours being like AT05 or Dome Tour like some people around here seen to wish, I'm glad she is not asking.

I still don't understand why people around here seen to think something they don't like is universally bad, instead of just not being of their taste.

If you're speaking universally, that's when you begin to look at sales and the general opinions. Which haven't been the greatest. It's also a matter of, by comparison, is she the best at it? Are there others out there who do it better? For example, none of the tracks off CoLOURS were great songs in the realm of EDM. You have to look at how she's competing in the category. Take her name off the releases and or activities she's involved in and can it stand on it's own as a spectacle? That's really how you should begin to look at things.

[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

If you're speaking universally, that's when you begin to look at sales and the general opinions. Which haven't been the greatest. It's also a matter of, by comparison, is she the best at it? Are there others out there who do it better? For example, none of the tracks off CoLOURS were great songs in the realm of EDM. You have to look at how she's competing in the category. Take her name off the releases and or activities she's involved in and can it stand on it's own as a spectacle? That's really how you should begin to look at things.

I agree so much! Colours was nice for a change for Ayu, but as a whole it's a mediocre release.
I feel as if she isn't making music anymore to challenge herself and to create something really amazing but to just make music as some kind of a hobby and therefore putting out whatever appeals to her in the moment.

[Yumsushi]

Even if we are to argue about the music and what we like and dont like, I think most of us agree that the production and arrangement quality has not been up to par in the past few releases. All of that adds up. I honestly cant understand how she can look at some of her recent work as a whole and be satisfied with it to put her name on it. But again, I think she truly believes shes putting out a good product, which is a little scary.

[orbitalaspect]

Originally Posted by Yumsushi

Even if we are to argue about the music and what we like and dont like, I think most of us agree that the production and arrangement quality has not been up to par in the past few releases. All of that adds up. I honestly cant understand how she can look at some of her recent work as a whole and be satisfied with it to put her name on it. But again, I think she truly believes shes putting out a good product, which is a little scary.

I'm sorry, but this is just a symptom of what I mentioned. I think Ayu needs to drop the yes-men around her, and get some people who aren't afraid to tell her that an idea isn't going to be a hit, or that she's putting too much attention on something that doesn't sound like the product of that much attention.

EDIT: Like The GIFT. The song sounds like it was written in 22 minutes, the production sounds like it was written in 10, and the PV looks like Ayu spent 6 days posing on a piano and in front of a window. That's just an example, but I think it's a really good example of Ayu pouring time and money into something that doesn't look or feel like it got that kind of time or money.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

If you're speaking universally, that's when you begin to look at sales and the general opinions. Which haven't been the greatest. It's also a matter of, by comparison, is she the best at it? Are there others out there who do it better? For example, none of the tracks off CoLOURS were great songs in the realm of EDM. You have to look at how she's competing in the category. Take her name off the releases and or activities she's involved in and can it stand on it's own as a spectacle? That's really how you should begin to look at things.

Only if you ignore other variants such as market curve and generation shock. For someone who peaked the way Ayu did and who had constant massive sales for a very unusual time spam, she is actually doing pretty good.

For example: One generation always negates everything related to the imediatelly past generation and rediscover stuff from 2 generations ago, that's why the 80's were so trendy during the 2000's and that's why the 90's are so trendy now. Ayumi is a HUGE icon from the 2000's, probably the biggest one in Japan as far as music is concerned, the teens (major music buyiers) from the 2010's generation will find her tacky and old and will rediscover artists that were huge during the 90's (Namie's and Yumming's revivals, for example). This is a market aspect that can't really be controled. If you need a western example, that's why people like Madonna and Kylie Minogue, who were first big during the 80's got mostly under the radar during the 90's to later release some of their biggest hits during the 2000's. But neither Namie, Yumming, Madonna or Kylie were trying to replicate their past hits, they move on to new aesthetics, something Ayu is doing at least every 2 years. You will only find a handful of artists in the whole world who could actually have two or three decades in a row were they had massive sales, most will enjoy alternated good and bad decades. For someone going through a bad decade Ayu still is out performing most acts and getting gold certified songs from times to times, this is VERY hard to archieve.

This isn't some new artist who needs to have a million seller to prove she is worth of being around (and talking about million sellers, how much newer pop girls who once came to "take her place" are she overselling now? Pretty much every single one who is around for 5+ years), and there's no way to look at her career success and overall impact and influence on the short therm.

Best case scenario? She will become like Yumming and have several good and bad decades over the years.

Worst case scenario? She will become like Seiko Matsuda and have poor sales, but will be regarded as a legend and people will still be willing to spend their money on watching her perform, making possible for her to still out perform tons of younger pop starlets.

[orbitalaspect]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Only if you ignore other variants such as market curve and generation shock. For someone who peaked the way Ayu did and who had constant massive sales for a very unusual time spam, she is actually doing pretty good.

For example: One generation always negates everything related to the imediatelly past generation and rediscover stuff from 2 generations ago, that's why the 80's were so trendy during the 2000's and that's why the 90's are so trendy now. Ayumi is a HUGE icon from the 2000's, probably the biggest one in Japan as far as music is concerned, the teens (major music buyiers) from the 2010's generation will find her tacky and old and will rediscover artists that were huge during the 90's (Namie's and Yumming's revivals, for example). This is a market aspect that can't really be controled. If you need a western example, that's why people like Madonna and Kylie Minogue, who were first big during the 80's got mostly under the radar during the 90's to later release some of their biggest hits during the 2000's. But neither Namie, Yumming, Madonna or Kylie were trying to replicate their past hits, they move on to new aesthetics, something Ayu is doing at least every 2 years. You will only find a handful of artists in the whole world who could actually have two or three decades in a row were they had massive sales, most will enjoy alternated good and bad decades. For someone going through a bad decade Ayu still is out performing most acts and getting gold certified songs from times to times, this is VERY hard to archieve.

This isn't some new artist who needs to have a million seller to prove she is worth of being around (and talking about million sellers, how much newer pop girls who once came to "take her place" are she overselling now? Pretty much every single one who is around for 5+ years), and there's no way to look at her career success and overall impact and influence on the short therm.

Best case scenario? She will become like Yumming and have several good and bad decades over the years.

Worst case scenario? She will become like Seiko Matsuda and have poor sales, but will be regarded as a legend and people will still be willing to spend their money on watching her perform, making possible for her to still out perform tons of younger pop starlets.

I got to be honest with you, I think you're placing too much credit on an artist's niche and not so much on the artist's overall direction. Watch an Ayumi PV and watch a Namie PV... which artist comes off driven to entertain and impress? I bring up Namie because she's still selling 100,000 DVDs and 250,000 albums... 23 years into her career. So, you know Namie had a wake-up call after STYLE and had to accept that the direction she was taking her career in wasn't working for fans, wasn't working for her, and wasn't living up to her passion.

Ayumi needs that wake-up call. And that's what I'm getting at. If not, she will be just as legendary as Seiko Matsuda fingering herself while holding a Leek for the cover of an album. That's not something I'd want to look back at.

EDIT:

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by orbitalaspect

I got to be honest with you, I think you're placing too much credit on an artist's niche and not so much on the artist's overall direction. Watch an Ayumi PV and watch a Namie PV... which artist comes off driven to entertain and impress? I bring up Namie because she's still selling 100,000 DVDs and 250,000 albums... 23 years into her career. So, you know Namie had a wake-up call after STYLE and had to accept that the direction she was taking her career in wasn't working for fans, wasn't working for her, and wasn't living up to her passion.

Ayumi needs that wake-up call. And that's what I'm getting at. If not, she will be just as legendary as Seiko Matsuda fingering herself while holding a Leek for the cover of an album. That's not something I'd want to look back at.

It seens like you didn't read what I wrote at all, so, here we go:

-Namie is from the 90's and Ayumi is from the 2000's. To the 2010's generation, the 90's are good and classics and 2000's are tacky, old and evil.

- Namie, as a part of the 90's revival, outselling Ayu, as a part of the old boring 2000's, is the most natural thing ever.

- Most artists (99% of them) doesn't get two good decades in a row. That's why several bands end after the first decade and lots of soloists retire from music.

- The ones that keep around tend to perform better on their third decade, when they stop being boring parent music and become classics to the current teenagers. Happened to pretty much every single act that have a long career, even with Namie.

- And again: Ayumi is going a totally new direction aesthetic with at least every two years. Albums like A One, Colours, Party Queen, Love songs, NEXT LEVEL, (miss)understood are nothing alike. And if you watch Premium Showcase, Rock'n'Roll Circus, Power of Music, Hotel Love songs and Cirque de Minuit, they don't even look like a concert from the same artist.

- Namie is an idol, Ayu is an artist (and I'm not saying one is better than the other for it). Namie is about entertaining radio friendly tunes with tons of gloss and very little depth, Ayu is about social comentary and challenging social norms. Of course Namie is by far the most fun of the two.

edit: Also, Ayu is not trying to be a 50 years old lolita like Seiko so far... Actually, everything since Love songs are firmly on the adult helm.

[xLuna&1LOVE]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

It seens like you didn't read what I wrote at all, so, here we go:

- Namie is an idol, Ayu is an artist (and I'm not saying one is better than the other for it). Namie is about entertaining radio friendly tunes with tons of gloss and very little depth, Ayu is about social comentary and challenging social norms. Of course Namie is by far the most fun of the two.

She definetely was. I am not sure if she still is... That's the saddest part.

[Andrenekoi]

^If you think putting a trans woman on the spotlight both on stage and music videos, something she recently did on Colours, isn't challenging social norms, that's your call. I found it to be really baddass

Let's also not forget the orgy on WARNING and the whole "sleeping around with a butch of guys" on Sayonara.
Or the feminist theme on Step by Step...

[mizuki-7]

I bet all you want that "tomorrow" if she puts an album with a major change in the style nothing will change regarding her sales and her career ... since it's obvious we are drifting toward the reasons of her successive commercial echecs what she needs is a new marketing team in order to rebuild her image which is completely misunderstood by a lot of Japaneses...The music only plays a minor part ... A One was globally well received by Japanese critics ...

Brings out Namie is useless their career trajectories are totally different and the situation was much more favorable for Namie than it's today for Ayumi ...

[pepper]

the funniest fact for me is that her music around Duty till MY STORY sounds more mature (fits for her age right now) than the music she is doing now. the fact she is experimental with such music videos and music like whole Colours and PV's like WARNING/Sayonara makes me think of Madonna, I hope she will not end up like that.

ps: I dont have anything against "sexy Ayu" cause she is damn fine for me, but well, she could do that 10 years earlier lol

[Andrenekoi]

^IMO most of the lyrics she wrote around Duty to My Story sounds like angry teenager that thinks the world is against them...

[pepper]

plus Ayu is famous for a reason I guess. Her voice and music arragments was kinda "fresh" in japanese pop universe. Her voice was always diffrent (when I started listening to Ayu I was kinda like "she is japanese hippie") and the songs was japanese sounding, yet VERY diffrent from the other vocalists I started to listen (Koda Kumi was my referent to "US/JPN rnb sounding POP" and Ayu was my "ROCK/POP" queen that doesnt had any influences in other countries like Ku)

I will never believe she could smash fans with "US influence" hit. Also she will bore her fans to death with all the "same sounding ballads" like the all j-pop stars do. She sounds the best with her unique "hippie" sound I found back in 2003. She had sooo many "flashbacks" in her last albums when I felt it. Love song, Last minute, NO FUTURE, Microphone, November, BRILLANTE, etc etc etc etc. So many good songs, but no strong reference in a whole album. The closest was Party Queen for me. Yet this album also sound "not complete" (sum people will know the feeling).

[pepper]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^IMO most of the lyrics she wrote around Duty to My Story sounds like angry teenager that thinks the world is against them...

well not only teenager feels that way, plus Ayu is a one massive product, so it would fit her even right now

[mizuki-7]

the fact she is experimental with such music videos and music like whole Colours and PV's like WARNING/Sayonara makes me think of Madonna, I hope she will not end up like that.

ps: I dont have anything against "sexy Ayu" cause she is damn fine for me, but well, she could do that 10 years earlier lol

And what if she wants to fight the sexism in her society which is frightening with regard to women over 30 years ? Break the rules of conservatism etc... I remember reading her old interview where she says she likes to break the rules ! so here we go !! Considering the massive people's reaction good or bad they are not insensible...

[Delirium-Zer0]

She's definitely defying social norms and breaking rules in things like who she hires, who she hangs out with, and who she marries, but where is the rule breaking in her music? Cuz i'm certainly not hearing any.

I'd love for Ayu to be the adult-oriented personal singer-songwriter with beefy, powerful arrangements that make you actually FEEL something when you listen to it. If ANYONE coulda played that role, it coulda been her. And it SHOULD have been her. But it seems like the more daring she gets in her social sphere, the more she seems to tone down her music to compensate.

Her sound is just too smooth now. Where's the Ayu who wasn't afraid to sound rough around the edges? These days she'd rather sound like a MIDI file than offend anyone's sensibilities, and.... that offends MY sensibilities, I dunno about you guys lol.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

She's definitely defying social norms and breaking rules in things like who she hires, who she hangs out with, and who she marries, but where is the rule breaking in her music? Cuz i'm certainly not hearing any

Not that I don't find her current direction boring, cuz I do (even if I do get why she is doing that, and considering the public reaction, she isn't wrong), but her concerts and PVs are part of her artistry, and she still is constantly breaking the norms over there.

[js_surrealism]

I don't know why people still bring up the Namie vs Ayu comparison there is just no debate at all. Namie has a clear idea of what her brand is, what her niche is, and a defined perspective of what her music should be like. It is clear that Ayu is just recording whatever. Which is ok, I mean, I'm pretty sure she's mostly living on royalties from touring anyway.

As a fan I'd still like her to care about her music again.