Should Ayumi take a hiatus?

[DevilHunter_04]

I think she should. She's been working for 15+ years straight. She should be allowed some time to just relax.

[Mirrorcle Monster]

She needs a break. Its been to many years

[TITANIC]

yes she must take a break even just for a year. she's been around for too long plus it will at least rest her ears

[yoshino]

I guess I dun mind either way cos her recent works not as amazing as before. But somehow I still want her to release something all the time. (Selfish me!) But it would be good for her to rest and hopefully with better works after that and I will have time to focus on other artistes too! haha.

[MeltingCORE]

I don't really mind either way. I'm not big on photo shoots/covers and all that. The music is what matters to me. And her music has sounded good to me for a long time and still does. But if she were to take a break, I'd be fine. Everyone deserves a break.

[Tony G]

I think her music is as good as ever. again was a fantastic release. LOVE was great too. Party Queen was also consistently good. Her musical output has not dropped off, despite declining sales. AHS consensus is that she needs a break to have increased sales - which means nothing to Ayu. She's broken records, had amazing sales, that aspect of her career is already fulfilled. There is something else driving her which we may never understand. I want Ayu to take a break only if she needs it for HERSELF, not some bogus attempt to come back and have a 2nd wave like Namie Amuro.

Where it's dropped off are the PVs. I don't know what's happened there but they have gone from being grandiose and full of meaning to just being a "tick in the box" for her releases. I'd rather she not release videos unless she puts 110% into each one she makes.

After the 15th anniversary releases are done I'll think she'll be taking a singificant break from releases. More than 6 months. She'll still probably do an arena tour however during that time. Ayu's a workaholic and she loves making music - after 15 years, if she goes away now she's never coming back. She'll do this until she loses her ability to write new songs.

[jang-kun]

^aw i really love reading your posts.


well for me, i think she just needs a break, like FIVE-PQ break (was that 6 months, i believe?). in fact, if we consider her five consecutive releases for the 15th anniversary, she could take a break for almost two years because we received so much new material in just a matter of five months which can be released in a period of two years.

but whatever, i don't mind. i still love ayu, and her music will always be the top of its kind.

[kendelle]

It's times like these that I wonder just how much Avex influences her release schedule. Sure she's a big name, but she is still releasing at least 1 full-length album per year. Surely she is entitled to 1 year off like Namie got between P < F and Checkmate

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

A few years ago, I would have said she does because she had nothing to write about outside of her career & her feelings on it. For awhile there she desperately needed to LIVE for awhile, you know? But since "Rock'n'Roll Circus" I've been much, much happier with Ayu lyrically than I EVER was between "Secret" and the pre-RnRC singles.

I don't think she needs to take a hiatus, but I do think she needs to listen to more of other people's music for awhile. I miss hearing obvious B'z influence on "Duty" and "I am..." and obvious Gackt influence on "RAINBOW" and obvious Yumi Matsutoya influence on some of her other work, things like that... I think she's lacking inspiration in the music department, and she's settling for melodies on the demos that she has available rather than coming up with her own material or actively seeking artists whose music she likes.

MTE

Ayu should kick back for 6 or so months and just chill, have fun and go on a massive listening spree and maybe do a workshop on different musical styles. Then when she comes back, she should be refreshed and bring a little more diversity into her singing, her performances and her backing music.

I do miss the rawness of CREA as well so if she made a small return somehow I would be really happy

Someone earlier in the thread suggested she should hiatus from her own music but keep her fingers in other aspects of media ie fashion, writing, producing etc. Working with other singers is something I love to see her do so I would really enjoy seeing more crossover work with other acts.

Heck, maybe do some acting or MC a music show as a regular guest. I think that getting out there and being seen and mixing with different musical influences could yield some great results.

[C+R+E+AYUMI]

I don't mind..anyway why not?

[Kouyou]

I don't really care anymore. If Ayu feels that she needs to take a break, then by all means she should take one, but if she doesn't want to then why should she? I think her music is still great.

[FoObY]

Only if she wants to.

Actually I thought her spark came back with LOVE and again. The music is awesome, even though her PVs and marketing is on the dull side. Ultimately, it's all about the music, but stunning album art and PVs are delightful bonuses.

[sinfonietta]

As long as she's happy to carry on then that's fine. I absolutely love what she's producing at the moment.

[baby_blue]

For me she is definetely have to break, so she can create a great songs like befofe. Her releasing now is kind of a little bit boring for me, now she really look like money machine. Huft.

[Luvia]

i still think she should take a short break especially musically...

she can continue to produce music but she can slow down the speed of releasing her cds, and she can cut down the number of concerts she is running throughout the year... at least it is helpful for her health and voice.

i don't mind her doing variety shows or other stuff like when she was in 2003... her voice was so much better that time.. and she is also still as popular ...

[Sven@.@]

I mentioned this is in another thread, but yes she needs a break. A long break...like longer than 6 months.

I want to actually have to wait for an Ayu release and I want there to be epic excitement for her to return. She can't do that if she is constantly releasing stuff. Plus she deserves one! She's been working non-stop.

[Saki-Chan]

I want her to release new songs.. but not those songs which I see released nowadays..
In the latest 3 years, Ayu lost her originality.. she AND THE STAFF need to rest...

[TotsuzenAyumi]

If she wants to take a hiatus, she would say so or just completely drop off the map.

[Amrai-chan]

I say yes because she needs a break. It would help her music wise as well I think. It could give her a chance to take time to release something instead of churning it out like a machine.

[saigodansu]

After adding even more drama with Maro, it might be a good idea to squeeze a break in before the fans take a permanent hiatus. And knock off the publicity stunts before the whole of Japan thinks she's brain dead.

[ayu_ready?]

I think she needs to broaden her horizons in everything - fashion, art or whatever
but she really needs it