Utada vs. Ayumi (vocally)

[mimika]

ayu has a fuller voice in my opinion..hikki's high notes always sounds like she is losing her breadth

[aqua_crystal]

Ayu. Utada has a comparitively more high-pitched voice which I'm not such a big fan of and it becomes even more prominent live.

[Picaflor 7/4]

Originally Posted by aqua_crystal

Ayu. Utada has a comparitively more high-pitched voice which I'm not such a big fan of and it becomes even more prominent live.

are you serious? have you not heard ayu's first two albums?

[non3ko]

Ayu.

Utada has this odd/annoying vibrato thing she does with her voice live. If it weren't for that I'd be able to tolerate her voice.

I hate Ayu's vibrato now though, but I prefer it over Utada's anyday.

[mcluva420]

to me, utada is like a known (a given) good vocalist :3 (e.g. better vocal range, more natural vocal talent, overall better voice)
ayu is just.. average but with singing training+classes

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^That for most of Hikki's songs we just listened the studio version... I wouldn't be surprised if she can't sing most of them properly (she already can't sing most of her singles live...)

because her songs are hard to sing, and they are really complex. (excluding some songs like boku wa kuma lmfao)

and plus, i dont think ayu's songs are as hard to sing/complex as hikki's.

[GRACE]

Hikki's range consists of four notes and a swift kick to the groin.

Even though her voice is shot, I still like Ayu's more

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by mcluva420

because her songs are hard to sing, and they are really complex. (excluding some songs like boku wa kuma lmfao)

and plus, i dont think ayu's songs are as hard to sing/complex as hikki's.

Her songs are harder, but she is the one composing them... Still, I'm not a hater, actually, Hikki is my favorite artist overall... But she never really took the vocal lessons she needed...

[y_nathz]

i still like ayu's live voice more than utada's
but utada is talented : yes

[Sadette]

I like Ayu's voice better

[Crystal_Ageha]

Originally Posted by mcluva420

...because her songs are hard to sing, and they are really complex. (excluding some songs like boku wa kuma lmfao)

and plus, i dont think ayu's songs are as hard to sing/complex as hikki's.

(Don't take this as me saying I now think Ayu is naturally a better singer, by the way. Just commenting on this.)

The thing about Hikki's songs is, what makes them hard is the range, and that's about it. There's really never any power needed, and the only songs I can think of that takes good breath support are the verses of Wait & See, and Can You Keep A Secret?, and maybe the chorus of PLAY BALL. Of course, range is harder for a lot of singers to acquire than breath support/power, and Hikaru goes to the extreme with it a few times. These songs, especially:

- First Love - the very last note of the verse--oh my God.. Especially for a person with a deep voice?? D:
- The "Michael Jackson" note in Wait & See, hah..? x_X
- Maybe Deep River, with the high notes.
- Pretty much half of Kettobase! is randomly high...
- For You and Eternally, if you don't have a deep voice.
- Can You Keep A Secret? takes both a lot of breath support and control, and range, too, if you're voice is deep.

BUT, on the other hand, most of these are only hard if you have a deep voice like Utada, hah. And a lot of her songs are dreadfully easy, such as: Automatic, COLORS, Boku wa Kuma (sorry, I don't agree at all that this song is even slightly difficult ^^') and Keep Tryin'.


Ayumi's songs are very complex in the breath support area, specifically. But there are also very many that require power in general, and even a good many that require decent range (if only because her pitch and everything used to be so freakin' high, lol). So, Ayumi's songs are hard because they take a lot of balance between the keys of singing. These songs, I think, are especially hard:

- You were... takes a fair amount of breath support, and definitely power, and it's kinda hard in general.
- Because of You is also just hard in general, hah. Especially in the chorus, if you're modal is much deeper than that.
- kanriya and NEVER EVER both have ungodly high bridges, lol... (Of course, you could change it around to suit your voice...)
- is this LOVE? and Criminal take a lot of power in the choruses.
- evolution, of course, takes a ton of breath support.
- GAME also takes a lot of breath support, and it takes control to do the verses properly.
- Dearest and SEASONS both take a good bit of range, unless you're a comfortable soprano.

But yeah, with a lot of her songs, like with Hikki, they're harder if you're voice is too deep (which, this shows that Utada has better range). But in general, I think Ayumi's songs are harder because they take a little of everything; in general, I don't think there are as many overly easy songs as with Hikaru, but there are a good bit, still, like FRIEND and...well, see, I can't think off the top of my head a whole lot of really easy songs for her, hah. But I do know there are a lot off of her first two albums.

[Polyrhythm]

Watching Ayu's recent evolution lives....I can pick almost any other person over her as having better vocals....I love her still...it just shouldnt be news that she isn't one of the best vocalists ever.

[Picaflor 7/4]

@crystal: ever try singing keep tryin'? god you get out of breath singing that. not the complexity or the high pitchness. but the amount of lyrics. she fits like a freaking speach into 4 minutes. My essay's for english class are shorter. they leave you no time to breathe. especially in one go. XD

Originally Posted by DEEP RIVER

Watching Ayu's recent evolution lives....I can pick almost any other person over her as having better vocals....I love her still...it just shouldnt be news that she isn't one of the best vocalists ever.

by this post, your set, and your account name, I am assuring myself you voted for ayumi.

[Crystal_Ageha]

^ Yeah, I've sung many times all the songs I listed. I didn't think it was bad at all, and that's coming from somebody with naturally small lung power and terrible asthma, eh heh. o_O' The only part I think takes much work is the end, where she repeats and everything... But really, in the end, it's just opinions, I guess. Especially when comparing to mine... A lot of songs that are generally average in difficulty are actually really hard for me, because of different problems I have (asthma, stomach acid issues, etc.) and because of my singing style. >_<'

[mcluva420]

^i think BLUE is kinda hard to sing, and COLORS isnt that easy. and ohhhh Hikki holds her notes longer in her songs more often that Ayu [generally]

[Crystal_Ageha]

Aa, yeah, BLUE can be a little hard.... I still think COLORS is pretty straightforward, though. :\ And yeah, Hikki holds her notes longer, but she also sounds like poo through the second half of all her notes. :X

[emi♡]

as a person with a deeper voice and probably above average lung capacity, I have always found Hikki's songs easier than Ayu's...but mainly because Ayu sings kind of weird. It's like, it sounds so high but the notes are not high.

Hikki is known for composing songs she can't really sing, like BLUE for example and Be my Last, which is just...killer unless your voice is just perfectly beautiful....but I mean, thats the way she wanted to compose the melody, so I always let it go.

Besides, I'm happy that she can sing some...moderately decently, or not try to sing them at all, than ruin them live. I think her voice is must better though, because of the technicality she has...so I'm probably biased or something.

I always thought this questions had a super obvious answer, when it had nothing to do with preference.

[Andrenekoi]

^I would say Utada had a better technique than Ayu until 2003, 2004...

[zyoeru]

I don't think I'll vote yet, but whilst we're talking about songs that are hard to sing...Hikki's songs always leave me breathless when singing along, especially COLORS, kettobase! and Keep Tryin'.

[Crystal_Ageha]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

^I would say Utada had a better technique than Ayu until 2003, 2004...

She still technically has a better tequnique, hah. Just that, she doesn't tend to execute very well all that she knows. >_<

[Andrenekoi]

Well, she should, or she is going to kill her own voice... But I don't think that Ayu got better than her on 2003 cuz Hikki started sucking, but because she stayed the same (her first vocal lessons where on 2004, when she was preparing herself for the budokan concerts) and Ayu kept getting better...