Max Matsuura's blog entry about Ayu - "Meeting ayu"

[truehappiness]

Translation edited into first post!

[Calico]

omg where was this for my thesis! It would've been perfect!

Thanks!

[truehappiness]

Quick, use my time machine, Calico!

[ren0210989]

tnx for sharing, it was an interesting read

[Neko★munication]

Thanks for this Definitely interesting. Ayu and Max are a powerful team. Like someone said, I wonder if the production of MOON/blossom is getting him nostalgic

[njanjayrp]

Thanks teth!~

[ストロボ・EdGE]

I know I might get attacked for this, but is it just me, or is it a little strange that a 30-something year old man and a teenage girl would hang out often, and it not even be about work? Of course, it's because of that un-typical friendship that we have our Ayu today//

[truehappiness]

She worked in the idol industry at the time (1995ish) so I don't think that was strange at all (for her)...

It's especially the case with Hello!Project, I think. They basically start out at like 12/13 and are around men and women much older than them constantly.

Seems like it was a "friend of a friend" sort of thing, and with Ayu being the mature teen she was (maybe not, but she's always wanted to become a grown up or w/e), it didn't matter what age someone was if she was going to talk to/hang out with them.

Ayu's side of the story from ALL NIGHT NIPPON in 1999(?) and ROCKIN' ON JAPAN from masa:

Do you know Max Matsuura, being the producer of my works now?
　　(U) Yes.
　　(A) Do you know? I've known the man since I was sixteen.
　　(U) Really?
　　(A) Yes, I've known him for about four years. And when we went to a Karaoke house together, I was told by the man, "You are poor at singing."
　　(U) What?
　　(A) And he said to me, "Poor at singing, but you have a good voice", and "Go to take lessons." I didn't go to school nor do any jobs then. I thought it would not be bad because I had nothing to do, and I took the lessons. Ayu had always been told
"Hamasaki can't do anything." before then, in the senior high school and in the junior high school. I had been told, "Don't do any unwanted things, as you can't do anything." So I didn't go to junior high school often. I barely entered a senior high school but dropped it out. But then, the man, Max Matsuura said to Ayu, "You can." I was neglected in voice trainings and dance lessons and playing hard at that time. I was thinking much of how to play. But he said to Ayu, "You can. You can write lyrics and sing songs", and "I feel something within you." It was for the first time for Ayu to meet such a person. I was never told such a thing even by my parent. I met a person who expected Ayu for the first time and I was shocked very much. And I thought I would do my best, even if the man had made a wrong guess. And as the result of my deed, I managed to come here. I'm here now because I met Max Matsuura, and after that, the present manager and the people around me, that is, the present staff around me. I think I could never do that for myself. So I think White Usagi-chan will surely have such an important encounter. It may be tomorrow, it may be ten years later. And Ayu hope you will not miss the chance.

　(S) And you get tired becaues of that. You were such type, weren't you?
　　(A) I think so. And at that time, I met the producer at Velfarre (a disco club).
　　(S) I know. You are talking about Matsuura-san.
　　(A) Yes. I remember that when he was introduced by someone as the executive director of avex, I greeted another person next to him, as he was apparently so young., and he said, "It's me." The encounter was just like that. And a while later, I met him at a Karaoke house. A little bit lowbrow one. A snuck?
　　(S) I suppose it's a Karaoke bar, with a stage.
　　(A) That's it. You must have a hard time there listening to other guests singing, too.
　　(S) Don't go to such a place. (Laugh)
　　(A) Ahahahaha ! And I met him there. He asked me, "We have met before, haven't we?" and I said, "Ah, yes." I didn't know what was avex then, and I thought he would be a man of high position somehow. I didn't know at all that avex was the record company. I was singing songs at random then, and he began to say, "Sing this song next."
　　(S) Which song did you sing?
　　(A) The songs of Komuro (Tetsuya)-san, as they were very popular then. And he said to me after I sang, "Don't you intend to be a singer?" I answered, "No, I don't."
　　(S) Hahahahaha !
　　(A) Hahahahaha. Because, such a question. You see? Don't you think it was the honest answer?
　　(S) Yes, I think so. (Laugh) In Hamasaki-san's way.
　　(A) I said I didn't intend to be, as I didn't like singing especially and I wasn't confident of singing. And I didn't contact him for quite a while after that. I was asked my phone number then and told it to him. Some messages were recorded in my answering machine, but I forgot his name, and left it alone. I kept on playing at Shibuya and Roppongi as before, But, you know, I got tired of such things, as they were not so fun actually.
　　(S) I'd rather say it as nothingness.
　　(A) Really. When I was seized with such a feeling, he phoned me again. I remember quite well it was when Ayu was walking in the Center St. of Shibuya. I answered, "Hi," walking in the Center St. (Laugh) It was the secretary. She said, "This is XX of avex. I'll put you through to Matsuura." I noticed it was that man. And we were talking as, "It's a long time since we talked last." "Don't you really intend to sing?" "I do. I do. Because I'm free now." "I suppose so. You have nothing to do, don't you?" "Yes." "So go to the voice lessons and the physical training first to develop your strength," said he. I thought, "Oops ! I don't want to go." Actually I was still unwilling to sing then. But about a week later --- I changed my mind again. I thought that just to sing songs wouldn't be so bad, as I had nothing to do. I went to avex so casually, talked with the executive director, and went to the lessons. And, as you would imagine without my words, I stopped going to the lessons soon.

Their stories are somewhat different, I guess, but essentially the same.

[♥Rain]

^somewhat different? more like very. she's saying she never wanted to be a singer when they met and he said she told him she wanted to be? lol so weird

thanks for the translations though, nice to know he didn't give up on her and made her what she is today

[*°wann_ayubabies°*]

a really interesting entry to see it from the view of max matsuura...

i wouldn't have thought that Ayu doesn't have the face i mean she has a face with charisma!!!

but isn't it always people who first seems to doesn't have a chance and then are very successful...

[truehappiness]

she's saying she never wanted to be a singer when they met and he said she told him she wanted to be? lol so weird

She released NOTHING FROM NOTHING at the time so I think at some point she did want to be a singer... otherwise why would that have come out?

I have heard her talk about wanting to become a singer, but I didn’t really take it seriously.

Maybe he remembered it wrong? Maybe he had a dream about her saying things like that, haha. He did say that their accounts might be different.

This will be from my perspective so how it happened may be different from Ayu’s perspective.

^somewhat different? more like very. she's saying she never wanted to be a singer when they met and he said she told him she wanted to be? lol so weird

What else was different? Somewhat different implies that there are differences, but not that many.

[LizBrazil]

Originally Posted by Mayayu

Thank you for sharing & translating!

am i the only one with this strange idea that there's something going on between Ayu & Max recently? i don't mean to launch rumors or whatever, but they just keep talking about their relationship and how close they feel so it gives a strange impression of them being a couple. sort of.

Originally Posted by k21sh3n

me too, apparently you're not the only one haha.. well we'll never know unless the news comes from the two of them

LOL, he is married and has a daughter!!
He blogged that when he was trying to calm down Tohoshinki fans when bad news came out. That he stayed up all night to answer fans while being on vacation with his wife and daughter. Also that his daughter doesn't see him that much (because he is busy). His facebook page also says 'married'
LOL, would be quite a scandal if he and Ayu started dating while he is married and has a family They are just very close friends

[rakeru]

Their initial meeting sounds so sketch. >.>

But it's good to hear his side, which is a little different from hers. I love how he talks about how no one thought she would sell! It's amazing how far she's come.

[♥Rain]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

What else was different? Somewhat different implies that there are differences, but not that many.

that is a big difference though lol. i don't know. i've been inclined to think there may have been more to their relationship at that time (not necessarily a love one) but more nevertheless, than they've let on so the story they stuck to got distorted a few times

[truehappiness]

Doesn't his Facebook also say he's "Interested in Men?" -blinks-

that is a big difference though lol. i don't know. i've been inclined to think there may have been more to their relationship at that time (not necessarily a love one) but more nevertheless, than they've let on so the story they stuck to got distorted a few times

Why would they have more to their relationship? They've already told us how things started. I don't think there's any reason to hide anything when nothing happened. I guess people just feel like they don't know everything and want to fill in the blanks themselves. Oh, the price of fame.

It's sort of surprising that Ayu and Max didn't end up getting together since most stories that involve a producer + a musical superstar end in the superstar and producer in a relationship.

I think Celine Dion had it happen? Mariah Carey too? KEIKO from globe as well? (She married Tetsuya Komuro)

[♥Rain]

^ honestly, i don't know. i'm not stating it as fact. it's just how i always thought of them and it's always something i haven't been able to explain

i think it's really nice that they have a close relationship even now.

[LizBrazil]

Yeah, I kind of LOL'ed at the "Interested in Men", but the 'married' part is true He told that on his ameblo blog (before he even had twitter or facebook). Maybe we should ask him to post a picture of his wife The CSO of Avex, Chiba-san, did that when somebody asked for a picture He posted quite some pictures of his wife (she is beautiful!)

[shineestar]

thanks for this, an interesting read.
just look how famous she is now (:

[LizBrazil]

I don't find the blog message now and my internet is not working along >_>
But Matsuura tweeted this about his wife about a month ago: "My wife has been keeping it a secret from me that she's a Tohoshinki fan. She still thinks that I don't know it, but I know it all along."
You can find the screencap here.

[AyUta]

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed reading from his perspective .