Empress of J-Pop to withdraw from Japan, and focus on the US and Europe [Theory]

[Maxker]

As a response to the rumors about the marriage and retiring headlines, the Japanese magazine "FRIDAY" has published their own theory. All this information is only theories at this stage, I'd take anything I read with a grain of salt. It is apparently "high season" for the tabloid press...

...but this is much nicer than reading the marriage/retiring articles ^^

Empress of J-Pop to withdraw from Japan, and focus on the US and Europe

MTV Video Music Awards. Photo:ゲッティイメージズ

China Daily (中国青年报) – reporting, according to Taiwan media reports and the magazine «FRIDAY», the popular leader of Japanese music and Asian fashion scene Hamasaki Ayumi have returned after 6 years absence from doing a dorama song. She produced one for the Japanese TV drama Dandy! Dandy! named «Sunrise ～LOVE is ALL～»

Hong Kong media recently claimed, in fact that, Hamasaki Ayumi has been slowly fading out of the entertainment industry since last year, and may withdraw from the end of the year, and marry her secret boyfriend, and become a full-time housewives.

In addition to sitting on the value of a about 10 million dollars mansion in Tokyo, Hamasaki have now also in recent years got herself two new apartments, both located in the expensive Hiroo district located at Shibuya, Tokyo. She is also rumored to purchase many high-level furniture, even a toilet covered with diamonds imported from a nightclub in Hong Kong.

The paper «Magazine for WOMEN», reported that she will marriage at the end of the year and is actively preparing this, that's the reason why her cooperation with the underwear brand Wacoal, has quietly replaced the image of her as a spokesman.

Japanese media speculated that her source of income to buy luxury flats are likely to originate in the rich boyfriend, her boyfriend in Japan has a number of senior commercial real estate lots.

The magazine «FRIDAY» on their side put these rumors under doubts. - Hong Kong newspapers can never be trusted, says their press agent Kazuo Inagaki.

FRIDAY on its side has a different and more promising theory. Her management advised Hamasaki to withdraw from Japan and focus on the Asian market, more specifically the mainland China. This happened in 2002, with the launch of the single «Daybreak», and with a remix album based on the million seller «I am». Following the latest years Hamasaki has held two large scale concerts in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. According to a document FRIDAY has got their knowledge of, the launch of Hollywood song Rule was Hamasakis and Avex Group's first major step in the direction of the United States and Europe.

According to the inside document report FRIDAY has got in their possession, the lates international releases from both fellow label colleague BoA and her former rival Utada Hikaru was received with great enthusiasm by producers and critics in the U.S, with the exception of the general public. Under several circumstances, its in fact the name «Ayumi Hamasaki» that have been mentioned and sought after, both during interviews and live presentations, to Utada's and BoA's frustration.

For many it may seem as if Ayu has been slowly fading out of the entertainment industry, but this is incorrect. According to sources within the Avex Group, Hamasaki uses a lot of time to practice her language, which she takes weekly English language exams, preparing for a huge career move.

Kazuo Inagaki refers to a post written by Hamasaki in her official blog last week. This post confirmed that a big decision was made, but disproved the theory regarding marriage. This forces FRIDAY theories about the document regarding a large scale world release. -It is only a matter of time before Hamasaki will aim toward the West, whether it be America, or Europe resume to see, she now only need to be fluent in English language, he says.

Editor:赵纲
Translated from the edition 中国青年报; 11th. July 2009. Thanks to "ruyki"@AMF for translation.

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TA messages mentioned in the article:

What the heck...
2009/07/04 6:40 AM | ayu

I'm so freaking tired, but I can't get to sleep at all.
...came back online to say that.
Starting tomorrow, the PV DANCE REHEARSALS
are starting again, so I really need to hurry up and get some rest!
Just thinking about sleeping isn't gonna make it happen.

I uh...
I made a verrry verrryy big decision today.
I honestly don't know if it's the right decision or not.
But I've definitely chosen this.
I stressed and I stressed.... and I decided.
It's best to resolve to do something, and then get acceptance for it later.
So it's okay.
Definitely okay.

But...

yume ni mita shiawase wa
tsukamu made ga ichiban ii
te ni irete shimaeba kondo wa
ushinau kowasa osou kara...
dakaratte warikireru kurai
ningen tte kantan demo nai...*

*These are lyrics from Ayu's 1998 single "For My Dear...":

"Things are better in the time before
we reach the happiness we've dreamed of,
Because once we finally reach it,
We're so afraid of letting it go...
Even so, humans aren't simple enough
to detach cleanly from that idea..."

-------------------------------------
No, wrong! Wrong!!
2009/07/04 1:47 PM | ayu

I got alot of supportive
messages from everyone regarding
my posting this morning.
Mostly these three reactions↓

DID YOU FIND A SWEETIE?!
If I had this sort of happy news,
I'd have told everyone ages ago!

ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?!
I am a girl so of course the desire for marriage is there.... there's
just the matter of a partner.

ARE YOU RETIRING?!
This would be a big decision too, wouldn't it~?
But that's not it!!!!! If I stopped singing, I wouldn't have anything.

So there you go, it's not anything like those.
If my entry was confusing, I apologize.

Credit: Delirium-Zer0

[Bigtop]

Possible international market entry? That seems to be surprising...

[zyoeru]

OMFG. This is quite exciting. I hope it's true in a way...

[Suteisi]

Hahaha! I wish~

[Lanz16]

It will be a huge surprise for us if she goes international.

[noidea]

I actually think this might be a possible next step, seeing how NEXT LEVEL already went a little in the direction of the current american/european mainstream and she travels to Europe and America often, also she doesnt hold asia concerts this year, which might give her time to prepare something "bigger", but I'm scared that, if she really chose that step a) she will totally flop and b)she will sing playback in TV shows...

[Andrenekoi]

Maybe it's true... Maybe it's not... But I hope she doesn't release an album in english

[Empry]

Originally Posted by Maxker

the lates international releases from both fellow label colleague BoA and her former rival Utada Hikaru was received with great enthusiasm by producers and critics in the U.S, with the exception of the general public.

lol


And I honestly doubt the validity of this article.

Originally Posted by noidea

she travels to Europe and America often

From what we know she only visited Venice once and Paris twice. I wouldn't call this often oO

[jon_the_d]

Sounds ridiculous to me...

she wouldn't stand a chance, and doesn't need to anyway. plus she's far too busy just with japan and bits of asia.

I think it's going to be something else...

acting.

or adopting an african orphan.

shave her head.

dye her hair

come out as gay.

who knows.

but it seems like a fairly personal, and possibly controversial/unpopular decision.

can't wait to find out...

[noidea]

^ most of these things is stuff britney spears or madonna did xD

[Evolution7/4]

Could be false could be true. One AHS member asked Max Matsuura and one of Ayu's PV directors at the Next level concert if she is coming outside of Asia and they hinted at it saying she has been taking English lessons so...

[Dan.C]

Hope not.

I prefer a retired and housewife Ayu which from time to time holds a concert/do a promotion/releases a single just for the fun of it, rather than a complete deaf Ayu caused from a Euro/US career.

All the paper cranes in the world wouldn't help her then and subsequently we would never hear her again as we would like to.

[noidea]

@evolution 7/4 Oh yeah right, I remember that report! And we can all see how her english improved in...lets say Mirrorcle World making of already, and with weekly lessons she will be much better now already, over a year later

@Dan.C
I think you dont understand what housewife in Japan means, whenever some japanese woman becomes housewife, the only way to go back is divorcing, and I doubt ayu would even want to becoma a housewife.(there only really, really few exceptions)
And Ayu only had problems on her left ear, she never said anything about problems with her right ear nor did we ever see or hear something about that. If the same would happen to her right ear, it would take several years and she is more careful now because she knows the consequences and doesnt want to lose her other ear as well. + We still do not know if stress was the reason for her deafness, it could be just the loudness of the music on stage as well, seeing how my father encountered the same from loud music alone(and from only ONE NIGHT of loud music)

[Evolution7/4]

[QUOTE=Dan.C;2023491]Hope not.

I prefer a retired and housewife Ayu which from time to time holds a concert/do a promotion/releases a single just for the fun of it, QUOTE]

If she's retired she isn't going to realese anything new...

[hidekirby]

Mmh... I may be the only one but I would prefer her to stay in Asia...

[pommy48]

^ You're not alone~ I prefer her to stay in Asia

[truehappiness]

IIRC, the many times that they said she wasn't branching out into international markets should be a sign that this theory.. is.. flawed.. haha. Oh well.

I'd like her to perform here at least once or twice though.

[noidea]

Originally Posted by Empry

lol


And I honestly doubt the validity of this article.



From what we know she only visited Venice once and Paris twice. I wouldn't call this often oO

she filmed several PVs in America, recorded some songs in america, did fotoshoots in america and for her busy shedule and the long flight to Europe and America, that is really often

[truehappiness]

Eh, she's recorded in America since LOVEppears IIRC and has had American mixers/mastering directors since then as well. I recall that Dave Way did a LOT of LOVEppears.. I don't think that says anything about whether or not she'll come here though.

[Dan.C]

[QUOTE=Evolution7/4;2023494]

Originally Posted by Dan.C

Hope not.

I prefer a retired and housewife Ayu which from time to time holds a concert/do a promotion/releases a single just for the fun of it, QUOTE]

If she's retired she isn't going to realese anything new...

Michael Jordan also retired but he still does some charity matches from time to time