It's not like my range is something otherworldy, but I also have problems when singing to her songs, Miduhyo haha don't you feel sad about it. One of favorites of all time, blue, is especially difficult and it makes me so sad I can't sing it properly haha =C

^Her range isn't something to write home about either :P

^^ She also can record small parts of the song each time. What makes it easier to reach the notes as she doens't need to sing the hardest transitions ^^

This is just my opinion but I think that Hikki knows her voice very well (and therefore is capable of creating amazing songs) but doesn't control it well enough. Probably lack of vocal training.

That really showed in Utada United. While I loved the show there were some parts where her vocals were lacking. Like in Final Distance.

One of the trademarks of Hikki's music is how she doesn't use that much autotune on her songs. We can hear places where she pushes herself to hit the notes or breathes or something. That's why it's not so jarring when we hear her sing live.

Some singers use so much autotune that they sound like completely different people singing live. They look like drunk people at karaoke rather than professionals.

Sorry, I narrate my opinions as how I recall feeling them. I remember being severely let-down at the time. It was right when I began watching concerts actually, for which I had very little interest in initially, and was pleasantly surprised to the point of tears after investing time into watching my very first ayu one. I thought "wow, watching concerts is actually a really great thing!" I thought Hikki's would be really great, considering the aesthetic for it looked amazing. So when my high expectations were not met, I had a high-strength reaction. I feel intensely and therefore write in a manner as to do my own emotions justice when trying to convey them. If others enjoyed it, good for them.

^Hmm well what you say is not wrong only very...harsh?Stating a fact in such a narrow manner to me, and mostly to what s teached in germany, just show a lack of skills in certain departments and I personally find it really off-putting to read such strong opinions. The world is not black or white. Utada United was actually quite pleasent to watch...especially the song-choice. i never found Utada to be good performer to begin with, and overall, I never understood the hype to her music. The concert has pretty bad vocal control, especially in the beginning - but if you search for good vocals, j-pop is definitely not the area to search for - same goes for production value.

So I personally would have said something like: "Wel, the concert was not my cup of tea because I did not like this and that, but I can see why people enjoyed it" or something like that - which, at least gives a bit respect to the performing artist.
Same goes for rating music itself. Like I said in the Lady Gaga thread: each output of art is nothing you can rate with "good" and "bad" - its just very disrespectful to the creator of the content (and certainly something that gets more and more common within the internet (see youtube)). There a certain criteria - shifting form person to person off course - but in almost each piece of art or content is something that you can praise to a certain content without being a total douche (and that was not directed to you, just an overall impression). It is a skill you even learn in school, at least in most Europe, to sandwich your critique between two good statements.

This Post ....... :yes :yes :yes well said !!! :thumbsup

When providing a critique on works to creators themselves (ie. class critique, etc.), this is always how I go about doing so. However, that is with the intent of providing them with means for improvement, or helping to push them further down the direction that you feel they have already begun to succeed in. In an online forum, no such objective exists (well, I'm sure there are forums that exists solely for the purpose of such an objective, but AHS isn't necessarily a place where we critique one another's work); the objective here is one of sharing personal opinion (and discussing news, etc.).
I think it also depends on how you rate your own works and projects (self-critique), as well as how you prefer to receive critique yourself. I am a tyrant to myself in my own creations, and am never satisfied until I feel I have problem-solved repeatedly time-and-time again to remove its weakest points. Likewise, if something is lacking, I prefer someone to tell me directly, as the objective lies in making good work, not within garnering praise for simply making an effort.

In making watered down versions of my own experiences ("not my cup of tea"), as a writer, I don't feel that statement does the emotion, nor opinion that was formed as a result of it, justice. Expressing emotions with strength and giving accuracy to the extent that they were felt, is important to me, and playing the middle ground just doesn't feel real or authentic - it's not truth. Being passive in daily life is exhausting, so my writing style, and as a result my online persona, tends too come off as bold. However, I'll tell you that the strength of dislike I have for things, is outweighed by the strength of love I have for things that truly impress me, and make me all the much more thankful and appreciative to have them. (Sakura Nagashi, Take 5, Keep Tryin', etc.)

Jpop does have some AMAZING vocalists, Ayaka Hirahara and Hitomi Shimatani comes to mind, but as far as those singers western people love (being it Ayu, Hikki, Namie, Koda, etc), you are right. Even if they are pretty strong on some aspects of live performing (Hikki being capable of putting a huge amount of emotion on her live singing), none of them is a strong vocalist.

This. I often disagree with you Zeke but about "expressing feelings" etc. I have to say that I feel the same as you. Also it's not like you wrote "BITCHTADA SHOULD FUCKING DIE 'CUZ THAT'S THE WORST CONCERT EVER" if you all know what I mean! I understand the point by thinkingoutloud89 with the respecting art etc. but that still doesn't mean that you can't say "I don't like it" or "that's bad" like you can't use "not my cup of tea" as "I don't like it" for example. It's not the same imo even though they're quite similar. Also good example are Ayu's a-nation '16 vocals. Tbh they were bad. Although it's an "output of art" they were bad. That doesn't mean that I think she didn't try and work hard for it or so.

It is so sad to see the music market with these sales only per day

Though I very much agree with what you said about how opinions should be presented, I feel the need to defend my country (which is also very American, I know xD) Being strongly opinionated goes from person to person, not nation to nation. I understand America is VASTLY known for our way of (not just shout) but literally throw our opinions in people's face and say it like it's a fact and not an opinion, I just felt that was... not necessarily an attack... but thrusting a label on like that was a little off-putting and a bit unnecessary. Zeke's always been that way. That's just who he is. Is it always nice? No. But that's just Zeke. And Zeke doesn't represent America. Zeke represents Zeke and who he is as a person, not how we all are as a nation. Heck, I've lived here my entire life and 98% of the Americans I've met are not so vocally opinionated as such. Most are very open-minded, accepting, and understanding, that, as you said, the world is not black and white. But every country has strongly opinionated people and not all of them are so nice about it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that by stating it like that sounded a bit harsh "Oh, you've a tendency to be rude and seem doltish. You're American, aren't you?" (That's me putting words in your mouth there, and I apologize. But that's how it read to me what you were saying in your first statement.) It's stereotyping. And no one likes to be stereotyped. Not you. Not me. Not him or her or they or them. :shrug It hurt me personally a little bit, (someone who had nothing to do with this conversation, and, someone who, in the seven years I've been on this forum, has never once got in an argument with someone. Maybe a debate, sure. But everyone here debates.) especially because I agree with everything else you said. It made me go from enthusiastically going, "Yes, I agree." to kinda reluctantly going "...yeah, I guess I agree."

If you're mad at Zeke, please keep your argument pointed at him (Sorry, Zeke. I'm not trying to say EVERYONE AIM YOUR CANNONS AT ZEKE. It's just, you know, y'all were arguing) I mean, based off what your statement said, how would you feel if I said "You're not wrong, but you're acting a little pompous. Are you European?" Of course you wouldn't like it. Like I said, it'd be stereotypical. It's not fair to throw an entire nation into the gutter just because you're having a disagreement with one person. :(

I kinda miss when Hikki's thread was inactive but I'm guessing whenever she releases new stuff everyone gets crazy.

Reading the messages... hmmn Okay...

Anywayz, here are the sales:

10.17: No. 1 - 6,813
10.18: No. 5 - ??
10.19: No. 1 - 5,251
10.20: No. 1 - 4,558
10.21: No. 1 - 4,838
10.22: No. 1 - 6,437
10.23: No. 1 - 11,533

Again Sunday is/was a nice day :D. I think the sale should be over 40K :).


Yeah but we have to accept that the yearly no. 1 album is less than a million nowadays (and I'm sure it'll be Arashi vs Sandaime).

I wouldn't say it's something "only americans do". I've seen a lot of people from Germany here in AHS posting things like it's a fact and not an opinion and it's really bothersome.

Anyway. about those sales numbers I'd like to know what makes the album sell so much more on weekends. I'msure more free time has something to do about it, but it's not the only factor, right?

^ honestly, it's a universal thing. That was the point I was trying to make. It's not just Americans, it's not just Europeans or Asians or what have you. That's why I said 'Being strongly opinionated goes from person to person, not nation to nation.'

There's more I want to add but have decided to delete because, to be fair, this is a sensitive topic that could spread like wildfire REALLY fast, so I think we should probably let it be or I fear I may have started something I'm really going to regret having began. (Actually, to be honest, I debated deleting that post all day because I knew what it could lead to. But my instincts always beat out my wants.)

Anyway, before I go back on topic, I want to apologize for making this thread incredibly awkward. :laugh I feel like that was my fault back there that it died out so abruptly by posting what I did so I'm really happy people are coming back in here xD (Please don't hate me. Y'all are my potato friends.)

--------------------------------------

ANYWHO Pivoting back to topic number one:

How the hell is she still selling those numbers? :shakehead Are they the numbers I'm used to from my generation? No. But for this day and age, it's a nice constant. Anyone have any idea what the actual total sales are? I know we're beyond 400K.

And to answer your question ahtka-chan, I believe it's because there are sales. Freetime + sales = people spending money they probably shouldn't. Like me with clothes. xD

Week 1 sales: 252,581
Week 2 sales: 103,854
Week 3 sales: 63,207
Total: 419,642

Assuming that Fantôme's sales was about 5000 on Oct 18, then this week sales will be about 44K. This will bring the total sales over 460K :D. She will break through 500K in about two weeks I think.

anyways .....

so...
what song do you guys think she will make a video for next ? i'm hoping for tomodachi or michi !

^I kinda want Michi, but I'm not sure if an extra pv will generate more sales since it has a cm already.

I record the numbers from oricon every single day... and I have been posting the numbers almost everyday here :P.