Everyone were like *_* (wow) at the end lol. I liked it.

Overall it was a good performance, there were 3 times I think maybe she slightly didn't reach a key but other than that it was pretty good!

Wow, having read your feedback here I expected the SESONS performance to be so much worse.

But actually, IMO, it was pretty nice! Yes, she couldn't hit a couple of notes here and there, but overall her voice was pretty much pleasant to my ears. Especially compared to the lasy couple of years.

Her vocals in 2002 - 2005 were the best. Especially 2003, she did some amazing performances of Memorial Address tracks.

Her vocals now are on the up, just that they sound different, matured. I like it, but as other have said its not necessarily flattering with her older songs.

I think 2003 was a good year vocally because she was singing every so often for her Ayuready tapings that were weekly IIRC on top of touring and promoting her releases at the time. Nowadays, we get a long period of touring where her vocals are pretty good and then when the tours end, she stops, or at least we don't see it.

I kind of wonder if Ayu ever sings randomly on a daily basis just because she feels like it and to keep her voice 'fresh' or if she doesn't find that sort of thing 'fun' or enjoyable anymore.

Even if I don't agree with these things like "her voice don't come out" or "she can't sing anymore" since yesterday a lot of article speaks about how Ayu's voice was unflattering for a singer of her level ! It's pretty sad :(

http://www.cyzo.com/2012/12/post_12066.html

I swear, this happens any time she performs on TV, at least in the last 3 years or so as far as I remember. Wait, maybe that's why she tends to avoid going on TV aside from the usual end-of-year shows? Though she's pretty much damned if she does and damned if she doesn't if that's the case.

Well, I'm sorry, but I think she was not nailing the performance at all. Yes, she looked nice, but that was kind of it. When I see a live performance, I sometimes close my eyes so I could listen carefully to the vocals. But those were not good this time: pretty much off-key and lots of screaming, instead of beautiful singing. I love Ayu a lot, and still do, but these kind of performances (SEASONS, Song 4 U and You & Me this year. I haven't watched the Hotel Love Songs yet, for those which are available at youtube) disappoint me a lot. And it's not she can't do it, because last years POWER of MUSIC had amazing vocals.

She didn't sound the best but at least it was better than in 2008 I think. I didn't like her vocals at all that year. These days her voice sounds so much better and natural than back then.

When it comes to Ayu's vocals, I think 2002-2003 were the best years. I always get goosebumps from performances during those years. These days it's very rare. :< But I still do love her and find her performances rather enjoyable (I mean, how can I not when she sings Boys & Girls and those other kick ass catchy staple songs I stan for?). Not all of them of course, but most of them anyway. :)

It wasn't a bad performance at all. So much drama going on as always.

It was just normal, her voice was kinda childish sometimes but it soothe well, in a good pace and maybe in her comfort zone?
Idk, was good.

Ayu's sales and voice works together, when one flops the other one follows. If she was to sell maybe over 500k her voice might return, just a theory.

I feel like when she sings now each and every word is so over emphasised, I don't really know how to explain it. It doesn't feel like the words flow into each other. I've felt this live for a while now, but it's kind of creeping into her studio recordings too.

Instead of listening to her sing, you're listening to a series of words being done to a tune. Like everything has to be forced out instead of just flowing naturally.

I guess nerves could explain it, but really, when you've been about for close to 15 years, I don't expect a performance like a debut artist. Picky and entitled? Maybe, but Ayu's set standards so many times and just isn't meeting them with performances like this.

if her fans can criticize her singing, im not surprised there are articles out there that say the same thing....zz

I agree with you it's not smooth as before

I felt like Song 4 u at Hey!x3 was one of her smoothest vocal performances in ages. She had the usual pitch trouble, but her dynamics were more than just good.

The seasons performance was decent...
her first La Li~ was horrible off, but she got better in the 2nd one.

Over all I was happy with it.

wow always~~

i thought she sounded great in hey3x, the soft vibrations...she did over use it like she used to do.
as for SEASONS, performance, i admitted that she was not that good..but she was okay~

I finally download the HQ version, she sounds good on both performances
especially on Hey!hey!hey! she sounds great

I think that it's because of the way ayu sings with her voice during live that disappoints me. She doesn't sings like this in the studio as compared to live. It's like she's faking her voice to sing during live. It's not whether she hit or miss a note or pitch. It's just that she sounds so different from the CDs. I'm pretty sure she still can sound the same as the CDs cos I believe it's quite hard for the engineer to master her voice to the CD standard if she sounds the same as she was during live.
If it's her hearing, maybe she'll go out of pitch but will not cause her to sounds different... I still love to see her live but I'll love it more if she could sing much better =)

This is actually not correct. From my experience singing on a couple stages and with an orchestra, when you don't hear yourself properly you try harder to still hit the notes and that decreases both your concentration and your dynamics control, thereby affecting your tone greatly -> you sound different than in a quiet environment.

I completely nuked a performance with an orchestra because of that before, couldn't hear myself at all there and went from shouting to singing far too softly in an attempt to still get it done.