if she wants to re-invent her career like Namie Amuro then she needs to be a sell-out. I'm a casual listener of Amuro but she bores me... her recent albums are exactly what's trendy in the western market; EDM (not in the vein of Colours, but more Calvin Harris, Avicii kind of sound), and that's why the Japanese eat it up. cos suddenly Namie Amuro is relevant, cool, being 'American'. it's a visual and idea the younger generation might want to be identified with.

Ayu, on the other hand, takes forever to follow trends. Colours might be described as an EDM album but the only song that truly sounds like something that could be released in 2014 is Terminal. every other song is dated. don't get me wrong, I adore the album to bits cos it's so casual and catchy, but it's a fact the sound is dated.

that's her double-edged sword. she doe sthe "Ayu" thing by keeping songs old-school J-Pop with her own twist (usually a trend that has already faded for more than 2 years). Ayu will always be interesting, but is she relevant? is she the embodiment of western music like Namie Amuro? no.

she's also no longer young by Japanese standards and she's way too high-maintenance for intimate moments like AKB48's fan meets. of course there's only one of her and 48 of them, but you get my point.

she, however, with her time in LA, picked up on certain things the singers in the west do. she's already pulling off a Taylor Swift marketing tactic by posting photos of her "work in progress" online. wouldn't be surprised if she took a pic of one of the songs' lyrics and post it on Facebook or something.

all she has now, is her dwindling fan base. i think her best bet is to whet their appetites until they will buy an actual physical copy.

until that day she no longer does dated albums like LOVE again in this era, she's always going to have worse sales. i don't see that as a bad thing, but that's just how Ayu does her recent music. still hum along to Wake me up but it's a stale 2008-esque electro-pop/rock style :P

See, I thought Colours was way to western, lol. I felt like it was something that would be on the radio right now.

From ayu's official fb

"There will be exciting news tmrw♡

明日はまたひとつ、新しいお知らせがあるよよよん♡

Photo location, Los Angeles"

Maybe the single covers?

album! album!!

Ayu is keeping me on the edge of my seat! Getting excited!

A new studio album would be the best ever Christmas present! But I won't put my hopes so high.

It's not an album...and I'm not sure why she would consider the covers big news...unless she really is trying hard to do self promotion. It's probably not about CDL. Hmm...I wonder what it could be.

I'm so curious right now. Hmm..I was thinking of something:

1999 - A Song For xx - LOVEppears

Every four year she releases 2 studio albums:
2002 - I am../RAINBOW
2006 - (miss)understood - Secret
2010 - RnRc - Love Songs
2014 - Colours - ?

So it can be true

But do you really think that she (or avex, for that matter) even knows that that occurred? I think something like that is purely coincidence.

True, it may be purely coincidence. We'll see tommorow. Maybe she's just releasing the covers.

I guess anything is possible! I just feel like an album is unlikely. But who knows

Lol why would they announce an album when the new single was JUST announced and will be released in 6 weeks? ESPECIALLY when this single comes with little incentive for purchase. I mean, that's just nonsense.

Ayu is keeping me so excited!! I love that she takes control of her FB account, like Namie has someone to write everything and Ayu is doing it herself ^_^

What zeke said.

I bet it's about global TA!

A world tour is coming... or at least, a new tour to be announced.

What else can be? A new album doesn't make sense, and we already know about next countdown... ummm.. please, please...

WORLD TOUUUUUUUUUR!!! :love:luv2:luv2:luv2:love

I actually think Together When... has a very rock-ish sound to it with the guitar in the background. I think I'd call that a rock ballad sooner than I would call "fated" one.

Fated is a great song... <3 I totally forgot about it until recently.

I think Together When... Is about as rock as Lelio.

I hate it when she teases stuff like this. I couldn't sleep as soundly the night before she was to announce the details of the new single.

The suprise is that she will be included in a tribute to utada hikaru!!! Damn!!!

^ you beat me to it ahah, but got the link down for you guys
I don't know if it's related to what ayu said but could be this...
http://natalie.mu/music/news/130923

ayu covering an Hikki song for her homage cover album "Hikaru Utada no Uta"

omfg!!!!!!! What are you talking about, that's AMAZING news!!!!!!!!!!!!

:luv2 :luv2 :luv2

Other singers participating in the cover album include Miliyah Kato (presumably with her cover of AUTOMATIC), LOVE PSYCHEDELICO, Shiina Ringo, tofubeats w/ BONNIE PINK, AI, and more~

I can't wait to see what song Ayu will be covering!!!

edit: If it's Boku wa Kuma, I am going to throw myself off a cliff.

Whaaaaat. I wonder which song. This will be interesting!

Lmao I can totally hear ayu singing it too!

It would be "Wait & See" since Distance beat ABest at that time! Love that song!

Doesn't mean it'll necessarily be that song, lol

Kettobase.

I can't even remember what Together When... sounds like oh my god. I try to visualize it and all I can hear is that remix from ayu-mi-x 6.

XD That would be more interesting than Automatic and First Love though :P

It's gonna be easy breezy, for sure yall.

Interesting names...

Nah. I anticipate First Love. Just because it's totally in the vein of Ayu's type of song. But we'll see. SOMEONE BETTER FUCKING COVER IT. AND DO A DAMN. GOOD. JOB. I love that song.

I would like to hear First Love as well

Honestly... First Love is Hikki's worst song to date. The whole First Love album is bad. Hikki really is capable of making amazing music, but First Love is just bad.

^ Amen to that

^^Its her debut album you guys! Compare that album to ULTRA BLUE and see the metamorphosis. So I forgive her for that. If First Love didn't exist, i wonder who Hikki is nowadays.

Anyway, I really wish Sakura Drops
or Final distance is the song Ayu has covered.


EDIT: I just mashed up the threads! The news of a Hikki tribute album alone spans two or three threads in this forum. i really don't know where to post so srry for being not on topic just in case bahah

DEFFO.

So the news she was talking about was that she would be doing a cover song right?

Mess at the hate for first love. Movin on without you >>> the lessers.

Are you peasants really hating on First Love?

I love First Love and it's actually a really great album. SO THERE! >:D (immaturely places hands on hips while tossing my head to the side with a loud "HMPH!")

I'm quite certain it's gonna be Dareka no negai ga kanau koro. It's just totally in vein with Ayu's vocal style right now.

I also thought about it that it fits her.

Dareka would be amazing

I'm happy she's releasing a new single and it's winter!! I'm looking forward to it!

There's a dedicated thread for Utada's tribute, could we please stop talking about it here ? :3

^this! i could care less for that tribute thing GIMME THE SINGLE ALREADY!

I just closed the tab because I thought I'm in the other thread :p

One of my favourites Hikki songs is "Goodbye Happiness". I think ayu is perfect for that song, but it isn't a single.

I guess Ayu also excited about the single. She keeps teasing us here and there. Maybe this is her new marketing strategy to tell everyone about the single. Less money needed so for sure, Avex approved it. XD

need translation! hHAHA

Is is too selfish of me
to want you to be my love, and only mine,
forever and ever?

:grumpy sounds so boring

^ same. Welp I gotta listen to the whole song first tho.

A relatable thought..it will appeal to different people

yes it is. it reminds me of You were...

You really clasify her love songs lyrics as deep? They never were.
They are mostly about the same thing.
I mean only "true love song" ones.

I wish she'd stop with the love theme, as there are other things one can write about and she used to write about different things too...

^Never gonna happen. NEVER EVER. XD

Saw the new Facebook photo with what I think are some of the lyrics for Zutto. It had some text in Japanese so I clicked the button to translate it to English. I was a little surprised, is this really what she meant to say?

From Facebook:
チラっ（￣+ー￣）
Nipple slip! （ ¯ + ー ¯ ） (Translated by Bing)

Lmao, stfu! Omg.

Anyway, the lyrics are cute. She could sing about zits and as long as the composition and arrangments is beautiful I could care less.

Lol nipple hahaha :D A song about nipples would be awesome right? Some people wouldn't have a reason to complain lol I think it means "glance/peek" having a quick look :D

OMFG those lyrics lol. That is so beyond trite and cliche. Kinda sounds like she wrote them just to fill the space.

Thankfully I tuned out on her lyrics years ago +_+

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psb90f3317.jpg

I'm boring so I make my own version of this page putting my fake cover xD

would be great if you guys make your own since cover is not out for now LOL

Haha, I was wondering the exact same thing!

Same here! Although as it's a single it's to be expected. Hopefully there will be some variation in lyrics for the album tracks on her next album release.

But I do get quite bored with the love theme in general (and this doesn't apply to just Ayu). It becomes so cliché.

She will never stop to write about love ... since the beginning she said that two main themes for her lyrics are LOVE & FREEDOM !
Yes it's repetitive and somewhat overdone but at the end she is the one who writes...if the love theme is important for her what can we do ? lol

Be careful, ayu's team is probably looking for a cover, :D
And yours is pretty.

Hahaha :D So that's how it works! Love that :D:D:D

LMAO xD

Love becomes cliché to write about. But is still relevant in many lives regardless of age. While I'm in my wintery hopeless romantic mood, I personally don't mind lol. I just hope the lyrics are well done, whatever they're about, for all of the songs.


Also that cover is pretty. I enjoy simple winter covers.

I like the fanmade cover. :)

As far as the lyrics go, I think she's always going to be a bit less experimental with singles/songs that are used for promotional purposes.

WOW, Your work looks cool... When I first saw your pictures, I thought "the cover is so beautiful and "cold" ...". I was surprised because of reading your comment <3

We only have one of three song's snippet of lyrics. Plus, we knew it'd be about love since we got the info from TA.

I already like this because I can relate to this part too well. :D

I hope one of those songs will be upbeat because I don't want to listen only ballads in December.

She will never stop writing about love, plus she is a mainstream artists, she needs to satisfy the mass japanese audience :P

But her non-love songs lyrics (and those not about partying...) are mostly pretty good.

Oh my goodness your cover is perfect. (I could almost bet money that the actual cover won't be as good). It's like a revamped, 2014 version of A Song for XX cover :laugh

yeah same here, but for all singers, most of them sing about LOVE, so not only her who loves to write about love,so guess I cant complaint much about her love theme lyrics :o

btw wonder what else other theme that is popular? all I see is LOVE lol, everyone writes about looooovee

There are so many different forms of love that I am not surprised she hasn't stop writing songs about it. Her Facebook page recently updated the cover photo. Looks like a blue snowy forest. I wonder if that is any indication of what the single cover will look like. If done right, I think it could work!

I hope it is done right, because I can't conceive a situation where a dark blue snowy cover would work :(

I think dark blue snowy cover would work, I will be happy if she uses a color like this and stop using something pink, pastel or love color thing... I picture her in this cover with a beautiful white dress with diamonds in the middle of a forest full of snow.

I knew she'd pull a Taylor Swift and starting leaking lyrics

It's not like Taylor invented the concept. :rolleyes

You were / BALLAD covers were beautiful, if she makes anything similar to that I'd be happy.

of course not but she's the most recent one to do it :P

and it's not a bad thing lol.. at least Ayu is doing SOMETHING on her part to talk about the single, cos avex doesn't give a shit anymore

does anyone on here know the translation to that short snippet of lyrics?

She used blue snowy photo for initial announcement as well a while ago.

ずっとずっと私だけの
恋でいて欲しいなんて
ワガママすぎかな
でもねきっと something something something

Something along the lines of. "The only thing I really wanted was love. I used to be so selfish."

It's super blurry, but I can just barely make out in the 4th line. "But surely..."

I think in this case, the 〜でいて in 恋でいて欲しい is used to represent an enduring state. Someone (in this case her 'love') is currently close to her and she wants (欲しい）this person that way forever (ずっとずっと). Nothing in her lyrics is in the past tense. She's asking if it's too selfish for her to want this person to stay with her, and love her, forever.

i really hope at least one of the songs won't be a sad ballad. She surelly can do uplifting ones as well. i hope we can get one like that. And well they deed to do a gorgeous arrangement on them.

I love the cover photo on FB!

Cheesy lyrics but they're ultimately relatable.

Can I have some emotional rock ballad with extra beat like Snowy Kiss or so, I love that song. Wish there will be a PV... a PV like Katy Perry Unconditionally...

Oh yes I'd die for it ! :O

:D

http://oi62.tinypic.com/1193vy0.jpg

The staying and loving forever is reminiscent of days. I think she is trying to recapture the success of that song. I'm nervous though cause usually when you try to blatantly imitate something like that from the past you can just hear how hard they tried and fails in comparison.

:o that is really interesting.

Vampire? No thanks.

^lol vampire?because her lips are red? lol and that's how people get wrong impressions on covers untill you explain them... as simple as they might look xD

i am sure people wouldn't expect something like that from her, but i am in no doubt she'd go for studio set or typical fur winter type of thing as usually....*scraches head*