That's what I think, too. I mean let's look at what MY ALL means on the title alone: she's doing her best, she's... well, giving it her all--and I just hope Ayu didn't think it wasn't good enough because the show was WONDERFUL, even though her vocals weren't up to par. But even THAT I don't care about in the slightest: I thought she did a fine job :( She did her best and it was beautiful--I hope she has enough confidence and good enough people around her to tell her that.

This news makes me so sad. :bawl Ayu, please rest up! I know you want to give your ALL to us, the fans, but PLEASE take care of yourself. We all love you and hope you will take it easy for a while. Take a nice 6 month vacation to LA. :innocent

resting up isn't going to cure an incurable loss of hearing.

it seems some of you are not quite getting this fact.

Hmm, I'll be surprised if this isn't big news in Japan. The biggest-selling female artist of all time has a medical condition that is directly affecting her performances. But I don't know if Ayumi herself would want everyone to know about it.
Ah, I'm just so confused now. When bad news comes, for the first few hours I'm so sad, then afterwards I'm just confused and it feels really unreal to me. x_x
I've said this before, but I just want Ayumi to feel 100%.

We should give it a day. I think it took about that long for the Tomoya story to break..

GOSH, im really shocked by this news...i would least expect to happen now...
I hope she has a nice break after her 10th anniversary...take her time...and then just continue with her passion of coz...LOVE U AYU ALWAYS!!!

hope she keeps her right ear nice and gd...i really cant imagine a day of silence...
can u imagine, she crying, yet she cant hear her own cries...thats...just so horrible i feel..

and im really touched that..she sacrificied her own life for her career...in the eyes of some, they might think she is just desperate...but i think its very brave

i'll just hope for the best for ayu for whatever she thinks she's right of doing it...
and i hope that she knows her limit~

I'm kind of at a loss for words... poor Ayu. :( :(

This is so horrible to hear, I'm speechless. It is terrible for anyone to a to lose hearing. Especially a singer. Poor Ayu :(

It seems that the Japanese fan community is aware of this now.

Thread here about her ears, I think. And mixi.jp's Ayu community is trying to make 1000 paper cranes for her.. I think.

mmm... thats why one her ear was closed during CDL08.
She take a rest from the concerts and write more new songs. Write new album for September. But it is impossible for her to take a rest from concerts this year because it is her Anniversary

This is really horrible :( Especially since music is really important to her. I can't even go a day without listening to some sort of song so if I lost my hearing I'd be traumatised! Not to mention I wouldn't be able to talk to my friends and family anymore. Poor ayu. (but at least one ear is fine ...)

one ear is fine?

probably not....we don;t know...but if the left ear was damaged by the loud volume, then the right won't be "fine" I;m sure.

the only way might be if the ear was damaged back in 2000/2001 by some infection, which the right ear may not have suffered. in which case the right ear may be fine...

I think w eneed her to clear things up for us.

I just thought though: if she looks after her good ear, then she should be able to studio recorded albums easily enough, just maybe no more live concerts. so hopefully it's not that bleak a future for her...

what do you think?

Maybe she will adjust somehow to this new situation with her ear. Well, she didn't fully recover her ear after Dome Tour and that was the cause why her vocal changed a little since that time. If she has the willingness to sing and create nothing will stop her. She is a powerful girl ;)

Well, so far, we've known that her left ear has had problems before, where she cannot hear anything and is unable to answer the phone with it and so one..

While the right ear is spic/span. Nothing's really wrong with it as far as we know.

That's good to hear.. that they're doing smt so show their support to her.. afterall japan fans are the ones that are most likely to be able to contact her or closer to her..

I guess if there's really an asia tour coming up, the fans this time round are gonna show her the utmost support, even more than last year. :)

Well, the Asia Tour is just around the corner, as the dates are all planned out except for Asia and probably some Japan ones..

OMG!!! i'm really shocked with this news...OMG!!!
ayu...has lost her left ear..its really sad...i really want to cry...
we all know that since her 2001 dome tour, her left ear has been disturbed...but i don't know that she take a BIG RISK to lost her left ear...so sad...
i think its really hard situation for ayu...

not losing her left ear..
but she lost her left ear's hearing?

I don't think the people in mixi know yet. I briefly scanned it and there was nothing about her ear yet.

I'm so sad by the news.. i can't imagine how she's feeling right now.. It's so unfair..
I hope she will haf a good rest and take care of her hearing frm nw on.. mayb to slow down her career.. i will support her no matter wad..god bless Ayu pls..

I hope she doesn't loses her earing more than she loose. I'm really sad about that, I never thought Ayu was able to write those touching words. I feel sorry for her. It proves that Ayu is the best and she'll be the best forever.

Rewatching the NTV 2004 interview..

It looks like back in 2001, the same sort of thing was happening then as it was now.. she couldn't hear correctly, and thus couldn't sing. I don't think that this was a coincidence.. D:

yeah except this time it's gone forever

I will watch this interview tonight... I want to come back to those memories.

Yeah. Basically.

The signs were all the same. Wild notes that were uncontrollable.. D:

like I said, maybe a future of nice quiet in-studio recording is the answer....so we can still have ayu making new music, just no concerts..

I'd prefer that to he rgoing totally deaf.

hmm
didnt this happened a few years back during a concert ?
she didnt completely lose her left hearing, but it was damaged for sure
... dont know, maybe im just having a dejavu =S

Yes, as stated before, DT01 was the "return" of the hearing problems, but now instead of being just a problem where she can't hear as much as before, she can't hear at all out of the ear..

Poor girl, now I take back everything I said about working hard and I think she should take a break. Honestly.

and as I said, taking a break is not gonna get her hearing back...why does everyone keep suggesting it?

Becouse she should relax, she must be nervous becouse of that ear injury

People aren't suggesting it because they think it'll bring her hearing back: we all read the message. We all know her hearing's gone. To suggest her to rest means we want her to take care of herself, to put HER needs before the WANTS of us fans--it seems you aren't getting that.

:weep:weep

perhaps, but ayu will deal with it in her own way, everyone deals with bad news and upsetting times in their own way. I personally don't think "resting" will be ayu's choice.

She'll want to feel the support of her fans, and she'll want to please us, and give "us" what she thinks we want, ie: performances, tours etc. and if it's what she wants, and what can make her happy through this terrible time, then good for her. she's a fighter. she's not going to just mope about he rhouse all alone feeling sorry for herself is she.

I just hope she looks after her right ear.

No~! Not lip synch! We hate Eason Chan remember? We don't want him to be right, right?

omg, now I know it will be sort of sad to watch the CDL ><

I prefer ayu's career without concerts that lipsynch

Honestly I don't like these countdowns live. They always makes Ayu tired. I think she could have a "normal" countdown, with friends, family (if she has one)... :(

I guess it makes sense now why the venues for next year's tour are smaller than last years. A bigger venue would open put strain on her ears with the acoustics and everything. Hopefully this means Ayu might start doing even smaller venues and maybe even a acoustic concert which is a lot less stressful. Maybe even another TeamAyu tour. I'm trying to keep postive...

Nothing wrong with wanting to be positive. :( I hope that she takes whatever measures she can to lessen the strain on her ear(s) for her latest tour.

Wow out of all times I wish I could talk to her directly, it would be now to tell her how wonderful she is, that's so sad, but she's such a strong woman, a real queen!!!!!!!!!

They are pretty much the same venues she's been doing for like 5 years.

Actually, that's far from it. She's performing at the same large venues as before, with the "halls" being the ones she's done previously [Nihon Gaishi aka Nagoya Rainbow Hall and Osaka Jou Hall and there's a new Kobe one..]..

I think the only one missing is Saitama Super Arena this time around, which is strange.

Total capacity for the AT08 so far:
Yoyogi x 3 = 36,000
Hot House Super Arena = 7,000
Shizuoka Ecopa Arena = 10,000
Hiroshima Green Arena = 7,000
Kobe World Hall x 2 = 16,000
Osaka-jo Hall x 2 = 32,000
Marina Messe Fukuoka x 2 = 17,000
Yokohama Arena x 2 = 34,000
Nihon Gaishi Hall x 4 [aka Nagoya Rainbow Hall] = 36,000

Total: 195,000 people and this isn't including Asia. It looks like she plans to be ambitious with this tour, especially if she add more dates, which is highly likely..

it's so sad, but she's such an amazing person

it makes me love and admire her even more..

Question: does this go back to the Dome Tour incident?

In a way, I think it does, but with a bitter ending.

I think the doctors warned her earlier. But she couldn't stop, that's the way our Ayu is. It's sad, but I know she doesn't want our pity, or anyone else's.

poor poor ayu ;(
gambarre-yo!

No...REALLY? :rolleyes I know this...I think the point we are all making is that she should not push herself too hard, we do not want her to go completely deaf just trying to make her fans happy.

Hm I see. Then I guess it was a matter of time that it happened to her ear. I hope avex doesn't strain her too much. Maybe we'll see less upbeat songs in the next few months and she'll take her of her functioning ear.

It looks as if she was going to have some sort of operation for it... and didn't for some reason.

That's pretty weird if you ask me...

^I wonder what the reason is that she did not go through with the operation, maybe it would force her to take too much time off? I'd rather have Ayu try to get her hearing repaired than have her risk losing her hearing altogether.:yes

I can't imagine what Ayu must be going through...sad news for all Ayu fans...

Nope, apparently it was too late. Check the other thread.

Oh.. no.. I've been crying since I first opened up the thread and then read all 13 pages..
Poor Ayu..
She really is a "Beautiful fighter" .. I just.. I .. I feel so sad for her

again, i feel very sad for ayu. i can't imagine how she must feel, with her left ear and all. i hope she stays strong.

I cannot believe it. I am so shocked - this might be the biggest event Ayu's fans have ever expected - her left ear is totally deaf. I hope she can overcome the odds...

I'm just happy she's not giving up or quitting, and she'll still go through with her music career. I LOVE HER!!!

Wow. A break-up, a loss, and now a deaf ear?

I just have to say that I am so proud of ayu for not giving up!! Do you know how many people totally wouldve given up by now? T_T

I knew that something had happened to make her voice worsen so much. I feel so bad for her and am so sad now. She is an amazing person to want to still continue as well as this being the thing in the world that means the most to her, I can see where she feels like she has to continue.

Not necessarily, a lot of peoples ears have one that is effected more than the other. For example many people get ear infections, but often it is in the same ear every time. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Ayu had common ear infections a lot in her left ear as a child.

True. She's been through a lot last year. She's truly a strong person to be able to move forward with a positive attitude. Not many people can.

Yeah, I think that ayu already got used to it...
It must be a hell of uncomfortable to hear everything from just one side and ear, but you get used to it if there's no choice...

Guys look what Ayu said about Concert Tour 2000 in Rockin' On Japan interview 2001:
Ear DISEASE..?

....all I can say is...thank you so much Ayu. Thanks for not giving up on your music or you fans, despite all of this insanity. Good luck Ayu. We love you!

It probably was some kind of infection, that's the most common thing I believe... but that's about when it started - after that, it was Dome Tour 2001 when she started hearing noises in the ear at times...

Wow, I am such an idiot. I noticed the one huge diamond-looking-shiny-thing in her one ear (left) during the last performances, and noticed how she didn't have one in the other ear, but I thought it was just supposed to be the specific style or something (like how she only had one long white glove on during...what was it..."fated" maybe? and the other arm was bare). She looks kind of annoyed/embarrassed or something when she realizes she only had the one in. Poor, poor ayu..I feel so bad for her.

no wonder she sounds flat in her lives. gawsh, her fans are so ignorant!!! i feel like crying. i love you ayu!!! u still sound beautiful! thanks for the translation...

Ayu is strong, she'll get through this. It's sad, but then again, she has been doing a lot of tours--all the high volumes took a toll.

I always thought her ear problem started during her Dome Tour. So she had this problem all along? :(:(

I just watched the NTV interview and how she struggled during the Dome Tour just made me even sadder. :cry

I think the reason why people want Ayu to take a break is probably because if she continues working like there's no tomorrow, the prolonged exposure to loud music (be it concerts or live performances) will eventually damage her right ear as well.

I'm pretty sure she sometimes uses her head even though most of the time she follows her heart. She shouldn't do so many lives, that's gotta be the biggest reason.

edit: That GIF is so depressing D:

This message has made me realize how much I love and respect Ayu, she's an amazing person and a true artist. GO AYU!!!!!

Infection is a lot different from ear exposure to sound. The ear is made of many parts. Bacterial infections mostly depends on the anatomy of the conductive parts of the ear -the middle ear-, and if you get an infection in one of the ears, there's a reason why that particular ear might have predisposition for later ear infections (depending on the injury caused to the eardrum, bacterial colonization of the middle ear, "scars", auditory tube impairment). On the other hand, deafness due to acoustic trauma is a totally different thing. It affects the inner ear, the cochlea. When you hear a sound, almost always both ears get stimullated by it, so both cochleas get stimullated. If the noise is too loud, both ears will suffer almost simillar damage. Most often, one might suffer a little more than the other, but both will suffer hearing loss. There are exceptions, but they are unlikely (someone who hears extremely loud music for years by using a headphone in only one of the ears, and always the in the exactly same ear, but truth is, people use headphones in both ears, and the loudness is the same for both). Ambient exposure to sound causes damage for both ears. I'm not saying this as a random thing, because I'm a bachelor in medical science myself (not showing of, but just validating that my points aren't made up or came from some random thoughts).
Most people who go deaf because of acoustic trauma usually have bilateral hearing impairment. That's even used to make a difference when you get a patient whose complaint is hearing loss:

Is it unilateral or bilateral? abrupt or progressive?

If you still don't believe me after all the explanation, emedicine is a very reliable site on medicine articles. Here's an article on noise induced hearing loss:


http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic723.htm

after all this, I'm not completely exckluding the possibility of acoustic trauma. These diseases can happen in unique ways and even completely atypical, but if ayu indeed lost hearing on one ear only, and the other is perfect, acoustic trauma is unlikely.

I believe you ImpactBreaker . . but the problem is I can't accept about Ayu's left ear . . i don't want to accept . . I wish it was just a rumor . . you can call me idiot but what can i do . it's already done . . finally I have to accept it . .

I wish she didn't have the hearing loss. Well, I actually wish there would be no more diseases in the world...but then, as a paradox, I'd be wishing to be unemployed LOL

LOL . . can't help it . . .ImpactBreaker . . is there any hope ayu's left ear will recover?

I don't know what caused it. By what ayu mentioned about the prognosis her doctor told her (and I'm sure it was a specialist -ENT- for that matter), it really seems the damage is irreversible. :(

Poor Ayu :(. So shes completely deaf in the left ear now? So hearing aids won't work :O? I hope Ayu can keep moving forward without damaging her right ear even more. Is it possible for her to train her ear/voice that she can keep her tune with only 1 ear working?

OMG . .irreversible? ? ? your comment broke my heart :scry

Maybe she should go to another ENT specialist doctor to get second opinion. Maybe not in Japan, she could go to US or Germany etc.

I don't think the country would differ (I believe Japan ha many good ENT doctors, and ayu would definitely go to a top one). She feels the hearing loss. She did the tests and they confirmed it. The testing is simple and accurate (audiometry), and with the symptoms she has, just confirm it. Neurosensorial hearing loss is usually irreversible.

i hope ayu or her company manage to find the best solution or best doctor that can recover her left ear~like a special surgery that can insert a ear piece inside or watever

I feel so bad for Ayu, I just want to give her a big hug!

i feel so sorry for Ayu, she is so talent and so enthusiams . I know for sure ayu will never give up, but what about her other ear ? why don't people think of a better way for singer to sing on the stage without earphone?Poor ayu! gammbatte!

Is it caused by all that loud musical equipment? =[

omg this is shocking. i am sad about her ear problem, but i am also happy that she found her strength to carry on!

cmon ayu!! be healthy

OMG Ayu I love you so much!!! Wow. This is just... wow...

my god
I'm about to cry
poor Ayu!!
this is all because of her hard work!
and avex always making her work 24/7

I love her even more for wanting to give her best
but I think she should take vacations, rest and relax for a long time
but that's gonna be really difficult this year, because of her 10th year anniversary

deaf ayu... :( god damn it!

my friend told me about this and brought me to this topic... as i read this i was just silent. i don't know what to think in this.

as much as i'd like ayu to take a moment for herself, the fact that she wants to keep moving forward just puts me in awe of her even more! i have a strong passion for music as well, if anything prevented me from making music, i will definitely try to find another way.

ayu seems to know the message well. How can she let this stop her from her life? When life throws you in a different direction, there's nothing you can do except going how you've always gone. ~Live on.

poor Ayu!!

Haih, such a bad new.. Sad for ayu n us.. But if she dunwan/can't sing anymore i really dun mind, coz i more care if she push too hard and sing for us, is painful for her... I now just wish she take more good care on her health and another ears.... We can keep listen to her song/album... gambateh!!

Sigh... poor Ayu! What a disasterous 2007 she has had..... and now her left ear is completely deaf.... Makes me sad now but neverthelesds, I will keep supporting Ayu as she is still my favourite artist to date! Ganbate, Ayu-chan!!!!

Yeah there are a lot of people saying this could possibly be a stunt to boost her popularity. It's really stupid if you think about it though...how would it look if word got out she pulled this kind of stunt. It would anger many fans who actually cared and felt bad she was half deaf. How much more popularity does she need when she's probably the most popular idol in all of Asia. This is a pretty serious stunt to be pulling too. For all we Ayu fans...we know her the best. Is she honestly the type of person who would do something like this without feeling any guilt or remorse. Does she care more about herself than the millions of the fans that support her? I for one do not feel she's the type of person who would go so far as to do something like this. And if by some crazy chance it was all a publicity stunt...well then I'll be the first to admit I'm very disappointed.

......... speechless

To be quite honest, there's no reason for her to use this as a "publicity stunt." Seeing as how it was posted in her BLOG IN HER FANCLUB SITE, she was probably trying to keep it between herself and fans, but since blog stuff isn't private as you might think it is, it's likely that she is misunderstood as wanting to have told the world about it when she really only wanted to tell those who actually cared about her.