Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - Numero TOKYO N° 97 (2016 June) preview

Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/index.php)

- Ayu Celebrity News (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=92)

- - Numero TOKYO N° 97 (2016 June) preview (http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122720)

They're from Giuseppi Zanotti's Zanotti Design. Perhaps custom?

^ Thanks! I couldn't find them on his official site, so they're probably custom made... I'm in love with them :headache

Ayu's gotten some personally designed shoes from him in the past so I wouldn't be surprised.

Currently translating the article, thanks to truehappiness for requesting. ^_^

Here are some preview snippets!

Quote:

18 years since her debut, Hamasaki Ayumi has reached a state where she is "satisfied with life". "In fact, there isn't really anything I desire anymore. When I did the fanclub tour and performed on a concert staged to resemble a show, I suddenly realized how much I loved to sing. Of course, I still have a wish to grow as a singer and entertainer. That would all come together on stage. That is where I belong. But aside from that, there is nothing else I want."

Quote:

Because my job requires me to stand before people, I don't have the chance to show my feelings to others. I have to smile, have to act tough. I know I wasn't required to do that, but I also didn't want to share my thoughts with anyone, nor was I foolish enough to do so. So it means that the self I was at the beginning, during the "A Song for XX" era, is still basically the same self I am now, 18 years later... In this time, the things which I can't tell anyone about have increased, so that darkness still remains... And I have no intention of telling these things to anyone in the future as well.

Quote:

But songs are my way of finding a balance in order to continue living strong, so singing about things actually fulfills me. And when I bring that song to a concert in the form of a show, I'll get to see it from another perspective because I take on a self different from the me I was when I composed the song. However, the song is still written by me, so I'm still able to deliver its punchline. Through that, I'm able to have an output, and maybe that cleanses me and helps me to regain some balance.

thank you, Misa-chan
snippets are veru interesting

Numero article always really interesting to read...

Can't wait for the full thing. Thank you so much for translating!

Thanks Misa-chan!

I love the insights that interviews like this give us.

Numero TOKYO 2016 June: Ayu Feature Article

Hamasaki Ayumi BEAUTY 147

Read here: https://misachanjpop.wordpress.com/2...ature-article/

Thanks so much! I just got the e-mail about it.

I hope lots of people read this section and realize that Ayu is not really going to go back to the way she was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misa-chan

In March this year, the album "A BEST" which sold a total of 5 million copies, was released in a remastered version. It clearly showed an objective perspective of the woman who had journeyed more than a decade, something which the latest album does as well. On the other hand, the re-release of "A BEST" has attracted many comments from people who shared that they were "saved" or "supported" by the songs. How does ayu herself think of such comments?

To be honest, I really felt alienated by that. Of course, people would attach different memories to the works I create, and feel nostalgia or joy. Hearing about that makes me really happy, and I am glad to be the Hamasaki Ayumi who created those songs. However, there is another side of me... When everyone is reminiscing warmly about how a song makes them remember how much they used to love someone, I was at my lowest, coldest point. I'm the type who seldom writes about happy things, and coupled with the fact that I always remember exactly what state of mind I was in when I wrote each song, the few days before and after the re-release of "A BEST" was emotionally void for me. I wanted it all gone... I knew that I musn't return to how I was then. There are things I need to do now, so I need to move on. I am living in the present, and I don't want to be dragged back 15 years to the past.

So much AMAZING stuff in this regarding how she feels about her career and what she wants to do.

Thank you so so much Misa!! This was such an interesting read, she revealed so many things from the past. I'm really happy for her to reach this current mindset. Now we know clearly what ayu is trying to present with MIJ :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness (Post 3204023)

Thanks so much! I just got the e-mail about it.

I hope lots of people read this section and realize that Ayu is not really going to go back to the way she was.

So much AMAZING stuff in this regarding how she feels about her career and what she wants to do.

50 mill ? According to the Oricon chart, the number is just nearly 20k.
@.@

^ 20k is for the 15th anni version. The original A BEST that was released in 2001 sold 5 milion copies

Thanks, Misa! Interesting interview~ I want August to come to see the tour :(

Quote:

To be honest, I really felt alienated by that. Of course, people would attach different memories to the works I create, and feel nostalgia or joy. Hearing about that makes me really happy, and I am glad to be the Hamasaki Ayumi who created those songs. However, there is another side of me... When everyone is reminiscing warmly about how a song makes them remember how much they used to love someone, I was at my lowest, coldest point. I'm the type who seldom writes about happy things, and coupled with the fact that I always remember exactly what state of mind I was in when I wrote each song, the few days before and after the re-release of "A BEST" was emotionally void for me. I wanted it all gone... I knew that I musn't return to how I was then. There are things I need to do now, so I need to move on. I am living in the present, and I don't want to be dragged back 15 years to the past.

What a revealing reply!:eek
This quote of her's really adds to the Made In Japan era and helps tie everything together. I think this shows that Ayu is going through a rebirth afterall. We should support her! Not wish for the past. It isn't what she wants.:heart

Thank you Misa-chan.

This interview is really interesting. I can identify myself in what she said about the lack of confidence in the start of her career. And I hope I'll be able to grow up like her.

Quote:

I go onto the rooftop with my dogs, bathe in the sun, and smile. Bathing in sunlight each morning sets the day going at the right rhythm for me. It also affects the quality of my sleep.

It's a very positive way to start the day.
Maybe I should try that too. However with the rain....-_-"