I was going to disagree with you because MY STORY is my favorite album. It wasn't a let down for me, but I agree that from MY STORY onwards feels like a different career.

I'm not surprised so few teens listen to her now. I never listened to Madonna growing up.

^ Arashi is just as old as Ayu.

It's funny because although Depend on you was my first Ayu song, and I hunted down a few euro and trance remixes here and there, and recieved LOVEppears as my first Ayu album in 2003, MY STORY era (including the singles leading up to the album) was when I became an active Ayu fan. So MY STORY up until GUILTY is my favorite era. I'd even go as far to say up until the GREEN / Days single.

I really do believe all of our perceptions of Ayu differ and is very dependant on when you came into the scene. I love a lot of her stuff pre-MY STORY but I don't know how to describe it... it's like, everything pre-MY STORY that I wasn't around for has a different feeling to it for me. I like a lot of it, but it is like I grow tired of all that stuff more-so than the stuff I was around for. To me, that stuff was and is much more predictable (up until RAINBOW). It definitely has a younger, more idol-like feeling to it (the music of those eras). Like I said, it truly is heavily dependent on when you came into the Ayu scene.

I agree that Memorial Address was somewhat of an introduction to a new era. I love love love that album because it definitely is closer in style to the albums that followed it than the albums that proceeded it.

I always found it an interesting topic to think about, on how the timeline of Ayu's career effects each of us. I find it is as if, for many at least, when you first discover her - you really are brought into a whole new world. Everything is new because you are new to her. It's all so exciting and fresh. As time goes on, the freshness wears off (not necessarily your interest), and subconsciously you are looking for that "fresh" feeling once again. But nothing can ever live up to the first year or so that you become a fan. No matter how amazing an upcoming release is, you always hold the stuff that got you into her in higher regard. It's like "The Psychology of The Hamasaki Ayumi Effect"

^You're right about that, it does depend on the time one becomes a fan. The first album I bought was GUILTY, and for me it's her best album--Mirrorcle World and GREEN are my absolute favourites--but prior to my buying the album, however, I listened to a mixture of her songs from MY STORY, Secret, A Song for ××, LOVEppears, I am.... I can see now that as a person I am very different from Ayu, and when I came across her I was still trying to figure out who I was, so I found it easier to relate to her ... though I find that I don't need to relate to the artist--I just need lyrics that have some sense and a decent melody. So, despite her 10th anniversary being my most loved era, I like the vibe I get from her older works, and I find them more interesting, in general, even if they aren't the greatest creations in the pop world. Ayu can do anything now, go in any direction--we have no clue where she's going with the new album. I just don't see her grow anymore. She's evolving, but it's different from before. It's a different process in which she knows who she is and she's just experimenting, approaching things that she likes but hasn't quite done before, while retaining the "Ayu feel" (or that something, anyway), and as someone who observes from the side, I prefer her older work, as it seems much more instinct-driven, and it screams pure energy.

On another note, I was eagerly awaiting the release of Rock'n'Roll Circus when it was announced, and I loved BALLAD, Microphone (even Sunrise, which I can enjoy when I'm in a really good mood), so I find I still get excited, despite knowing her full discography at this point. I just think I should lower my expectations, as I'm used to being surrounded with classical music, and Ayu is a singer who does pop better than classical and rock (in my opinion). I like to take a break sometimes and listen to techno/heavy electro-pop (I'm grateful for the recent Trance album), so I keep hoping that she might give that a try ... but with Ayu, it's best not to expect anything. Chances are she will do the exact opposite.

I don't think that's true at all. Maybe for you, but for me, MY STORY was my first album of hers and I think it's her worst. As for the others, I wouldn't listen to another until I'd exhausted the one before and knew all the songs pretty well, so it took me a long time before I'd even heard everything before that. I still followed the single releases as they came out though, and I don't think m(u) is her best either, which was my first new Ayu album.

^
I discovered her music after moments too and I don't think MY STORY is her best album either and I think (m) u is one of her worst, even if the single tracks are really great. My favourite albums overall are the ones she released many years before I even knew anything about japanese music (like LOVEppears, I am... and RAINBOW). Actually Love SOngs is preobably the album I like the most of all the albums she released after RAINBOW. ;-)

How true that is!!
I first found ayu in 2007 and listened to a mix of (m)u, MY STORY, and Secret all off and on. Naturally I love that sound from ayu and loved GUILTY and some NEXT LEVEL as well. Though I finally went back and listened to her older work. Which I esp. Love RAINBOW and memorial address, it's still a different feeling to listen to that music I first discovered. Like.. Sentimental or nostalgic or something?
So (m)u is my top (well interchangable w/ love songs and rainbow)..

I've a friend, who was a huge Ayu-fan until "Secret" came out. After this album he never got into her music again (which I'll never understand, because "Secret" is one of my favourite albums ever! :heart)
I think that when people grow up, they might fall out of love with things (or in this case musicians) they loved once.


I got into Ayu's music about nine years ago and my first song was "Endless sorrow". I fell in love with it immediately, because it was so different from all the other JPop-stuff I had been listenend to (mostly Anime-music).
Ayu and her music really helped me through some rough times and I guess that's one of the reasons why I still listen to her.

The other reason is that I think Ayu and her music are unique and she constantly re-creates herself, her music and her style.
Not one of her albums is the same as another one and that's why I'm always looking forward to her releases, because I know that she will surprise me.

With a lot of JPop/KPop-artists, it's like: If you know this song, then you know them all.
That's different with Ayu. Of course, not all of her songs are masterpieces, but she does have a lot more memorable songs than other Japanese artists out there. (Not to mention that she is one of the few major JPop-artists, who writes all her lyrics and some of her music herself!)


I can't really say anything about Ayu's reputation in Japan, but I guess right know groups and Hallyu is "the stuff to like".
I still think that Ayu is pretty popular, but personally I don't really care about it. Ayu has shown us often enough that she is a fighter and that she will not change her ways or her thinking, only because some people don't like what she does.
Her attitude is another thing that impresses me a lot and as long as she stays true to herself, I'll stay by her side, no matter how much she sales or how popular/unpopular she gets in the future!

For me the nostalgic effect is MY STORY - (m)u, and LOVEppears since that was my first Ayu album. Those are really my nostalgia weaknesses because it was all still fresh to me. By Secret I was an established Ayu fan.
Older works I was not around for, is a different type of nostalgia. I don't have specific memorable ties to this music in the timeline of my fandom so it's a completely different feeling.
Especially with MY STORY though, I have grown to love the album as a whole so much. It's like nostalgia overload when I listen to HAPPY ENDING, Replace, and especially winding road... which all give off that emotion of "nostalgia" in itself.

It does come down to taste, however, there is music that even if disliked by a group, will never be "crap", and music that even when liked by a group, won't ever be good.

I have to disagree with the assessment of "the first year where you liked her cannot be lived up to" from my point of view since there have been several times where I've been impressed with what she's done in the time since then. (her voice has been great in a few instances since then, concerts have improved, etc.)

I mean don't get me wrong, I still love all of the songs I enjoyed from back then, but that never has any influence on whether or not I believe Ayu was 'better' back then or 'now' since the past is the past and Ayu is a constantly evolving artist who never really has the same thing a few years down the line. I think that part of why some people may fall out of love with Ayu is because they continue to compare works that are very recent with works that were released back then and are for some reason surprised when obviously, she doesn't release songs like that anymore due to not being in the same emotional state at that time or whatever.

I feel that it is not so much a reflection of Ayu and her music quality falling, but more how fans generally seem to drift from artists or even just interests in general that they once held dear. People move on and that's just human nature, though it's very interesting how when it comes to Ayu, it is very hard for some to let go. It almost is like people don't want to accept that the Ayu now who is creating music so radically different from whatever era you started liking her in is the same Ayu.

For once, I'm going to agree with isthisLOL? I don't think all music is created equal and that it's all absolutely subjective. There are standards and rules for music and its productions, just like with movies and books. How often do you see anyone say books and movies are completely subjective? Would you really say that Troll 2 is equal to The Lion King? Why should music be any different if they're both forms of art? etc. But this is getting totally off topic. :P

I agree music (and art in general) is not all subjective... But I also find it hard to believe a piece of work that is well liked by a lot of people, or an artist that can hold a big fanbase for years and years aren't good...

Of couse, sometimes it's all about the package and promotion, still, IMO a well liked piece of music is not that catchy pop hit that nobody cares about after some months, but those well crafted pieces of work that some people take with them forever...

Sometimes people DO say some music is bad just cause they dislike it, or because they dislike the genre (and every genre has its own aesthetic rules, if u dislike those, will hardly like anything produced on that particular universe) and use only their personal tastes to say if something is bad or good.

I hate Mariah Carey, for example, but it's hard for me to believe someone that produced so many classics is a bad artist, or that all of those loved classics are bad music...

Well for me it's not like I haven't liked anything since the MY STORY era - in fact, I have loved so much of it. I adore Love songs. NEXT LEVEL is a bit forgettable and so is R'n'R. I guess it goes to say if I was forced to choose my favorites from Ayu, the majority of them are from when I was still a fresh fan. If I could only listen to a selection of songs, it seems I'd have a ton from the MY STORY era. That doesn't go to say I have been disappointed since then, just that I hold those singles and those promotional album tracks in such high regard. Those are the songs I could not live without. Those are the songs I would showcase to others (as well as STEP you/is this LOVE?/Ladies Night/Microphone/Sparkle).

And of course nobody wants to let Ayu go. Even if they are feeling disappointed with her releases or whatever, Ayu fans are passionate. I mean, many of us do not understand Japanese yet adore these songs. They are that powerful and have that much impact. Letting go of Ayu would mean, for many, letting go of that feeling high feeling she once gave them. Letting go of the hope that those feelings may ever return. It's definitely a scary thought.

Opposed from her earlier image where she was relatable to the younger generations, she's now seen as being way out of reach for people.

Unlike how she's acting in london with her foreign fans, that sort of interaction will never happen here, as she's obviously much more famous and it would create a much bigger scene.

She's not "the people's pop star" or anything like that haha. She has an enormous entourage and seen as being very high maintenance.

But she's arguably the most successful female singer in Japanese music history. There's not a lot of people that can compete with that... She continues to get number one singles and albums even in her 30's which is difficult in Japan.

So she's still seen as an important figure in music. She's just not trendy anymore. But there's a lot to say in that. She's an artist who was huge in her peak but continues to do very well even after the fact.

On a side note, I believe she just moved up to number 6 in the list of most subscribed to Twitter users (amongst Japanese users), which says that people (at least the ones using Twitter) are still interested.

Just this. Art, EVERY art form, always either follows rules or breaks them on purpose, which makes it objective to an extent. Most people who are generally seen as producing great art in any art form have studied that art for years, it's about theory just as much as expression and emotion.
There will always be a subjective part of course, but the objective one can't be denied.
I think the "it's subjective" argument is often used when you know the work you like is objectively inferior but you just happen to love it anyways I think. And it annoys me when that happens. Like from Twilight fans. You can love the movies and books, if you enjoy them, read and watch them! Just please don't go around stating they are the best books and movies to be ever produced because they are really, really far from that. But there's nothing wrong with liking something more that isn't crafted at the same level. Most pop songs are very inferior to most classical music, yet I enjoy pop music more. Same thing. Most of Ayumi's songs are probably worse than many Utada songs, yet I come back to Ayumi's to listen to more often.

And I think with this this off-topic can be ended xD

And about the "first year always best":
I became a fan when Days/GREEN was released and my first song was fairyland. My favorite album is Love Songs. My favorite song is forgiveness. My favorite tour is PoM.

My god, what an awful time to become a fan. At least it wasn't when Sunrise/Sunset came out :laugh

But great post :P

I actually really love both GREEN and it's video, but the CDL that year was awful...mainly because her injury forced her to do a big part of it playback and it was just a boring concert though it had a good setlist. :innocent