Ayu made a cameo on manga "Nine Peaks" which is currently being published!

"The author of "Clover", "Crows Zero 2" and "Himawari" is back! The curtain arises on a heated battle of two men in a town full of sh*tty delinquents!"

https://i.imgur.com/lfPyrTH.jpg

Today's the first time I've listened to ayu's music in about 4+ years. (Making my way through A COMPLETE.) Geez her music is amazing! I'm listening with new ears and a new perspective which I'd expect to have after so many years, and the quality of so many of her songs is just A1 (pun intended).

Also, songs that I used to have difficulty really enjoying (like kanariya and far away, for example) are hitting differently, in a great way. And some of my old favorites (like monochrome, WHATEVER, evolution, etc.) are sending me into orbit. Phew, what an overload of the senses. Pure joy

^ Her music is definitely ageless.
(I know for fact that I'll still be waving my hands at SURREAL's lalalala part if I ever live until my 70s xDDD)

I also found myself this week looping over snowy kiss live version from COUNTDOWN LIVE 2019-2020 ~PROMISED LAND~
The chorus (before she fell) and the last chorus are just SO epic with the trumpets and the choir, makes the live song more powerful and grandiose than the LOVE again version (you guess it, her live versions are on a heavy rotation here)

Also is it just me or her current CDL are starting to overshadow her other concerts / tours, by like a huge gap ?
The PROMISED LAND and 23rd monster are so much superior and just on another level, same for MUSIC for LIFE that was initially supposed to be the CDL 20-21, but it wasn't always the case before (TROUBLE, Just the beginning, MADE IN TOKYO...)
Expecting another great CDL this year to promote the new album.

I’m honestly hoping this album puts her schedule back on … a schedule lol.

We’ll get a fall/winter album, which she can tease at CDL, then it allows for a full spring/summer tour.

I tried the TA quiz but couldn’t read the Japanese fast enough and got timed out after about 13 out of 20 questions… only got 8 right, I suck :P

^ Tried the TA quiz as well, not only the questions change if you try it again, but some are kinda VERY hard I guess ? Some are even related to her dancers and staff, tried to translate some questions in the spot and got "What was Subaru doing to relieve stress before going on stage during ARENA TOUR XX", like seriously ??

I tried this quiz, but my browser stopped to translate page from the second question, so I gave up

A tip: Google Translate app for smartphones has a function with Google Lens. You can point out to a text on a screen or a paper and it translate automatically in your screen, real-time.

Forgive me if I'm late to the party mentioning this, but Goto Maki performed Rule on the Masked Singer Season 2 a couple weeks ago. :) All of her song choices were excellent actually and I could tell who she was from the first note - she also did Namie's Hide and Seek, Superfly's Tamashii Revolution, and Every Little Thing's Fragile of the episodes I've seen so far.

I’m listening on a loop since 1 werk Party Queen and its Arena Tour 2012 version, the instruments are much stronger

Great articulation of your experience. “Sending me into orbit” lol, what a great way to put it. Sometimes I think that’s how my friends and others around me think when I put on and/or am jamming out to Ayu — “yep, he’s in orbit right now” lol.

Years will do that to you — make you find new appreciation for tracks that were r in your top. I think it’s because your favorites aren’t as fresh anymore and pulling you to compare everything to them. You find the inherent “Ayu” im the tracks you didn’t initially enjoy (I remember the exact moment this happened to me with CAROLS; now I think it’s a masterpiece).

I just found out a cosmetic brand called ‘Ayu Cosmetics’ lol
https://ayu.ie/

I hear you. Today I had some music on in the background while doing homework, and I had this sudden urge to listen to Pride for the first time in years. It was the first Ayu song I ever heard performed on TV. I wasn't a fan then, so I didn't know who was playing this beautiful song, but I dropped whatever I was doing. She and that song grabbed me by the throat . . . or maybe the heart. It still takes my breath away.

https://www.xiaohongshu.com/discover...00000018018b4c

Love how her vocals sounded so good here! Agreed?

Joysound Karaoke released their ranking of the "most sung" artists over the last thirty years!

Guess who made number two? Ayu is right behind Mr. Children as the second-most karaoke-d artist in Japan from 1992 to 2022. :love

Here's the article on Yahoo Japan.

(Amuro Namie is #8, too--good for her.)

Wow congrats to her!

Hey guys, was Power of Music 2018 never released on DVD as part of anything no?

Only the WOWOW broadcast.

Thanks very much, will have to just be a gap in my collection so!

when ayu scores a brand deal with them, does CMs for them, and gets famous in ireland LMAOOOOOO