What is the cure?
 

Comparing the sales for Party Queen and Namie's new album [UNCONTROLLED], it's crazy that Namie has blown right past ayu in such a short time. I think, while good, the sales for PQ could be MUCH better.

Obviously I don't believe ayu is going to become a million seller again, but I wonder if there would be a way to increase her album/single sales in Japan. Make her FRESH and HOT again, and have everyone anticipating her new releases.

SO how does that happen? An extended break, to not only make fans miss her releases, but for her to rest and concentrate on writing music? Should she change her style (yet again, since she always does it anyway)? Maybe write different kind of lyrics? (I don't think so because I love her lyrics, but just saying.)

Is it impossible for her to increase her popularity and sales? I don't think so...I just think it would require...something...that I don't exactly know what it is. Lol what do you guys think?

1) Music quality, work with real composers.

2) Promotion, PQ was not properly promoted as Uncontrolled (plus as Uncontrolled is Namie's 20th anniversary commemoration album they've spend a lot of money in things like the giant paint of Namie in Shibuya, things that they don't do for a regular album release).

^^Yeah, promotion is DEFINITELY a big part of it. You don't think she works with "real" composers though?

I think that her releases and new music quite indicate the change she went through. as I see it, her taste has changed, and maybe the vision of music too. I think the root of the 'problems' we have to witness is her own self, partly.

I do not know whether a break or hiatus can help. I mean, she can get lost, but then again come back with team Leslie & Timmy and we get another A SUMMER BEST - whatever filled with tons of HBYA-beloved typo songs and Uraya-who collabos. you never know

I don't know why she's seeing things so differently now, but sometimes I think that now she approaches things more easily than before and with less attention.
also, to my mind, her latest works are a bit lazy and uninspired.

she's been much in the music industry and we shouldn't be expecting top-result all the time. yet, I hope we wouldn't be expecting PQ result all the time too. because at least to me, being her fan 10 years+, it is quite a shame.

to me it seems she's quite enjoying herself, all time working with friends makes your life easier, but I just do not understand, at times, wtf she's doing.

as I see it, her team or management or whoever don't have the long-term market strategy & search. then, the production really lacks some good professionals both in music and visually. she might hire new and fresh personnel?

I don't understand whether Max's still her producer, because if yes, we should fire the **** out of him immediatly. not only he as a president doesn't make any company breakthrough & innovations, but he's also doing it absolutely wrong with Ayu

I do feel that Ayu does not have as much drive as she used to. She makes music for the love of it, not necessarily to sell well. I think she would need to re-vamp her image and get really strong tie-ins in order to increase her sales. I also think she just has to start releasing singles again!

I guess there's nothing wrong with making music because you love it...it's not all about sales.

I would LOVE for her sales to get a huge boost, but I don't really mind if they don't. She's my #1 artist though, of course I want her to be huge again.

I agree with all the opinions in this post. I feel that the lack of singles (not one in 2 years Ayu? Come on!) is a factor in her weakening popularity. Party Queen had NOWHERE NEAR the amount of promotion that Uncontrolled had - more promotion could lead the way.

And I think that, out of everybody, Ayumi needs to take a hiatus, to refresh her creative juices. Look at Utada Hikaru, whenever she takes a hiatus, afterwards, she makes fantastic and creative music. Ayumi's music, however, is getting stale in my opinion. I feel that she is making music to please avex and to make more money. Her last GREAT song was BRILLANTE, but her last great ALBUM was NEXT LEVEL, 3 years ago.

I realize that, as avex trax's flagship artist, she has some sort of duty to release an album a year or whatever, but I feel that she really should take some time off to write some fantastic songs and record what could possibly become the best of her career - it would revitalize her career, and her sales.

I meant Timmy

Namies marketing team is much better than Ayus is? IDK at the moment even I prefer Namie to Ayu and for me Ayu ALWAYS came first in the past. Ayus career has been on a decline for years now. I don't think we will ever see her sell a million again. It's just scary and sad that the sales are getting less and less. And I don't think there is a cure.

I never really cared for her sales. As long as she can live from the money, it's enough. Most of the singers I listen to, are unpopular or flops. I just want her to become more classy and natural again. I know this won't happen but still I have this wish :)

Going off stuff that we were talking about...somewhere else...

I think she needs to be less gimmicky/contrived, and just straight with the music.


I...don't really feel like explaining :laugh But I think...sometimes, we need to give Japan more credit. Even if they do buy crap like akb...I think when you present something like PQ to this kind of public...there's a sort of...shut down that happens.

It's just too much. I think Love Songs was nice...concept, pretty everything, but then the music was....special.


But...these things...I think they require her to, not do what she wants. Maybe take a break. Maybe take some direction from different people. Maybe work with different people. Maybe not be so edgy...Maybe she just can't be edgy now that she's old.

And maybe, that's the actual problem :shrug idk it's 4 am. Maybe she does need a break.

I feel she needs a break especially since she has been working hard non stop for the past 14 years ever since she debuted in 1998

Also as what others have mentioned , her drive in delivering music then & now is noticeably different . Even the quality of her PVs if not music isn't the same level as before & I noticed I haven't really enjoy a decent PV of hers from MOON / blossom onwards which's really unfortunate coming from her that used to release really awesome PVs during her hey days

I think that she has already reached a stage where she feels she doesn't need to please anyone anymore but she shouldn't use this as an excuse & already it's evident in Party Queen where she cannot rely soley on her name just to drum up sales which backfired

At the end of the day , I'm sure she knows what works best for her but for a workaholic like herself , she needs to get a time out , come back with something great instead of releasing albums on a yearly basis for the sake of doing so to please avex

I think her mindset is " I am going to make the music that I like. Fans dont like it? Too bad. I am gonna release this song anyway"

if she still wanted sales, she would have done something long ago.

That's not true. If you rely on AHS opinions, Party Queen was getting an insane amount of hate from the very first moment after it leaked. This is just AHS but Japanese weren't too amazed of the album either it seems, hence the rather low sales, I would assume.

I wouldn't blame the lack of promotion either. If an album catches people's attention the hype spreads automatically. I would always prefer a real success over an aggressive marketing wonder. This point makes "Party Queen" even a little lovable. Almost no promotion but still it got a decent amount of sales.

She just really needs to try. Like, avex needs a gameplan. Not just one release here and there - they need to discuss a strategy and sit down and plan like what they are going to do and how things shall proceed. They need to bring QUALITY back to Ayu's releases (better shoots, better PVs, better music production, better promotion).

I have always been against her "disappearing" and taking a break as I feel that would throw her further into oblivion.

Why she's declining imo..:
• I think most people who know Ayu' music have kinda high standards when it comes to her. That's why it seems that people are "complaining" about everything she does nowadays..Well, who created those standards? Ayu herself, of course. She was very strict about her image and music.
We can easily accept if artists like 2NE1 lipsync on a stage, but when Ayu does that we get disappointed. Why? Because she normally never does that. It's not Ayu.
Her name still kinda means high standards, after all she is a legend, but she doesn't perceive things as clearly as she did. Back then she was serious, now it feels like she doesn't care or she doesn't know what's she's doing.

•I don't really want to compare Namie and Ayu.. But just look at those two, how different images they have now. Namie's style now is cool, fresh and something for young adults to look up to. She looks good as ever.
Ayu doesn't even look like herself. I don't know what the heck happened to her.
Then compare PQ's and uncontrolled's covers.. Which one would a normal consumer rather buy? And GO ROUND's covers were amazing as well.
I know they're two different artists with completely different musical styles, etc, but theyre rivals in the same market.

•Other thing is the vocals. I know many of you here hate her screetchy vocals from ASFXX ~ Duty era but Japan loved that voice. Now she sounds completely different, not appealing at all to general public (?).

•I also feel like she doesn't have much to write about.. (I know she did like 2 albums about Mannie, but.. You know what I mean..Her lyrics doesn't speak to me like they used to).

•Promotion, yes, it's almost non existant.

•Lack of singles..

The cure? A Break. She has it. She just has to find it again.

I don't care about she sales either, I just want her to be mega-awesome again, I know she can do it.

GET RID of her actual unprofessional team. Hire some people who have the guts to say NO. She has to make a brand new start. More promotion of course. Focus on music, on quality.
She has to challenge herself and stop the 2003-2012 formula. She actually tried (jazz elements on PQ and some other things). But the rest is mediocre at best.
If she doesn't go through some changes quickly, I don't see her going anywhere. And it's really unfortunate because I think she really has some talent. But having a great album every 6 years is not enough.

She is old, overexposed and way past her peak... It's just natural she sells likes she does, and there's not magical formula or marketing strategy that can totally overcome this. If there was a guide to 'how to get stellar sales again after being the best thing on your music industry', Namie's 2nd peak wouldn't be something rare... 2nd, 3rd peaks would be something common and recurrent.

A new big hit song could help... Namie started to get on fire with Baby Don't Cry and entered on her new peak with 60s70s80s...

On the same way, it could do nothing... After her peak and selling poorly, Seiko had a million seller single on the mid-90s... It's one of her biggest hits to date... and it barelly affected the decline on her album sales.

^ Yes, I feel the same way.

Like, what happened to all the uber successful singers from the past? Momoe Yamaguchi? She ended her career for her husband and her family. Akina Nakamori? She was big in the 80ies, 90ies, her last album was in 2009, nowadays she reversed to a hiatus for an unkown period of time. Seiko Matsuda, still a welcome artist for shows like Kouhaku Uta Gassen but not anywhere near as successful as in the past when she and Akina were the number ones.

So probably that's what happening with Ayu, too. Within the next few years she may lose more and more recognition and importance to younger people (new generation of teens that are 13, 14 years old) because what are the 80ies and 90ies stars mentioned above to teenagers these days? Often they don't even know them or they do know them but just by their names. Same is going to happen to Ayu.

Circle of life? :'D

I think some of the opinions in here are spot on and others seem a bit cynical.

Namie, regardless of her comeback, hasn't matched her old sales. And we'll be surprised if Uncontrolled outsells PAST<FUTURE. This is partly because she's been around for a long time, and partly because record sales just aren't on par with where they were 12 years ago.

That said, I think it's important to address the fact that someone in Ayumi's position really shouldn't be selling as poorly as she has since 2003. Somewhere between RAINBOW and Memorial Address, the public started losing interest. You can tell that her first week sales for Memorial Address dropped by half of what RAINBOW's were, and this same sales issue carried over to MY STORY. So, truly, I think her sales took a nosedive during the two years between RAINBOW and MY STORY.

Where I think public confidence in her dipped was when GUILTY hit #2. I think this, coupled with a string of very erratic releases is what has shot Ayumi's career down faster than what would otherwise happen naturally.

Ayumi's releases since 2008, starting with GUILTY, have been some extremely off-the-wall albums compared to her earlier works. The fact she's gone from a hard-rock record [GUILTY] to pure electronic [NEXT LEVEL] to alt-rock [Rock'n'Roll Circus] to almost teen-pop [Love songs] to this wacky Party Queen record shows she's been experimenting a bit more than she did in her first 6 years as a recording artist. This isn't bad, but fans like to hear progression in music and Ayumi is coming out with records that are insanely different compared to previous albums. Further, her singles have been quite lackluster and sparse since (miss)understood, which makes each album harder to tell what the sound or content will be.

The few things I would ask Ayumi to change would be:

1. Get rid of Timothy, get rid of Leslie, get rid of anyone who sounds good right now. If you can't see yourself working with them in 5 years, you shouldn't be working with them today.

2. Find an actual sound and stick to it. Having unpredictable records makes for unpredictable sales, which in this case is just saying that we can't predict how much less the next album will sell.

3. Bring back Kazuhito, HAL, and CREA. Make sure these three names appear for the majority of each record. These were the names that built Ayumi's sound, and these are the names that will guarantee it makes it into every record.

4. The only features you should do are with other big names. Further, take a page out of Koda Kumi's book: Features do not sell as well as solo singles, especially if you're doing them with an artist or group no one knows.

5. Stop playing nice and letting people piggyback on your success.

6. Stop assuming you can rest on your laurels because you're Japan's highest selling female artist. If you even look at a record and think to yourself that something could be different, shelve it and start over.

7. If you decide to try a new genre of music, do not make a whole ****ing record out of it.


I think that sums it up. :)

That's simply not true :msick

If anything she's been using sort of themes which would later provide the follwing concert tour with matching stage designs (probably since MY STORY) but you cannot declare entire albums as certain genres.

GUILTY had maybe 3 rockish songs, the rest was pop (glitter, (don't) Leave me alone) ballad-pop (fated, Together When..., MY ALL, untitled ~for her~) and except of Mirror the other two interludes were pure pop as well.

Same for NEXT LEVEL. This was NOT an electronic album. It had 3 electro-pop songs the rest was pop, ballad-pop and rockish pop.

I don't wanna continue here, but the other albums are hardly 1 single genre either.

I don't think Ayu should choose a genre and stick to it. I like that her songs are different from each other. I'm more disappointed in songs that sound typical-heard-it-a-1000-times before. I think it's almost impossible to have a second revival like Namie did. Namie looks so young, you almost forget her real age and that she already has a son who is a teenager. She has a more dance oriented sound and that always works better with teenagers, I guess.

I think that Ayu does what she wants. It's her career and she is at a stage in her career where she works for her core fan base. The dangerous thing is when that fan base gets disappointed all the time and breaks away. But I think most hard-core Ayu fans will always stay with her. And maybe that's enough for her.

@orbitalaspect
Sorry, but I can't see how her sales could fall softer... If you take a look at the sale of most popstars anywhere in the world, the sales don't drop 500k, 200k, 100k... They fall millions, they go from the very top to the very bottom, in 5 years the hottest pop act tend to be oversell by any indie band... If PQ is her very bottom, she took almost 10 years to get there... Sales decrease can't get more steady than that.

And a few things about Trends: Also, every +-10 years you have a change in the generation, Ayu's core fanbase is made mostly by people who were teenagers during the 00s, and it's normal that the newer generation negates the past one, seeking inspiration on the what was cool 2 generations ago...

So... the 90s is inspired by stuff did on the 70s, the 00s was heavily inspired by stuff did on the 80s, and right now, the 90s are being inspired by the 10s... So, no wonder Ayu (the biggest from the 00s) was on some ways a Neo-Seiko (the biggest from the 80s), and that one of the biggest jpop star from the 90s is having a comeback now in the 10s.

The 10s generation will negate a lot of stuff big during the 00s... And Ayu may be among those stuff...

I agree with most everything orbitalaspect said. Very good points. Although, my most favorite songs by Ayu began during Memorial Address (love a lot of the older songs too but...).

GUILTY may not have been full-on rock, but it had that overall feeling to it. It has been my album of choice lately and I always think "wow, this is such a well put-together album, don't see why people diss on it so much"

And the problem with NEXT LEVEL - it may not have been an electronic album, but it was MARKETED as such. The packaging and theme does not fit the content at all (somewhat, but overall the album is a mess).

Hardcore fans won't care, but trying to bring in new fans with so many different styles thrown into one album can turn them away. It's much too confusing for them.

I also agree she needs to stop relying on her fan base. That's where avex throws all their marketing into and it just doesn't work anymore. Mind you, she can make a living by catering to her core fanbase, but really, for how long can that last? Sorry to say but the fans are dropping like flies. I think that's where a lot of her "lonliness" comes from now. She loves her fans, but she is sad to see her fanbase continuing to die down and ultimately people who once loved and adored her are now losing faith in her, getting tired / bored, and moving on. That must be a terrible feeling and I'm certain it has affected her to some extent.

And Ayu has had some of the best "dance-oriented" music in the past. I mean, her earlier works were so... original! She blended together bits of so many genres and it worked. Not off-the-wall experimental like she tends to do lately though. I had always loved how versatile she was but with the changes in her voice, she is not as versatile anymore. Her strong points are hard rock, and electronic done right (NaNaNa was good minus Timmy). She can really pull those genres off but she needs to continue to dive further into them.

I honestly agree with you! (:

1) The main problem I'm having with a few (if not half) tracks on Party Queen is the way it has been arranged and mixed. I mean like let's take the 2 awesome rock songs; Return Road and reminds me. I'm not exaggerating by the way... It always seems to me that I'm listening to a vocal track and instrumental track, and not one finalized song. I just don't feel it. In songs like; M, Because of You, talkin' 2 myself, MOON and Sparkle (and basically her whole I am... album) they sound like finalized songs; proper mixed. It's like the vocal blend with the instrumental in full harmony. I miss that on some of the Party Queen album. And also, I have a Dolby BOSE 7.1 soundsytem in the living room and when I play her I am... album they sound TERRIFIC, perfect in every way. Quality to the MAX. Sounds coming from everywhere, really doing my sound system full justice. When I play Party Queen though, that boom is nowhere to be found neither is the perfect mix feel. Even on full sound I feel like it's lacking. It's like it lacks a lot of quality and it makes me kinda disappointed. Though how beautiful you are, in fact is perfectly mixed, so is Party queen. There is that feeling that you have one finalized track, especially in how beautiful you are. Gotta give Timmy props for that (if he was responsible for the finalized product that is). edit; (Also, just a personal issue; I really wanted some of the tracks to have more kick. Like in Return Road, there is absolutely no awesome kick in the drums or something, it's way too soft. It's basically the bass leading us through. But this is like what I wrote above, just my personal view!!)

Don't get me wrong though I feel like miss. Hamasaki Ayumi's voice is superB on that album, one of the better vocals featured on her albums, ever.

2) I think if she had the same kind of promotion as Namie Amuro had (and what she continues on doing at the moment I'm writing this post) ayu would have be on her rightful 1st place ranking. The album deserved that after all.

I'm really not sure if promotion is really that much to blame. It's not like she had 0 promo. Could she have done more? Certainly. But so could a lot of artists. I personally here in Tokyo didn't notice a HUGE amount of difference between her promo and the promo the majority of other albums get. I just think that most people are just unconcerned with Ayumi in general and in addition to that she has lost a lot of fans along the way especially with her creative choices over the last couple of years imo.

Sorry, just really disagree here. It might be somewhat true of foreign fans that in the case of Namie they don't care about her early career, but that is not true of Japanese fans. Songs like Can You Celebrate are still to this day what she is most associated with in Japan, despite the popularity of her current music as well.

Exactly. I would love if Ayu suddenly found a formula to get back into winning form again, but at the same time I'm not expecting it to happen. Namie really is the exception to the rule since off the top of my head I can't think of any other female artist in Japan that managed to have a second peak.

I agree with you. I really don't understand when people are saying you don't like the new stuff=you don't like when she is "experimenting", trying new things etc; when she is obviously doing the same thing all over again (and that's why I blame her and losing interest)... Like party Queen is a "conceptual album"... Seriously, it's just the same songs we've already heard a thousand times (minus ESM and The next love). :no

Her last albums are just a plain collection of different sounds. Her last cohesive album would be Love songs that's it.

I do believe that much of Namie 2nd peak has to do with her post-TK career being almost a new act... Even if both have a lot of things in common, the overall feel is not of all of those being done by the same creative force... What is true considering the 90s Namie is based on the creative choices of TK and her agency, while the 00s-10s Namie is based on her own choices and tastes...

The only way Ayu could reproduce something close to that would be by giving a good amount (I mean, almost all) of her creative choices to someone else... What would also kill what makes her insteresting on the first place. :P

(kind of OT, but just to address Seiko and Akina - Akina's popularity originally dived because of her suicide attempt, although she did reclaim some popularity in the early 90s. After she released DIVA in 2009 there were big plans starting in 2010 to start gearing up for her 30th, this year, but she contracted bed-ridding shingles and is still trying to recover. Shingles are super nasty and apparently it's put her under house arrest. Seiko on the other hand is pretty much scandal free even after her rumored involvement with the original Akina scandal. But yeah, she's not an "it" item for the newer generations. She's "mom and dad's" music, maybe even grandparents now. That also plays a lot into the psychology. 90's artists aren't quite there yet - they can still be the "cool" music of the older sisters and brothers.) lol random run on.

I honestly don't think a hiatus would help her, sales wise. As someone else said, I think people would be more likely to forget her and not care when she comes back. Artists like Namie came back with established hiatuses between works (mostly because Namie tours until she wears out) and for another example so did Utada. It's not unexpected. But Ayu has sadly put out this pattern of quick release and sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps her in the public's eyes.

Personally, I don't care. I love PQ (talking top three albums here), and wish she could do something like that again. But obviously not everyone feels that way. Ayu is one of those super divisive artists, and something I pretty much accepted a long time ago is that even I'm not going to agree with most people about Ayu's career decisions. I do agree I'd like to see her working with different people, but I don't think going back to HAL and such are the answer. HAL had a very distinct sound that's dated to the early 00s now imo. And as much as I love it, I feel like it would be the same stagnation others talk about. :shrug

back to her MTRL BRAND and leave the waste of branded thingy...
lol...
and back to fresh make up....her recent make up is out of proportion....

-hiatus would not help ayu get her sales back...for the worst, maybe it could actually finish burying her career.
-H/\L would not bring ayu sales back in any way. As much as I like H/\L, I'd bet japan has already grown tired of their songs. I'm sure ayu released some H/\L songs after memorial address and they weren't able to boost her sales in any way.
-I haven't listened to Namie's latest stuff, but if it's anything like the type of music she's been releasing the past few yearts, she's going forward in what current music (specially american) trends have been going lately, thus making her stand strong with songs that have a hip hop beat coupled with sexyness. The same goes a little bit for kuu, even though part of her major initial career boost after butterfly was the amrketing idea of the weekly 12 singles, but after that she was able to carry on with the trends and sexyness. I was listening to the radio in my car a couple of days ago, and then decided to put Party Queen and JAPONESQUE albgums to play. Even though I love PQ, none of the songs felt liuke it could be palyed in the radio stations here, while Boom Boom Boys and Slow seemed like they could adapt well with the current type of music that has been played on the stations.
-ayu, on the other hand, as much as people say she's changed and released albums in very different styles (which I disagree, sort of), she has still be sticking to plain jpop. I don't think she's been doing major leaps towards something different on her carrer. Her songs are still about facing troubles with acceptance and love, she still makes a couple of ballads, summer pop and pop/rock songs, and they aren't really all that immensely different. I would risk saying NaNaNa, BRILLANTE and the jazzy songs are a little bit different from what she usually relkeases, but that's it. I love what she's been releasing, but I guess they just aren't anything that would suddenly boost japanese public interest unless she truly is able to make something that matches current music and nail it well, but she hasn't been trying that, and I really don't give a damn for her to do it either, atm.

quality of her music is declining. and i'm gonna say it, her new pvs SUCK!! i reaally don't like Timmy.

I personally (most people probably don't agree with me) think that a lot of it has to do with her CD covers, posters, PVs, magazine shoots, etc. I'm not saying that's all of it, but seriously, compared to Kuu, Namie, and other artists, Ayu's covers etc. are so...blah.

I mean, I look at JAPONESQUE and I'm blown away. The PVs, the covers, the photoshoots...EVERYTHING is artistically AMAZING. Then you have things like the 'You were...,' 'L,' and 'A SUMMER BEST' covers and I wonder WTF is Ayu thinking?? Almost all of the PVs from Love Songs were boring as all ****. She has been consistently boring in all of her non-music related media since GUILTY, in my personal opinion. Meanwhile, Namie and Kuu are off making gorgeous things!

IDK that's just how I feel. One of the reasons I got into Ayu in the first place was because I loved her PVs, covers, and photoshoots. It's also the biggest reason why I don't follow her much anymore. Constant disappointments in that area.

CREA, HAL, and DAI.
In an age of music so complicated and all over the place, CREA's simplicity is much needed.

It doesn't get much more gorgeous than this:

Probably the last REAL GREAT covers she's had. I had it on my desktop until last month for the longest time. But if you were referring to these limited edition covers:

Then I agree.

You know I don't think they've actually sat down and had the conversation with Ayu "well... you know... we need to talk about... uh... you're declining sales... and... what we're going to do... about them" Before things can ever improve they need to come to terms with reality (including Ayu) and face the facts that something needs to be changed and a game-plan should be set in order. But really, I don't see anyone actually attempting to tackle that issue head, on face-to-face with Ayu. I think the last time it was lightly addressed was when Max and her had a conversation, basically laughing at all the nay-sayers who were saying Ayu was "washed ou~t" and that's when they planned fairyland. But the state of her releases/fan-base is much more critical than it was back then, so it really isn't a laughing matter this time around.

That obviously definitely has to do with you and I'm pretty sure many other fan's lack of interest in ayu.

Personally though I feel like the amount of amazing pvs and covers and photoshoots she had in the past that were beautiful/creative/interesting is kind of exagerrated by some fans. But I guess that's the ayu many people fell in love with and is the ayu people want and think will bring her back. I don't see that happening.

I agree with everything you said.




I just wanna say that, if she changes her style/career drastically, it could actually be more harmful than good. She might lose many more TA fans, and if she fails to impress casual listeners and other possible new listeners/fans, it'll be the bottom for sure.

She can't just look at namie or other current successful singers and try to be like them, she'll never do this, and not just for sales even. Maybe this is what AVEX wants her to do, but instead she's still revealing against them by putting out those controversial PQ covers. Ayu does what she feels is right in her heart at the very moment, and it doesn't matter how other people want her to be, because she'll never be that. She'll always be herself, even if this means that she'll wind up selling 5k or less.

Ironically, she's everything but fake. She could look fake to many people, but we all know she isn't fake at all, she's never been fake. And we can all see this through her music, all the way since she started until now.

I think that if she ends up working hard for another sales peak it'll be sad, because she'll be doing what AVEX wants her to do and not what she really wants to do, just like it happened with A BEST. She's achieved so much, but many of those achievements were AVEX's and not hers. At least she got to release A BEST 2 how she really wanted to do it. I'm sure she's just happy performing and seeing her fans and feeling close to them, she seems so warm and kind when she meets international fans overseas.


EDIT: And she is not old, when are people going to stop saying this :laugh Just ridiculous.

Promotion and a new, dance-worthy sound a'la Namie would see her getting more airplay on radio, played in clubs etc.

Nobody can dance to ballads or pop songs, but Namie's sound gives you energy and makes you want to move around. With Ayu's latest offerings, you just want to sit there and take it all in.

Oh, and better covers ;)

Never? Because she's only going to get older? She's old for the industry...that's not an opinion, it's a fact :/


So is Namie, but Namie has a different image than she does.


Actually, I think we're lucky she isn't selling under 100k. A lot of female solos are hurting badly right now.

If she took a hiatus maybe more people will get more interested of her comeback..?

This reminds me of a conversation I had with my boyfriend (who doesn't listen to many Japanese artists) recently.

Me: "I am loving LOVEppears at the moment...question, why don't you like Ayu? Though, I don't really blame you at the moment, her last release was terrible, and I love Namie's new album more."

Him: "To be completely honest, she's difficult to 'get into'. I prefer Namie too, she's a lot easier to listen to."

I agree with him on this. Ayu is a bit of an odd taste; you either get her, or you don't. But yes, coming from a person who doesn't listen much to either artist, he prefers Namie. I have to agree with him, Ayu is no longer a musical trend setter, she's not on the ball like she used to be. Once she could dictate what was popular, and now she cannot for reasons unknown (influencing choices) but related to her declining popularity as an artist (is it her promotional team? Is it Avex? Is it her own choices?).

Also, the quality difference is massive between Uncontrolled and Party Queen.
Uncontrolled seems polished to the max; actually, it reminds me of a generic dance version of MY STORY.
Party Queen...is just horrid. I haven't listened to that album in about two months, it just seems like 'cheap' pop to me, extremely ear grating. Sorry if that sounds negative, but compared to her past works that were crafted with absolute perfectionism, it's just...disappointing.

What is more depressing though, is that I actually prefer Namie's arguably-most-generic album, to a more experimental album from Ayu. In the past, it would have been so different.

The only 'cure' for her to boost her sales and overall quality is to follow the crowd genre/sound wise (like Namie) for a bit to restore her overall fanbase (casual listeners/fans/hardcore fans; particularly the causal listeners), and then release something a bit more experimental.

After 14 years on the industry, she would be considered a veteran on any area she choose to work... As the area she picked depends a lot of the public opinion about you, that's a lot time... She is closer to Seiko Matsuda than she is to Kana Nishino right now :P

Also, we are talking about a country where a 25 years old woman is expected to be already married, with children, taking care of her family at home retired from her professional life... A 30+ years old girl can be seen as old on that contest too.

I don't really agree with it myself... most of brazillian female mainstream artists reach their prime at their 30s...

I think Ayu's music is ok, although there are some obvious changes in her music styles in PQ album. Somehow it's not that exciting. Maybe she needs better composers. And she definitely needs promotion!!! Maybe she also needs to rest for some time so that more people will anticipate for her releases.

Honestly, I think her album covers are getting horrid. Maybe she needs to change the photographer and the designer too. lol. Stop being with Leslie so much!!

I agree with a lot of things in this post. NOW I think:

-a hiatus would hurt more than help (or maybe I just can't accept a long period without new music from her)

-return of old composers, especially CREA

-better photoshoots for CD, DVD, live covers

-MUCH MORE PROMOTION

-more TV lives

-release a damn single and PROMOTE IT EVERYWHEREEEEEE! and include 10 tracks full of remixes like the old days.

-go back to older styles of music (LOVEppears to like, (miss) understood)

Sorry, but just no.

I must confess, I've never listened to anything of Namie Amuro but I skipped through her newest album "Uncontrolled" and except of "Love Story" and "Tempest" every single track on this album is provided with a cheesy electro beat / bassline. That's nothing else than average electro pop.

Aim for the most up to date mainstream sound and lose your musical identity.

Luckily Ayu is still refusing to jump on the David Guetta sound (I call it so) everyone else is looking for to improve sales.

I don't think it's just to improve sales. People like those songs for a reason :/

Namie has always been more about performing and dancing than anything else...so that's what she mainly does.


And it's not THAT crazy for Ayu to think about electropop in that way. In the golden age of remixing back in the day, she was all over that scene :shrug Guess it wasn't her original studio versions though.


Honestly, I don't know how I feel about her promotion. She always seems so busy and tired, and people are always saying how she needs more time for her.

Was there a time when she had a good balance? Instead of just either or? idk.

Yea. But there is a difference. Ayu always had her studio albums separated from the trance/house/eurobeat albums. Even at her peak when her first ayu trance release flooded the clubs.

That's why I don't see her releasing pure electro/dance studio albums. She's always had her wide range of remix albums for that anyways :)

Getting rid of the amateur who photoshops her photos nowadays and no Leslie or Ryan anymore..
Ayu should find good photographers..

^^Well she's done pretty much every single other genre out there. lol whatever though, as long as ayu remains true to herself, which I know she always will, I will follow and love her.

Yeeeaaah, I dunno, I've definitely found myself playing Kuu and Namie in my car much more than Ayu these days. I can't really explain why, but something has changed. I'd say it was me who changed, but it doesn't look like that's the case.

I haven't listened to Party Queen in a while. Most of the songs haven't had much staying power with me, unlike songs from her other albums.

I would love to see better covers and photoshoots of her. The FIVE photos were some of the best I've seen of her in a long time. The ones where she's smearing her lipstick are just so raw and artsy. I feel like she's so overdone with makeup and photoshop these days that the images of her have no spirit. The recent Summer Best CD cover is so terribly photoshopped that I nearly want to cry looking at it.

FIVE photos were amazing. That's awesome edgy Ayu I need.

If the music had been better, that album would have been wow. What a time to start "experimenting" with r&b.

It's so weird...I've also listened to PQ FARRRR less than I've listened to her other albums while they were new.

Actually, it may be because a lot of the songs have a sad undertone (reminds me, Return Road, Tell me why, letter), and I'm just in a very happy place in my life right now. I've been listening to much more positive, upbeat, happy songs as opposed to the sad songs. Maybe that's why. But it freaked me out at first, I was like, why am I not playing these songs over and over and over and over like I always do with new ayu releases?! hm.

Well even if I am in a happy place, I absolutely love sad music. Sad melodies - I can never get enough. I just feel like sadness is the strongest emotion, especially when conveyed through music. It just becomes so utterly beautiful.

^^It's hard for me to relate to sad music when I'm not sad. I remember when going through a break up I couldn't bear to listen to happy, upbeat songs.

Actually, I understand exactly what you mean. Ayu and I are usually on the same wavelength, almost to a creaky extent. When she got married, I was in a new relationship so that Love songs got MAJOR overplay. But although I adore PQ, I'm in a happy place so the only songs I listen to regularly on the album are call and letter because they sound the most happy lol.

^^Yes, exactly! Ayu's releases always oddly related to my life at the time of their release. haha

Preach!
Thank god Ayu hasn't jumped aboard the electropop/dancepop craze. I probably would lose interest in her if she did so. I have specific artists if I want to listen to electro (ami suzuki for example). The Ayu sound is much more different. It's more slow, relaxed. I hope it stays that way. She just has to, as Pieces_of_SEVEN says, stay true to herself.

^^Yes, and keep those remixes coming! LOL TRANCE!

I kinda think she should be shoved in people's faces like she used to be...like, on billboards EVERYWHERE, in CMs, etc.

But but but if she's shoved in people's faces, they might become bored of her, won't they?

^^Possibly, but I just feel like Avex needs to do SOMETHING. I feel like they are completely and utterly FAILING her and letting her down. If I were ayu I'd kinda be pissed at them. She barely gets any promotion, and they're releasing the same material over and over again. sigh

over promotion in her early hey days probably did her more harm than good . A typical case is her label mate , girl next door

When they 1st debuted 4 years ago , avex overpromoted them like nuts until in some circumstances , it backfired quite badly . Now with barely little or no promotion , their popularity has dropped a great deal

I don't know if it's also because of the type of music they do which the public weren't really accepting it but for avex , it is either you love to hate them or hate to love them >_>

It doesn't have to be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much promo I guess. But fans and the public should KNOW that she is releasing something, and when, and hear a teaser of the music. I feel like that's not even happening.

Well, with the way you put it, I guess being shoved in everyone's faces will remind them that Ayu's still around and stuff. I've also been kind of ticked off that they hardly promote her these days. Just because she's a legend, doesn't mean she doesn't need promotion... I don't know.

I wonder why they haven't started promoting ASB yet. It'll be released in a month now! COME ON AVEX, NOT ONLY NAMIE, PROMOTE FOR AYU TOO!

^^See?! I just don't get it. WTF avex.

? avex has nothing to do with Namie's promotions, she's not managed by avex like Ayu and Kuu.

-
I like the CD+DVD cover, from what I can see atleast. I won't comment on the CD only one :dead2
I'm glad that TK will do the new song and not Timmy lol, it better be a real summery song and not one of those ~kinda-somewhat summerish~ songs.

^^Since when? AFAIK, Namie, Kumi, and Ayu are all under Avex.

I think Avex just does Namie's distributions or something.

Like I think it's even a little different with koda vs ayu, because koda is under rhythm zone...not sure about that though.

Yep they just release her products or whatever, but she's managed by Vision Factory.


Maybe avex can't afford to promote their artists because Max used up all the avex money to keep TKs ass out of jail lol

^LOL omg that's so wrong. I Just wish we knew how ayu felt about all this. Does she even notice that there is like no promotion? Does it not bother her? Is it killing her inside, but she is too nice to say anything? Gotta wonder.

I'm listening to Uncontrolled right now. Both it and JAPONESQUE are radio friendly albums. They seem more up to date with current music trends. They have songs that sound like they can be used to advertise products and fashion, and be used in gyms to boost people with energy to do their exercises. Party Queen, despite its name, has a mix of songs that really sounds out of place for current music. I love PQ, probably more than both U and J, but the whole album feel is really disconnected, and most of it is not really partyish. I'd take that the majority of ayu, kuu and namies fanbase/listeners are made of teens and younger adults. I really feel like kuu and namie's songs sound more like they're what's "in"; maybe I'm wrong because I don't know Japan to be honest.

It's been a time since I last listened to namie, but hey, her english accent improved so much. It used to be slightly annoying, but now it flows smoothier and makes more sense. I don't feel anything weird with the english used in Uncontrolled. I still get a bit embarrassed when ayu sings english words though...wish she'd improve that too, though she has improved.

About labels, seriously, I'm probably wrong, but I always I thought Rhythm Zone and Vision Factory, and whatever, are just different sides of the same coin. All avex, with separate labels in order to experiment with diffferent kinds of music genres. It's not uncommon for some industries to split into different brands (3M lol). I don't really know how it all works though.

She still gets to perform alot and she is like the richest (probably?) artist in Japan, so I doubt she is wasting any tears over it lol
Rhythm Zone is a sub-label under avex yes. VF isn't a label, it's a talent-agency that just manages artists or something, idk tbh, but it isn't a part of avex

There's a chance you're right, but I don't think ayu is like that. Money isn't everything. She must feel some type of way after being the empress for so long and now it's like...whoa.

even though all 3 of them are under avex , it all boils down to the way their music is marketed & distributed differently

For eg. Kumi's music is distributed under Rhythm Zone which's 1 of many sub record labels that avex owns while for Namie's case , even though her material is distributed under Avex Trax , external affairs of hers & etc are managed by Vision Factory which's a talent agency

For ayumi's case , I suppose both her music & external affairs are managed by avex under one roof ? I could be wrong but this's only based on my assumptions

It can get very confusing & it's the same with Johnny's too . Even though the music of V6 and Tackey & Tsubasa are distributed by avex , they're still tied down to their talent agency Johnny's & Associates at the end of the day

Even though I studied management before in school , I sometimes do wonder why does such a big company like avex trax love to complicate matters as times like this :dead2

eh dont know about this! he's in jail? why???

anyway i just saw on namie's official FB page and OMG :thud i loved her staffs! they are doing really well promoting her on her page,and the most surprising for me how they write both in English and Japanese so there for all her fans can easily understand it. they also upload her full vid on her YT channel. that is so pleasant for fans with such friendly staffs.

Isnt it would be great if Ayu's staffs could do the same thing for her?? dont they see how many fans she got from all over the world,we would be really appreciate if they did like what Namie's staffs did. Plus they can expose Ayu to more people internationally :o:o:o

im so so so disappointed with her management lately,they seem had no idea and interest for her career anymore? Ayu why you say nothing and keep quiet like nothing happened...:(

ps: she seems neglected her diaries on TA too

ONE MAJOR SOLUTION:

AYU BETTER KICK AVEX OUT OF HER LIFE AND MAKE HER OWN LABEL :yes

It's almost like the old band story; each member ends up with a solo album so that they can produce whatever genre/sound that they like without having to consult with other members of their primary band who may have differentiating tastes at the time.

Maybe this is the stage Ayu is going through? Where she just wants to make music that she currently likes right now. That's great for her, just not great for fans who are expecting what she typically does/are following what is popular.

If she wants this, perhaps she should release an album under the name CREA instead of Ayumi Hamasaki? (Indie Ayu?)
Ayumi Hamasaki is Avex, but CREA is what I feel fans define as Ayu.

I actually really respect Ayu for continuing to produce and release music that she enjoys and wants to sing; even if it is making her unpopular. Personally, this current trend of Dance/Gaga/Namie like pop is doing nothing for me (still better than Party Queen though). It is the epitome of generic, corporate-loving money making music, and I'm so glad that somebody like Ayumi Hamasaki still does whatever the hell she wants (even if it's not too flash at the moment).

I agree...

She needs to pull a Ray of Light.

Come back down to earth, Ayu.

Release thought provoking magic again. With good acting. :-[

Ah, the recent Summer Best CD cover... the first moment I saw it I thought to myself, wow, Ayu looks like some Eva Longoria variation. She appears uncharacteristically... blank.

These days I find myself fighting, straining to move on and letting Ayu go... but she is one of the few singers I listen to, so that binds me to her.

In my humble opinion, she's too complacent in her career now to "make" any effort. I guess it's only natural. You can say you want to do something that you like forever or else you'll die, but the hard truth is things always change. People change.

The only cure I can see is that Ayu needs to pick herself up. After all, she has full control over her career. She's capable to venture out if she wants to.

Well... ROL was released on a moment Madonna was going to stop caring about being on the center of pop music and conform herserlf to be a old act with a somewhat underground following... To a point she used a unknown producer to release a album that went on the opposite direction of mainstream music trends and didn't even toured that album.

Considering what Ayu is doing for the last few years, I would say she is doing the same thing since Rock'n'Roll Circus, as even if she is touring, she is going against the trends...

I don't think she's doing the same thing and she and M are in a bit of different situation considering these releases

also, to me, ROL is the best M album ever ever

fire the heck out of Max Masato Matsuura. now. he's like the old & lazy boss *****

She should get new staff around her

Can someone explain something to me? I've been thinking about this and realize I don't quite understand, especially for Ayu.

What exactly does she do? Like what jobs does she have as an artist right now? She writes lyrics, I know, but how does the whole creative process work with the composers and arrangers and choosing the compositions and arrangements and such. I could ask something similar for her covers and music videos but I'm honestly more concerned with music.

Madonna was at her rock bottom when she released ROL, it wasn't like the world was eating her releases and her albums were selling loads... Actually, her sales at that time were considered a failure and she was seemed as a has-been on the music industry. She had a couple of hits (Take a Bow, Secret) and released a thematic compilation (Something to Remember), but not even those were enough to push her sales. Between Vogue (that was her last huge song) and Frozen (that was the song who brough her people back), it took her 7 years, a hit movie (Evita), 2 failed albums (Erotica and Bedtime Story), one compilation and one Soundtrack.

Remembering that both Something to Remember and Bedtime Story were attempts to bring her back to the top, both following the trends of the 90s music big names like Celine, Whitney and Mariah (adult contemporary, soft rock ballads, r&b ballads), and both failed. On Ray of Light she was pretty much doing what she felt like doing, and it was probably her most risky album since Erotica, as there was no way to forsee how people would react to it.

On the same way, Ayu is at her rock bottom, she is not following the trends other than FIVE (no electropop, no hip-hip + eletronic music, no r&b ballads... what is what Namie and Kana Nishino are doing mostly) and she is trying new things to her discography... Will people like it? The main problem of trying different stuff is not knowing if it will work until it does.

Also, good for you that you find ROL to be her best album... A lot of people do (I myself prefer Erotica, but ROL still is a top3), but it's not the fact that you like it that makes it a good album... On the same way you hate it, a lot of people loves Ayu's recent discography... She released 3 full albums that are either on the very top or on the very bottom of the people favorites, what means that even if this is not directally reflecting on sales, she is experiementing enough to polarize people, what doesn't come with a certain amount of creativity (and I'm even including RnRC on this, one of her albums I dislike the most).

Also, again, it's not like her releases are being ignored... Nor like she hit her bottom for a decade now, she is pretty new to it actually... So new, it's to recent for people to actually re-discover her, and every long-therm music act goes through this... People love you, people forget you, people re-discover you, people forget you again. IMO the best thing she can do is keep doing whatever she feels like and evolving her artistry, even if it means some miss-steps... In the end of the day, it's not like the major public will love anything she will do for some years...

As far as we know, her work would be the one of a creative producer... She choses the direction, she aproves everything and she makes sure her idea comes out the way she wants. What means she asks for this or that kind of sound, this or that arrangment, etc. She doesn't do all the stuff herself... but no popstar of her size does as it requires more knowlegment and ability than a single person can have^^

Thank you :) lol and it would require a lot of knowledge...

I just wanted to know because sometimes people talk about how she needs to put more effort in or something like that. But I'm never exactly sure what they mean or where the effort is going. I mean, I think ayu is fine, idk how hard she works but I wouldn't say her music and career is lacking her personal effort. And I don't think whatever effort improvement that is wanted would make anyone like her music anymore. Idk. It's hard to make sense of my thoughts about her career.


But, Andrenekoi, I agree with your earlier post about the time frame and people and etc.

:think ;)

hmm, i think she's just does things in her comfort zone nowadays. i feel like she doesn't need to prove herself anymore & does things her way. i mean, i would love for her to do something "fresh" and modern, but i've accepted the fact that she probably isn't going to...she doesn't seem like the type of person to ditch her team and start new.

she still has a rather passionate fanbase, so i think she will cater to them, rather than grab new fans.

I find it hard to believe that Ayu doesn't have access to resources to rejuvenate her sales if that was her priority. And I find it even harder to believe that Avex would just ignore her and not promote her well.

I think many of you are right. I think she's more interested in experimenting with different sounds and making music. She's doesn't have to prove herself anymore, she doesn't have to break any records, set any trends etc. She's done it all. And despite what fans think I do think she's inspired and focuses a lot on her music.

Speaking completely from my own biases and interpretations, I can't help but feel like she's been really tired and bored for the past few years. She gives off the distinct impression that she would have liked to have retired after "Love songs" but keeps going because it's what Avex (and the fanbase) wants her to do.

I base this on a few (unsupportable) claims:

- She spoke of "L," her 50th single and last before the "Love songs" album release, as being her "final fortress" or something to that effect. Looking at it thematically and in light of that comment, it seems like it was meant as a conclusion of sorts.

- She looked and sounded completely bored during "FIVE." I've honestly never seen her less engaged. I know some of that may have been caused by her unhappy life with Mannie, but the whole project seemed off. Also, "BRILLANTE" and its video have ominous connotations when interpreted in terms of her career. For one, she's shown being literally destroyed by the Crowd, suggesting that she may no longer feel in control of her own image.

- The whole "Party Queen" project seemed like a rebellion, from the garish covers to the Timmy invasion to the odd showtune experiments at the end. It also went out with nearly no promotion. I know it's probably unlikely, but I really wonder if she wanted it to flop in order to "get back" at Avex. (No offense to those who really like this album!)

With this in mind, the "cure" would be for Ayu to get back that spark she had before "Secret." I did see glimpses of it on "Love songs," which may have had a deliberately nostalgic feel because it was meant to be her last.

Also, the type of music she makes (rocky pop) seems to be out of vogue in Japan. Listeners there want R&B ballads and K-pop style electro, which explains why Namie has done so well reclaiming her dominance. Namie also seems really energized and interested in making her latest album a success. I have no doubt that Ayu could pull a Namie in the future if she really, really wanted it. This would take her coming back with some genuine surprises, though. I'd love to hear a hook-filled superhit a la 2NE1's "I Love You," personally!

I don't really think it's about the music style with Namie and all that. Japan still loves it some Japanese style music. Songs you wouldn't hear in most other places. It loves it's cutesy pop songs. I do too.

I actually find these to be a really interesting interpretation of what's been going on in her career the past few years and I feel like a lot of it makes some kind of sense. When news of her divorce broke out, I immediately thought of BRILLANTE but upon watching the PV again, I felt that the song's lyrics were a lot darker and aimed towards the fans, or rather those that put her on a pedestal. It reminded me a lot of the struggles she had with her career when she released "Duty."

Only thing I don't remember is her comments about the release of "L" :c I'd be really interested if anybody has the original tweets or interviews where she referred to it as her "final fortress"

People need to stop comparing Ayu's type of music to other rather successful albums from singers like Namie and Co.

Ayu has always had her very own mainstream-sound, like there is J-Pop and there is Ayu-pop, you know :) Two different things. Other artists can play the famous electro hype, but not Ayu. After all she's still producing high-end pop. Even after Party Queen.

Singers like Ami Suzuki that went uber electro in the past few years are covering all the need I personally have for electro tunes and even though I like especially Suzuki's electro works I felt so sorry for her when I saw her performing songs like "FREE FREE" at a-nation '07. Or the pathetic "live" performances from Perfume. Is that what some of us want Ayu to become? A playback star? An artificial Yasutaka product?

I reall wonder about that...

I think I have a cure. It consists of multiple components, definitely---but I have been thinking about this for a while and I'm fairly certain that it could work.

Before I begin, let me first clarify that sales ARE IMPORTANT in the entertainment industry and in the business world in general. Consistent minimal sales will result in consistent net losses. It's just as simple as that. Expensive music videos ("Fairyland" and "JEWEL") will ceased to be produced for Ayu and the overall song quality will also go down because the money to fund bigger, more expensive productions simply won't be there. The (miss)understood project for example, was probably the MOST EXPENSIVE album Ayu has ever released simply because (1) the most expensive Japanese music video promoted the release, (2) the album is largely a cover album which required certain rights and royalties to be purchased beforehand, and (3) the promotion was essentially out of this world (especially with the music video recordings in New York ["Bold & Delicious" and "pride" music videos). The sales of this album, didn't make it to I am... status, but it did well for the time period it was released. The question is---did it (along with the (miss)understood tour) give Avex a financial boost, or result in a loss?

The answer, I think---is that it gave them most of what they put in. But after the release of that project, the sales began to decline and that kind of money just couldn't go into a project. Somewhere along the way, Ayumi lost her marketability and relevance in the J-pop industry. I'm not going to go into the specifics of why or how, but I will definitely say that there are two major decisions that, in my opinion, she/her team has made that contributed to it:

(1) The continuation to produce the same thing over and over again. From the way in which her album covers looks (face shot...face shot...face shot...) to the type of music featured on the albums (they're produced by the same composers and have similar sounds), the production of her albums and advanced singles are like having plain cheerios EVERYDAY for at least five years straight.

(2) Career isolation. The only people Ayu/her team works with are for the most part people within the team. And when she does step out of those bounds, the finished product is awful (again, in my opinion) because she chooses to work with people who are more friendly than they are talented (sorry, Timmy. I still love you though).

OKAY, that's enough of what's wrong...I almost added a third and fourth, but I really need to get to the point here. Here are my suggestions for a cure:

(1) TAKE A BREAK.
Ayu-chan, you're the Empress of J-Pop for a reason. You have gone beyond queen level status as far as the public is concerned. You're staying power has proven that much. Take some time off to not only re-cooperate, but to also rediscover yourself. Reflect upon your journey and where you would like to go next. {LOL at myself acting as if I'm actually talking to her...}

(2) FIRE the old, KEEP the excellent, and HIRE the greatest.
There are some people that are on Ayu's staff that are hanger-ons---they aren't contributing anything substantial, so they need to go and start working for someone else. There are some people that are on Ayu's staff that have done an excellent job thus far. Emphasis on "some." Lastly, when replacing the old and building the new team, don't settle for less---instead, HIRE THE BEST. Hire young people with a vision that are willing to not only work hard to bring the Ayumi Hamasaki brand back to the top, but have the talent and high quality of that said talent to do so. This includes stylists, composers, background dancers, choreographers (Jesus, please...get this woman some REAL choreographers), and the live band (I'm sorry guys, but it's time for some people to retire...and yeah, that's pretty much the ENTIRE band).

(3) RE-BRAND.
When Ayu first came out, she had endorsement deals that actually made logical sense. Nowadays it seems that she does commercial deals for ANY and EVERYTHING that's willing to take on the song. She and her team need to recognize that while she is older, she still has the potential to reach teens and young adults, but they must come up with an effective market strategy in order to do that. How can you attract their wallets? What will make them LISTEN to your music? What will draw them in? Ink a deal with the most popular cell phone company or something---get your music and your image stuck inside of their little heads, lol.

(4) NEW BRAND= NEW, GENUINE SOUND.
At the end of the day, the music is what is most important to EVERYONE (Ayu and the fans included). Even if you have to go back to the very beginning of your career to find something beautiful---search for it, own it, and create that beauty through song. That said beauty is really what makes Ayu distinct from ALL of the other J-pop singers that ever attempted to compete against her. They might have been better vocalists (Mika Nakashima and Hikaru Utada) or better dancers (Namie Amuro), but they didn't (especially in my opinion ;p) have the ability to be as sincere and earnest as Ayumi Hamasaki.

(5) EMBARK on an ASIAN TOUR.
I might not live in Asia, but I *KNOW* there are fans that are DYING to see Ayu live on that continent. Stop staying inside of your borders/comfort zone of get back out there. Those people love you and you really need to give them the same amount of love in return. You don't have to do it every year, but you should do it as often as you can.

(6) CHANGE the FORMULA of the LIVE EXPERIENCE.
Rename the tours to something more epic. You don't have to put "arena tour XXXX-XX" in every title. By renaming the tours and even calling them something entirely different from the promoting album---something relating to the theme of the show, you essentially create a new experience for the fans. Also, change the flow and look of the concerts. People were amazed when the MY STORY tour came out. The flow was perfect and the set designs as well as the costumes were AMAZING. That being said...that was 2005...it's 2012 now. Try to make something that will top the formula of that tour and tours past.

(7) GET RID OF THE BROWN/BLONDE HAIR.
When Ayu first started dying her hair, she looked different, but at this point---Everyone and their Asian grandmother has that hair color. She needs to go back to the dark hair to set herself apart---she could even add a few streaks of color into it for fun if she wants. But the light colored hair has to go. It just has to.

(8) BE MORE OPEN.
It's okay to be RAW these days. Have a reality show or documentary chronicling your transformation from the old Ayu to the new Ayu. Be honest and allow your fans to witness and experience this. It will also help reintroduce you to the public and to those who don't know much about you.

(9) WORLD TOUR.
Once the public realizes that the original queen is back in business, go ahead and kick off a world tour. If the likes of BIG BANG and 2NE1 can have "world tours," I know Ayu can. She's a better entertainer than they are combined. She just needs the support of her fans and record label to do it.

She just needs something catchy & hot and some good promotion and she's good to go imo. Lyrics don't matter, vocals & overall quality doesn't matter. It's just gotta be catchy and generic. Some sex appeal thrown in wouldn't hurt either, though I know ayu isn't so good at that sometimes.

Personally I don't care if she never has a hit again or sells 1,000 copies of an album, I just want new music from her.

Let AHS be her management & creative team at Avex.

This came from her November 2010 interview with Sweet Magazine:

Once again, what does 50th single "L" mean for Hamasaki Ayumi?

A: Overall, it feels like my last fortress. If someone asked me to give the single a Japanese title, I'd call it "Saigo no Toride" ("The Last Fortress). Though it didn't happen in the end, that's how I made the single.

What a deep answer!

A: The fans seem to have lots of speculations about this single too, like "what does she mean?" (laughs)

And "why is she suddenly so gutsy?" I feel so too.

A: Well, that's because I have built my fortress.

Why did you build the fortress? What commands are you going to give? Or is that a secret?

A: For now, I can clearly see what I want to do. What comes next will come.

The original thread: http://www.ahsforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105884

Lol never. Sometimes I see the stuff AHS edits her photos into or other photos AHS likes over others and I realize I can probably never empathize and understand some people's taste. I'm good with seeing where ayu goes.

I feel like there is no real and absolute "cure"

Mission impossible