Yahoo Magazine March 2007
[ "A BEST"'s had a truly wrong timing ]
Yahoo: it had been 6 years when you were involved with an [ A BEST ], hadn't it?
Hamasaki: it's a surprise ( laughs ). Because I can't always hear my own songs, going back to 6 years ago when I always heard it was a well enough heavy work.
Yahoo: Did it revive that time to you?
Hamasaki: Yeah. Sometimes the scenery, and my own condition at that time were revived vividly. There are things that I didn't remember and there are things that I do remember.
Yahoo: Did it hurt you?
Hamasaki: I thought that it was painful however, unexpectedly I was all right. "It's already absolutely impossible" and "That is absolutely an unforgivable lifetime", I thought about it furiously, because my image at that time was strong, after that I couldn't see, there are things that I couldn't see too but when I properly faced it, I felt "huh? suddenly I'm fine." ( laughs ).
Yahoo: On the contrary, because I thought of it that way, was there a time you faced it in "A BEST 2 -WHITE-" "A BEST 2 -BLACK-"?
Hamasaki: Umm... When I feel that I'm fine I wouldn't predict however, I make up various excuses like "There is no time" and "it hurts", I averted my eyes to my past self so now I thought that I should face it.
Yahoo: Then, when you thought about it, did you have a motive?
Hamasaki: At the end of year 2006, I was able to create my new album "Secret" but it was huge. At the time I had my first Asia Tour also, I thought that I needed to settle my own past once there.
Yahoo: For [ A BEST 2 -BLACK ] & [ A BEST 2 -WHITE- ] [ Secret ] after all isn't included in them. Did you have a clear motive in that?
Hamasaki: Yes. To me, I think that [ Secret ] is a truly special album. The title of the reverse side within me seems to have the time to "Reborn".
Yahoo: "To be reborn again?"
Hamasaki: That's how I feel. Therefore I couldn't mix the "best" and the past stuff together. Because I was able to create that album, and faced my own past properly, I think that I might forgave everyone right then.
Yahoo: The time of [ A BEST ] is completely wrong, did you feel positive?
Hamasaki: [ A BEST ]'s time was truly negative. That's why, from doing the jacket I rebelled ( laughs ).
Yahoo: From the best album 6 years ago, were the fans worried even right now?
Hamasaki: Yeah. They seemed to think "Are you all right?". But, because I'm truly fine right now, I want to say "Be relieved". Creating the best album and understanding my work, I say that "This is what came around!", properly I say that I'm waiting for my pride and this is how my feelings became.
[ Last year mended the time I considered myself to be alone ]
Yahoo: On top of talking about [ A BEST II -WHITE- ] [ A BEST II -BLACK- ], [ Secret ] became the key point, and year 2006 to Ayu-chan was an extremely valuable year, right?
Hamasaki: It's true. I thought that I wanted to do new things last year. For that sake shouldn't the things until then not break down? Then, my first thought was "From where do they break?".
Yahoo: So far, was there a point where you do an action before thinking?
Hamasaki: Yeah (laughs). First of all, there was a situation where I said that I mustn't try. But last year, mended the time I considered myself to be alone.
Yahoo: Hamasaki Ayumi had the greatest tour in history, and I think that the release's pace was normal however, in a short distance were you able to do it in the margin time?
Hamasaki Ayumi: Of course, Tenpari Makuri had very much the time (laughs) but, in work isn't there things like "I want to do this thing" and "I can't do this thing"?
Yahoo: True, isn't it? Ayu-chan, when aiming at the prize race, would you say "Should I do it or not?" ?
Hamasaki: I thought about it and got better towards the end of that, in simplicity things like my own music has honesty by itself, it was in that state.
Yahoo: Prize race is just a one example however, anyway "Should I do it or should I not?" from a bit of being released, you were able to concentrate by yourself for one year, right?
Hamasaki: Right. Further, I also thought about from where would things break down. Actually the break down creates, I was able to continue trying that. I thought and then, when I fall before that, I will be all right! until I completed it. And then, I get tempted to dash them (laughs).
[ Time didn't return everything intact but, it eased it ]
Yahoo: The initial mini album was announced [ Secret ] and was rushed to become a full album, until fall you were convinced from accelerating it?
Hamasaki: True (laughs). I was able to create lots of songs also, simply things became "This, I want to have it all". Probably, during the break down, even that mini album's category might have "I can't do things". That without notice changed to "I want to try out things", I felt that I had the chance to born and want to write.
Yahoo: That work's words, I think that they even extended truly.
Hamasaki: I'm glad! In the middle of creating the album, I thought "Am I terrible?" but the style was good. Then, at the end as I said some time ago, it became a special album.
Yahoo: At the end of the year when it hurriedly became a full album, the timing wasn't right. But, because that work had an amazing energy, I thought that there is something absolute.
Hamasaki: fufufufu...
Yahoo: Because there was that and there also was [ A BEST II -WHITE- ] [ A BEST II -BLACK- ] that was the reason, right?
Hamasaki: That's true. Lately, when I thought deeply of creating the best albums, I said that I have the time to create them.
Yahoo: You also thought "It's already absolutely impossible", does it mean "I'm fine" now?
Hamasaki: Yeah. I did solve everything, the reason is not so that all of it returns back in one piece however, certainly many things were eased I think. When I thought about that, with the same thing, people who listened to them, they thought that feeling the music in their lives is better. Because of that I created the best albums, and had rather a kind of conviction that I make them for that sake.
Yahoo: The listeners, overlooking Hamasaki Ayumi's songs would not only remember the older songs, unnoticed when climbing over there they would only realize that you are there, right?
Hamasaki: I thought that that would be good.
[ Doing the albums in white and black are my own two faced character's expressions ]
Yahoo: Did you separate the best to "BLACK" and "WHITE"?
Hamasaki: That simply wasn't able to get into one thing flat object and thus they became numbers. When I started to work at first, I couldn't transmit anything, I was intended to finish the one sheet. But, those 6 years were quite long years (laughs). Certainly whether I have a reason or not I was dividing the songs however, to be frank I wasn't worried that much about it.
Yahoo: What about the jacket's photographs?
Hamasaki: This time I'm not crying (laughs). I plainly did the white and black for the difference of the colors but, there is a point where the colors seems almost the same. While thinking about that, I thought "Did my own two faces do the right expressions?"
Yahoo: Like what kind of expressions?
Hamasaki: The me who does the job is different that the private me... In my head, I think a lot about the silly me, the adult me and the child me (laughs). That kind of part didn't appear.
Yahoo: I see! That was a long time period plan and you even materialized the Asia Tour, right?
Hamasaki: Yeah. I looked forward to it. The culture and rules are different because I'm not going to my country, many things like "I will be able to do it over there" and "I won't be able to" pops up, the preparations did a various hard fight. But, doing it in Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, the details of the performances basically are completely the same.
Yahoo: The same direction, does it have the same set list?
Hamasaki: Indeed. I think that watching the same thing is valuable. In order to transmit that It's not "Japan and Asia" because "Asia is one" I appeared at that Asia Tour.
Yahoo: By [ A BEST 2 -WHITE ] [ A BEST 2 -BLACK- ] you settle the past, and [ Secret ] expresses the present, seems that the tour that was done displays the future.
Hamasaki: Yes. I'll do my best!