Quote:
Originally Posted by bluegie
The only artist that can escape that fate is hikki. Of course Flavor Of Life was already a hit before its release due to the tie in and the lyrics etc. But when she announced her divorce the sales actually got boosted up. At that time I was really happy that her popularity was back, but at the same time I was kinda confused by Japanese's reactions toward her divorce. It's kinda odd.
Then, ayu announced that she broke up with Tomoya, people suspected her tho that she used the news to boosted her sales (I can't remember those details, but something like that rite?). Maybe this time the sales could be partially affected by her divorce, but I still think lacking promotion is the major bomb to the sales.
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I think Utada was a different circumstance for any number of reasons though. She was married for 4.5 years before she divorced, which is enough time to give the impression that she worked at (whatever the truth), so I'm betting people could more easily feel sorry for her and look forward to her future. A 1 year marriage doesn't even look good in the ever-forgiving (but never forgetting) USA celebrity culture (although bad-reps don't necessarily hurt sales), so I can only imagine what it seems like to the Japanese. 8(
Secondly, Utada has never had the visual, "sexually charged" presence that Ayumi, Koda or Namie have had, modeling and churning out PVs like nobodies business. She has more of the "girl next door" or "household" image, and her voice and music are less age or culture-specific. Her appeal rests almost entirely on her abilities to sing and write (and legendary status resulting), whereas the other Queens have always been about much more. All of this together gives a very different impression and expectation, I think, so when she announced her divorce the reception was very different (plus, I'm sure her American background also affects expectations).
That, and everyone has to wait for her to produce new stuff much longer than the others artists, so when something new comes out they are probably still living the nostalgia. And, going back to Ayumi and Nagase, people have been well aware since the beginning that Ayu's success is at least partially the result of the aggressive and clever marketing strategies over the years, and that knowledge coupled with her status (which automatically makes her target) lent to the rumors.
Ayumi is a very different image with a different history, and unfortunately I think that's hurting her except with the most dire fans. She is also "old" yet her music and image still appear to target a younger audience who might not be so receptive to that. It's unfortunate, but I remember saying to someone in Japan that I really loved Ayumi Hamasaki, and they said point-blank "Isn't she old?"
In spite of this, I think bad marketing was the biggest issue with PQ, but I wouldn't be surprised if she put off spotlight to avoid bad press over the divorce.
Side note but: Utada hasn't been without issue, iirc. I remember reading/hearing somewhere that she used to get crap early on in her career because she only ever spoke Japanese at home before becoming famous, and didn't understand the various forms of linguistic etiquette when speaking to the media, etc. Thus, many people thought she was rude until the situation was explained and she worked out her linguistic hurdles.