I think it has to do more with the perceived discrepancies between Ayu's image and her music. Fans tend to see beyond just her persona, while the general public sees only that: the shit that's on the surface.
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Originally Posted by channy
We certainly don't have any possibility to prove who's the actual songwriter behind Ayu's lyrics.
I'm very confident a lot of J-Pop singers do get their name stated for being the writter of all lyrics for the sake of image care. Fans possibly want to get that feeling, a singer is translating his/her deepest thoughts and emotions into his/her songs, so that listeners would be able to identify with them.
But...
What if everything of Ayu's discography has been written by a ghostwriter? Wouldn't change my opinion on "her" music at all. She's a staged personality, in my opinion, and no one is ever going to experience the real person behind the mass-compatible image that had been carefully created around the brand, even if there are attempts to pretend realness. It's not unusual in the business to achieve the trust of consumers which eventually leads to some sort of "emotional bond" which then secures the products' success.
However, it is hard to say what's illusion and what's not, like Ayu said herself, she's a mere dream of people. I wouldn't generally say it's been exclusively Max and pals who elaborated the product but it's not unlikely to be the case, either.
I agree, though. Even if critics may do have a point there, it doesn't equal an approval for the general bashing of successful products/individuals. Certain people might feel unimportant, building up the lust for demolishing someone or something to compensate emotional stress and a lack of recognition. Just assumptions...
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Any recording artist on a major label (could even be an indie label), regardless of genre, has some kind of marketing strategy attached to them. Shit is never completely arbitrary.
Why is it that only a particular kind of "pop" artist (especially if female and/or minority status, typically exhibiting a larger-than-life persona, sonically lean towards dance/bubblegum/synthesized styles) is ever questioned about their integrity and authenticity?
What about the many acts throughout the era of popular music who achieved success by pandering to the counterculture? i.e. The Clash, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, 2Pac, Eminem. Who's to say they are any less manufactured?