Quote:
Originally Posted by voltron
^ I guess to me, I agree that she gives off an "untouchable" aura, but it's because her personality is very distant/guarded/subdued. I think it's something that a lot of popstars worldwide benefit from -- giving enough personality to be cute or liked, but not enough to be too controversial, never having opinions that are too strong, etc. -- never doing anything that will put anyone off, because it's just so non-offensive.
I know this forum skews young at times, but I wonder if anyone else in this thread was around during her hey-days and can offer their insights too. To me it is night and day, but I'm also willing to admit that my opinion could be the outlier there.
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I think I would agree with this. I was just a baby when Namie Amuro was a rising star but I think it's true. She seems to only show as much of her personality as necessary. Sometimes she seems almost lifeless or a robot pop star these days.
She also does follow the trends very well. I feel like that is one of the biggest reasons for her rejuvenated popularity. She successfully adapted to current modern trends in Jpop. But she no longer creates or sets new trends. But in her defense. I don't think any pop artist ever has been able to maintain their peak popularity and be at the forefront of popular music for decades. Even the most successful and most influential artists always lose popularity eventually. But some can maintain a certain amount of relevance.
I also don't think Ayu was ever an idol. I do think that in the 90's and early 2000s that she was marketed similar to idols with tons of promo and merchandise and just overall saturation in music and pop culture. Ayu is way above idols. I consider her a "singer/songwriter", if we are using labels.