Quote:
Originally Posted by kotora
This song may be a bridge of Fantome and the new album.
She used to do that
DISTANCE -> FINAL DISTANCE -> DEEP RIVER
Fantôme -> 大空で抱きしめて -> ?????
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Fantôme -> 大空で抱きしめて -> TALL MOUNTAIN (?)
She kind of did the same thing with Dareka no... after DEEP RIVER. But I don't know if it's because she has some residual feelings left after doing an album and just gets them out in a new single?
The first single for DISTANCE was Addicted To You, which was extremely similar to the R&B sound of First Love.
The first single for DEEP RIVER was FINAL DISTANCE, which, you're right that it did bridge DISTANCE and DR.
The first single for ULTRA BLUE was Dareka no..., which again bridged the styles of DEEP RIVER and ULTRA BLUE, which turned out to be a much more serious and mature project.
And then, of course, Flavor of Life's original mix (the not-ballad version) is extremely similar to the upbeat tracks on ULTRA BLUE, but definitely tipped off the sound of almost every track on HEART STATION.
Sakura came in 2012, and looking back, it's very clear from Sakura from that Fantome would have turned out much less processed and polished-sounding as what Utada did during her peak. Plus, it was a huge tip off to the giant leap in maturity Utada took in her music from HEART STATION to Fantome over her time on hiatus.
So, if she's following the same pattern, and I'm only speculating here: I think Oozora de Dakishimete signals a return to her fan-focused records since Fantome. Between this and her upcoming release for Kingdom Hearts 3, I imagine Utada feels Fantome said what she wanted to say, and now she's moving forward. I also think her massively successful return helped her and all of us realize that Utada has never actually been a product like Ayu or Namie or BoA or Koda. Universal didn't make her who we love. People have always been fans because who she is has always been in those albums, singles, and tours.
So, I'm sure right now Utada feels a lot of things: Likely grateful that her parents both knew the industry so well that they navigated her around having the same issues Namie and Ayu have struggled with their entire careers. She's likely happy that fans care for, respect, and want to support her husband and daughter as much as they do her. She's probably very satisfied that so many people wanted to share in remembering her mother and acknowledging that she wasn't just "Utada Hikaru's mom", she was also a very talented and influential woman. And I think she's also hopeful for the future, knowing that she's not expected to pump out an album every year or a single every six months, that she's not a cash cow for Epic or Universal, but that she can honestly continue being who she's always been and hundreds of thousands of people look forward to it.
If I put myself in her shoes, I imagine I'd feel like I dodged a bullet. Looking at the careers of Ayu, Koda, and Namie, and how they have to qualify a release as "a personal record", I would feel pretty satisfied that I didn't turn out to be that person.
Anyway, mostly speculation, but I still strongly believe that Fantome proved Utada's fanbase have always liked her music AND her. We've never really needed her to be a character or meet some high expectation.
In some ways, it also makes me feel really sad for Ayu. I can easily understand why Ayu stopped going to awards shows and tried to make a huge point about not being seen as a product.