A really meaningful and insightful post, thank you for sharing
Still waiting on that official TA translation haha
There are times that I feelt ayu kind of phoned it in but I don't think that she's ever been creatively bankrupt. In the last few years we got some amazing songs like The way I am, FLOWER, Last minute, TSMGO, W, WORDS, Summer Love...several different concepts in the concerts... If this is passionless then what am I doing with my life?
You can't force creativity and if she's
actually rediscovered her passion while recording this cover then what's to come is going to be powerful.
Sometimes I have to actually remember what year it is, that Ayu experimented with all sorts of genres during the 2010s from country to dubstep and it's probably her most impressive decade creatively. She's also battled a number of health issues with her declining hearing, knee issues if I recall correctly and two pregnancies in recent years!
But look at what she's done in that same time!! Just thinking about the albums I'd consider the "strongest" in concept and content of the last two decades you have 2010s: MADE IN JAPAN, TROUBLE, A ONE, FIVE, Love Songs as a romantic concept album vs 2000s: I Am..., RAINBOW, MY STORY, NEXT LEVEL, Memorial address and (miss)understood as a Western concept album.
If NEXT LEVEL hadn't came out in 2009 and tipped the scale I think the 2010's would be the strongest release period in her career despite the low output.
Some concepts didn't really hit as well as they could like RnRC or Colours but the only time I think she really blundered a concept in her career was the Party Queen covers. The photoshoot hasn't grown on me in 9 years so I don't think it ever will LOL
Ayu really increased my expectations for this release though so hopefully it's actually worth all the excitement and we get some good material in the months or year to come.