[gakkun]

It's a bit sad that this discussion has come to the point wherein an Ayu fan says flat out that she can't sing.

Yarumi: most boy groups don't last that very long in Japan. The longest lasting one is probably SMAP. It's really male-fronted bands that have long lives in the J-pop scene. Mr. Children, Southern All Stars, B'z (I can't really call them a boy group because one of them plays an instrument ).

I agree that Ayu can sing. It's not that she's technically superior with a great octave range like Celine Dion or Maria Callas. Her voice is very expressive which, for me, make her a far better singer than someone who just sings all the big notes but fails to put any emotion in their singing. Ayu's voice is great precisely because she is able to sing with great emotion, and in return her fans "feel" her songs. I might even say that Ayu is one of the greatest expressive singers I have ever heard. But that's my opinion.

With Chemistry and Exile, I don't "feel" their songs. They have really good stuff, but their songs don't connect with me on any emotional level. They're just pleasant to listen to. I feel the same way about Mariah Carey. Sorry to any of her fans out there.

Everyone's sales in the J-pop industry are down now compared to, say, 2001. In 2001, 10 singles sold over a million copies. In 2004, 1 single (Hana) sold a million copies. (Some people won't agree with me here, but I'm relying on RIAJ labels.)

Look at Hikki, who always used to sell 250,000 ++ units (for her singles) the first week alone. Be My Last hasn't sold much.

In my opinion, Ayu has live performances which are better than her CD performances. I remember one Dearest performance (accompanied only by piano) which blew me away. It was better than the CD.

And, yes, she has been improving live Although her TV show performances are usually better than her concert performances, in my humble opinion. Maybe it's the acoustics?

Maybe I was exaggerating when i said she can't sing but can't I critisize her just because I'm her fan? You've seen her lives; half of them are good and half them are terrible, makes you wonder how she sings so well in the studio. And personally I do like Ayu better than the two said artists but I'm sick of seeing fanatical fans who worship Ayu like a god and sees other artists as dirt. There are heaps of people who thinks of Ayu as worthless do you want them to go everywhere and say 'Ayu only deserves to lick ***'s boots'.