|
| · Ayu's Official Site · Ayu's twitter · Ayu's YouTube · masa's translations · Misa-chan's translations · |
|
#1
17th January 2006, 12:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Ayu "versus" Koda Kumi
Ok....first of all
no artist bashing here please.....lets talk logically...forgive me if i got some sentences out of mind or what...ok.... well...what i wanna talk now is about ayu's career and fame this yaer (startin from 2006) So...as al of us had known that koda began to rise sooooooo high since the early 2005 (coz her secret album is the "best" sellin among her previous 3 albums rite)...for ayu herself...she's been hitting 1 million+ ever since her debut album (which is......great for a newcommer that time...if you compare to recent new comer) SALE we saw that (miss)understood sales are indeed LOW...really lame...according to me...I thought it'll make 200+ this week...but....judging from kinki kids who could just make 90,000+....so what...... my point is...comparing to what Koda Kumi's next upcoming album.....Koda will probably sell more...but I know ayu will "fight" till 1million+ !!! ganbatte ayu !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! one thing that makes me really surprised is.....ORICON daily chart (01/16) is STILL filled with Best~first things~ on the 3rd...YES IT's UP THIS WEEK...an almost past half year album.........could really stay well.......omg hm......from the fans koda fans is gettin "wild" increasing....nothenless...OMG...but I love koda also...despite from her too sexy style...which sometimes annoying me abit.. i think in one point why they started to love koda is that japanes music culture has changed a bit also.....in my country here...western music...commonly hip hop/rap is really popular like crazy...i think most of other parts of the world also influenced a bit...then I'm not assuming ayu SHOULD change her style coz she's really good already In fact...ayu has always changed her music style every year...which makes me happy (her vocals also)....that's the raeson why i'm currently crazy of Bold & Delicious which kept mumbled in my mouth everday (trust me !) fans gettin bored of ayu.....? not really...but surely some of her fans are gettin out of her....in so many reasons....we can't blame on them...it's just a matter of emotins of like and dislike..."high" and bored hm...well then...i'm still thinking on what to say.....please speak your mind here 
|
|
#2
17th January 2006, 12:53 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
like i said in another thread, the music direction keeps changing from time to time. We can say people in jpn like foreign music style at this moment (I dun think R&B is that hit.. if so I think groups like SOULHEAD should be popularity somehow..). Kuu's music surely has R&B ingredients, but her hits ain't R&B at all, such as real Emotion (dance?), Cutie Honey (kinda jazz), SHAKE IT (the pv... wow), and Butterfly (another jazz liked jpop). It's just at this moment sexy image is a big hit in Japan at this moment. And to be honest kuu looks better and better lately. She isn't that fortunate until now. Back then she has been called a **** for several years. I bet it's hard for her to struggle to this stage. i feel happy for her, and she looks sexy yet elegant now
 no one really knows what type of music is the hit until you see which artist(s) is popular at that moment. Let's say in mid 2004 - mid 2005, Rock music was really popular (orenji renji). BUT we say rock is a hit because orenji is a hit. With the fall of OR's popularity, we say rock ain't that popular as well. So I will say it's the artists stirs up the heat of some types of music, not the vice versa. That's why ayu's doing a wrong thing. Personally I think B&D is a good song, but it's not something the audience want from ayu. they rather want something that is between rock and pop from ayu (look at her hits between Duty and RAINBOW, most of them are poppy with some rocky styles). That's why STEP you was ayu's biggest hit. The only "out of the blue" from ayu this year was HEAVEN. It's something similar to her old stuff, and I have no idea why it suffered in the beginning. oh one more point I wanna discuss. Popular groups such as B'z, Mr. Children, etc. they went through this stage as well I believe. Remember back then when hikki and ayu covered half of the music industry back then? Not many people would discuss the older groups. However, with a few hits they're still here. Ayu is going through this stage at this moment. I dun think ayu can cover half of the sky again, but at least a great hit will make her statue shinier. So right now... she should go back to her old music style. That's where people like her the most. (of course... it must be something she likes as well.)
__________________
 ... ... ....
Last edited by bluegie; 17th January 2006 at 12:58 PM.
|
|
#3
17th January 2006, 12:59 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
Anyway, I think its simple. Ayu losing popularity. T_T I think she should retire after another album and a greatest hits compilation. At least her greatest hits compilation in the future could sell 10 million and beat Hikki's Fist Love record. Kumi although remotely good, is only recently picking up in terms of sales. Although her quality is debatable. You be the judge of that. Instead of Koda Kumi replacing Ayu if ever, I'd prefer Ai Otsuka.
|
|
#4
17th January 2006, 01:05 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
you really love ai chan.. MC... >> (i just saw your post about ayu should retire after an album and a best hit then this place will become Otsuka Ai Sekai.. LOL).
anywayz judging from the first 7 singles so far out of 12... the quality is quite good. (some songs are average, some are really good such as you, D.D.D., feel, and Birthday Eve IMO). now i think.. (m)u is good qua as well... ><..
__________________
..........
|
|
#5
17th January 2006, 01:10 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
 And her sales are very good lately. Planetarium is still in Oricon Top 20.  Yeah, the singles Kumi release are either good or average, nothing shocking. SO she comes across as bland I think. Nothing awesome or disastrous. I like D.D.D lots, especially the PV. (miss)understood isnt good at all. Its perfection.
|
|
#6
17th January 2006, 01:20 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
(last msg before go to bed)
LOL right right right me bad for saying (m)u is good qua... it's superior talking about ai chan.. it must be a shocked that she's not the next avex queen... i bet everyone would think that ai chan would be the 2nd most popular female artist in avex... even when Best~first things~ came out people just considered kuu was the third seat of avex. I believe the 12 single run really boosts up kuu's popularity at the end. maybe ai-chan could do 4 single run in march using easter theme (her rabbit is the weapon LOL)... then 4 single during april (the april fool + children festival should be good cuz ai-chan is cute). another 2 single run in may + june for another happy days + smiley trends well she can't really copy kuu's 12 single run rite? 4 easter + 4 cute + 2 summer should work XDD..now i go zzz and leave the rest for other people to debate hehe
__________________
..........
|
|
#7
17th January 2006, 01:47 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
no doubt about my love to ayu...
about koda...i like some songs from her...but i think koda is really bland for me..her songs is generic sometimes..except her ballad... i don't think she can replace ayu that easy..just look this year..and i think she can't get the same position like she has last year...i don't know why? but i think she hasn't have a star quality like ayu does...she is too western and japanese culture is really strong..so i doubt about her popularity i believe ayu can hold her position right now...being honest its really imposible that she can get the same position like her 2001-2002 session but maybe there is a miracle (>_<) and about her old stuff, i think [startin'] is really good sample for that. and i believe [startin'] will be a bomb when that single release...that song is really good... about ai...i think she have something on her star quality more than koda but i don't think she can get higher position than she can get right now..
__________________
|
|
#8
17th January 2006, 01:59 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
i had to agree that ayu's popularity is indeed slipping a LOT in japan.it could be due to the influnce of amercian music,that's why kumi gets noticed when she just started. her music and pvs are not something you would expect from japan artists.
this might be able to explain why ayu let amercians to handle her album this time round. but somehow, it does not seem to be working out well, at least from what i had seen and heard. people are crtizing those songs written by sweetbox, though there are some who love those songs. you gotta admit that although there are past ayu's songs that people don't like, the dislikes are nothing compare to this year's works. what had gone wrong?
__________________
|
|
#9
17th January 2006, 02:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
hmm i think Koda n Ayu both have different styles so i can't really compare her. I love Ayu coz she is the elegant type whereas Koda she is like the fun type of singer. I just recently like Koda's Songs .. i think her songs are improving .. i dont really like her old songs ... "you" is a really really good song.
Not to be mean or anything i think Koda's popularity will nto last long .. i think its just seasonal .. and also i think that Ayu's popularity has fallen. I just dont like her recent released single Bold & Delicious / PRIDE .. but her album (miss)understood is the bomb !!
__________________
|
|
#10
17th January 2006, 02:19 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
I should add why I think Ai would do a lot better. Albums LOVE PUNCH (March 31, 2004) #3 over 665 000 copies sold (73~ weeks spend in chart) LOVE JAM (November 17, 2004) #1 over 625 000 copies sold (40~ weeks spend in chart) LOVE COOK (December 14, 2005) #1 over 669,451,copies sold (3 weeks spend in chart, still charting) At 3 weeks, Love Cook outsold ALL its predecessors. Which is crazy. Imagine if it was running at 30 weeks. Surely it'll hit a million. Maybe even 2 but thats being very optimistic. Last edited by Mad_Cactuar; 17th January 2006 at 02:39 PM.
|
|
#11
17th January 2006, 02:46 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
as for Ayu's popularity being decrease, well it's like Madonna imo. she might not as popular as in the 80's and beginning of 90's but she still exist don't she? so i think that's what happened to Ayu. she might not as popular as in I Am.. era, but at least she still exist and still well known by people. and (miss)undestood is da bomb!
__________________
|
|
#12
17th January 2006, 03:57 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
yeah i agree, she's losing some popularity every year bit by bit, it's sad but true
Quote:
Quote:
 and after that i was like 
Last edited by Qt Mashi; 17th January 2006 at 04:11 PM.
|
|
#13
17th January 2006, 04:20 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
I personally like both Ayu and Kumi; they both have their unique musical styles so you can't really compare them too much. I think it'd be nice for Kumi to ascend to the "throne" of J-pop/Avex because I believe she has a very good voice and a lot of potential.
|
|
#14
17th January 2006, 04:23 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
ok other than the Best of things(best album) that sold over a million can you name me another big hit from kumi?
ayu 2005 heaven- over 300,000-iTunes Best of 2005 Charts rank no.7 Step you-over 300,000 fairyland over 300,000-iTunes Best of 2005 Charts rank 13 Bold & Delicious- over 100,000 mainly cuz of thew new album being release in a month or so MY STORY / Hamasaki Ayumi 1,131,776- i dont think this should count as a 2005 release as it was release in 2004 not 2005.. kumi koda secret / Koda Kumi 505,607 BEST ~first things~ / Koda Kumi 1,207,793 (best albums always have huge sales) Secret pretty much screams it out. i cant get any number for any her singles as they didnt make it to the top30 on oricon (The Annual Top 30 Oricon Chart 2004-2005 ) ayumi may longer have sales of 500,000 - 1,000,000 in singles or albums sales of over 2 million but she still holds her own against most of the new faces... another good example is ken hirai Ｋｅｎ Ｈｉｒａｉ １０ｔｈ Ａｎｎｉｖｅｒｓａｒｙ Ｃｏｍｐｌｅｔｅ Ｓｉｎｇｌｅ Ｃｏｌｌｅｃｔ ｉｏｎ ’９５- it will soon reach 2millions(it will most likely end up with 2.5 Milllion or even 3millions ), and i dont think any of kumi 12 singles thing going on have even reach 200,000 correct me if i'm wrong .. Miss understood might take its time to reach the million mark but it will still out sale any original kumi album release up to date.. 
Last edited by Maiku; 17th January 2006 at 04:35 PM.
|
|
#15
17th January 2006, 04:24 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I don't get it why some think she should retire simply because she's not the most popular artist in Japan. Personally I'd be pretty disappointed because it'd show that all those songs she sang about hope, being strong and not giving up were pretty much fake. An artist can always release singles and albums still after declining in popularity.
If not where would be Ami Suzuki now? She was almost as popular as Ayu before being blacklisted and now we know she is not so popular but instead of giving up she still sings and releases because it's her passion to sing. And same goes with Ayu. She has struggled so much to stay in the music industry and has gone through so much that I don't think she will just give up. And after all if she isn't popular, who cares? As long as she releases awesome music as the album (miss) understood I'm more than happy even if it just sells so low because I enjoy and love her music and personally if Ayu left the J-Pop scene I'd lose most of my interest in it. Anyhow going back to the point. Koda Kumi has indeed surprised many and is producing an impressive amount of releases. Some are pretty impressive but I must say that others are rather mediocre but she's certainly improving and getting a lot of exposure. Nonetheless I must say that only recently she has managed to get a #1 in weeklies and it sold roughly about 150,000 copies (correct me if I'm wrong) so yeah compare it to Ayu's singles sales... However I think it's kinda too early to judge. I remember when ORANGE RANGE was huge last year and now they're just not so huge. So maybe we should wait to see how this will turn out. Plus Ayu is still huge nonetheless and there's no denying it so yeah I think it's just a matter of time to see if Koda will just be a great artist or a replacement of Ayu.
__________________
Last edited by Raleigh; 17th January 2006 at 04:26 PM.
|
|
#16
17th January 2006, 09:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
hmmn... somehow I dun think ayu can be compared to madonna at this stage. madonna went thru lot more (like she was one of the worst in the beginning of 90's). She gained back some popularity after the film "Evita", and up till now madonna is like the "golden statue" in the american music industry. Ayu on the other hand hasn't arrived to this state yet. It will take probly at least 5 or 6 years to get to that state (assuming the popularity will be similar to the current...).
Of course, retiring is a way to make herself as a "etneral statue". I mean, right now she's still popular and it could be the right time to walk down the stage. It's not about struggling to survive in the industry. Fight to stay and be as shiny as before in the music industry is quite hard, but close the curtain herself to end the business is harder I guess. If she is going to retire this year or so, she will be another momoe yamaguchi (spelling?). That's what people think about ayu's retirement. Everyone will remember ayu, the fashion queen of japan, one of the queens of jpop during late 90's and early 00's. So, ayu can retire to make the name "ayumi hamasaki" as the eternal glory. She can also fight against some odds to stay in the industry (I think struggle is a bit off for ayu. she's not struggling right now...). Either she will become the japan madonna later (not super popular but people respect this female artists), or in a worse case... she will become the second seiko (I think struggle is more appropriate for seiko.. hehe). I'm not tryin' to be mean... Seiko was so popular during 80's and probly early 90's... but look at the current seiko... her new music never reaches top 10... she should be around 40 something but has to make her image like early 20s just because young images suits the audience in Japan (at least that's what she thinks... >_>). I dun really wanna see ayu going to this state in about 10 years... Of course... a better way (my imagination... hehe)... Ayu releases several super smash hits in these two years (er.. sales are like SEASONS, M, etc... or even up to namie's can you celebrate?). And then she retires... She's not momoe anymore... not even momoe can reach to this state... she is AYUMI HAMASAKI!!!!
__________________
..........
|
|
#17
17th January 2006, 10:09 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
 I dunno, Ayu hasn't told us how important CD sales is to her.
|
|
#18
17th January 2006, 10:10 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
funny how BoA hasnt been mentioned, although it seems her popularity looks like its going down, BoA is still the only artist other than ayu to have 2x million selling albums (and 1x 900k+). but, she still has a good long career ahead of her, maybe she will reinvent herself? Koda's popularity surge could just be phase, or it could be for real. Looking at the next album sales and also, the one after that would determine if shes here to stay. As for Otsuka Ai, i dont think her popularity could go much higher. maybe a bit higher when she releases a best album, but i think she will probably stay where she is, popularity wise.
|
|
#19
17th January 2006, 10:16 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
__________________
|
|
#20
17th January 2006, 10:26 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
 |
|
|
 |
Linear Mode
