[Mag/Article] Ayu in America's Shojo Beat May Issue

[jpopfan]

Oki I got my shojobeat for May and it features Ayu so here is the article. Once I get a hold of a digital Cameria I'll post a photo since it does have photos of her


Hamasaki Time A J-Pop Royal's Humble Roots
By Benj Vardigan

With a dozen albums under her belt and remixes of her songs popping up around the globe, J-pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki is a legend at age 28. But to hear the tales of Hamasaki's teen years, her reign as the "Empress of J-Pop" would seem an improbable fate. Hamasaki, now considered by some to be the Japanese equivalent of Madonna, came to showbiz fitfully-she flunked art and entertainment school entrance exams, acted in a handful of forgettable B-movies, tried her hand at rapping and skipped out on vocal training classes that were too rigid for her rebellious nature.


Hamasaki dropped out of high school at 15 and dabbled in the entertainment business for several years, with no great successes. Her future producer, Masato Matsuura , discovered Hamasaki's vocal talent at a Tokyo karaoke bar and convinced her to go to New York City to train. In New York, Hamasaki blossomed as a musician and songwriter.


Success did not come overnight - Hamasaki spent a few lean years beforescoring her #1 single, "Love~ Destiny," in 1999. Since then she's produced a torrent of unstoppable hits, notching a record 27 #1 singles (including 15 in a row) on the Japanese Oricon charts, and has become Japan's top selling solo female musician.


Hamasaki has a knack for inciting unique fashion trends: A few years back, for example, she appeared wearing aviator sunglasses and spawned a legion of fashionistas sporting the clunky shades. Cosmetic giant Kose featured Hamasaki in one of their television ads, and within two days the company sold a record half-million lipsticks. Hamasaki ("Ayu," to her adoring fans) went on to develop Ayupan, a popular line of figurines that showcase outfits from Hamasaki's tour and album covers.


Hamasaki's catchy pop tracks are unique in their exploration of loneliness and self-doubt, and though she's one of the most successful pop musicians in Japan's history, Hamasaki no longer accepts any industry awards. Her vulnerability feels gunuine from one who started out as most of us did, with a lot of ideas but no sure sign of what the future would hold. An interviewer once asked if she though her image would endure, and Hamasaki replied, "Not Really." But all signs indicate that this J-Pop empress wont be disappearing any time soon.

And below on the side there are pictures of A Best 2 White and Black and say:

Hamasaki's fan base in the US is growing - for stateside fans who missed out on her rise to fame. shes just released two greatest hit cd's (A Best 2 -White- and A Best 2 -Black-), featuring songs that span her illustrious career.

And below that is a photo of Secret which says:

When Ayumi Hamasaki Secret debuted at the top of the Japanese charts last year, it was her record setting eigth-straight #1 album

There is also a full photo of her in Hong Kong for a movie premier

If this is posted anywhere give me credit since this did take a while to type out.
If you live in the US or Canada you can buy this issue of Shojobeat in the third week of April which is when it should be out.


Edit:
Here are the pics of the magazine with a webcam


The cover the magazine



The inside