[Utada Hikaru] ʕ•̫͡•ʔ Upcoming 2018 Album and Tour in the 57th thread ʕ•̫͡•ʔ

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by orbitalaspect

I've always wondered how much of a role Utada's status as the daughter of a famous producer and a former idol singer from the 70s played in her success. Hearing stories about people like Taylor Swift, whose father had some connections to Big Machine financially, and knowing that played a massive role in launching her career, I've always wondered about Utada.

And I think it's also a testament to Utada playing her cards right. She's never done anything scandalous or shameful to the public. And she evolved. I think because every release is "fresh", it's been hard to fall out with Utada. She won't be selling 3X Platinum forever, but that's a pretty big feat for a comeback these days.

And Ayu, well... I mean, she was just massive. She blew up and became so big, so quickly that I think she honestly thought she was going to be a 2- or 3-album music wonder. Luckily, she evolved enough to keep it going for another decade, but just keep in mind that by 2008, Ayu was selling half as many records as Utada. And she had ended up behind the curve on things like digital singles. Utada launched Flavor of Life and pretty much made the case for a digital music market with that single. Ayu followed it up with Together When... a year later, which is still her best-selling song in numbers ever.

But still, I wonder so hard whether Utada's parents had a lot to do with connecting her to the right people and practically guaranteeing her the successful career...?

I do think their parents connections and know how had a huge influence on her longevity. Not to dismiss her talent or hard work, but a lot of what make a popstar career is meeting te right people and doing the right moves, and she had experient people to make sure she would do it right. Her music being fucking good didn't hurt either, so she had the artistic and the business side of her stuff done right

About Ayu... I do think her ballsy choices is an integral part of her charm, and this may be a unpopular opinion, but I do think this lead her to have a kind of cultural impact none of her peers did. IMO Ayu"s presence will be way more felt on the jpop world through other artists than Namie's for example. I still feel in the end of the day the girls are still kinda trying to sound like Hikki, but also to look like Ayu.

I also believe people go hard on her because she is too compared to Hikki or Namie who have completely strange runs during their careers. For someone who peaked more than 15 years ago in the jpop world she actually sells pretty well, has a back catalogue that keeps her selling digital songs yearly and has a impressive ability to sell concert tickets.

[bluegie]

I don't know how I feel about KH3 song. It's not bad, but not what I imagine a KH song would be . I kinda expected it could be something similar to her current style (raw, stripped down arrangement, etc ).

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

I do think their parents connections and know how had a huge influence on her longevity. Not to dismiss her talent or hard work, but a lot of what make a popstar career is meeting te right people and doing the right moves, and she had experient people to make sure she would do it right. Her music being fucking good didn't hurt either, so she had the artistic and the business side of her stuff done right

I also believe people go hard on her because she is too compared to Hikki or Namie who have completely strange runs during their careers. For someone who peaked more than 15 years ago in the jpop world she actually sells pretty well, has a back catalogue that keeps her selling digital songs yearly and has a impressive ability to sell concert tickets.

I think other artists have experienced people around as well. What makes hikki different is that having a parent as her manager means she has 100% power to control what she wants to do. Of course if her dad was an a**hole and just used hikki as a milking machine, her career would have ended already. Luckily her dad is not a**hole, and I gotta admit that Teruzane does an excellent job as hikki's manager.

I'm glad that ayu has a back catalogue to support her financially (?), at the same time I'm sad that the current ayu is not relevant at all. When she was at her peak, I prayed that she would not end up as Seiko no. 2, but I kinda think she ends up worse. At least Seiko bounced back a bit when she's older (like, after she's 50?). I don't really know if one day ayu will bounce back again, but right now I really can't see her having a second peak like namie (when she released 60s70s80s and BEST FICTION), or having a constant success like hikki.

Originally Posted by Baco__

I think it may didn't backfire as much as with ayu, but at the time Utada released an statement about her wedding to a foreigner there was plenty of commentaries about how the guy she was going to marry was aiming at her money and how he was less successful as she was and all - maybe because Japanese media/society still doesn't see in good eyes a woman being the one who sustains a family? But she never made her life the center of the stage at any point, she was always very reserved, less opened than ayu, but that's what gave Japanese media the feeling they could diss ayu more than Utada? I don't know haha

Yeah I remember those commentaries, but it wasn't that bad when she wedded. They were more negative about two years later or so, when they said that her husband didn't have job (or lost his job?), and that she was the financial support of the family. Hikki even commented once during that period (which is considered rare). I agree that hikki is more reserved about her private life, so the public only knows that she has two boyfriends after the divorcing Kiriya (and one became her husband eventually). Also, hikki's life style is not glamorous compared to ayu's. I believe Japanese think ayu is living like a diva, which is so distant from normal people's life styles.

[Miduhyo]

Originally Posted by bluegie

I don't know how I feel about KH3 song. It's not bad, but not what I imagine a KH song would be .

Agreed. But I also thought the same thing about Sanctuary. It'll grow on me the same way, I'm sure. As just another song, I enjoy it. Just dunno if it's theme material. At least not to me.