[article] J-POP QUEEN ASKS FOR DURIAN JUICE

[nmskalmn]

J-POP QUEEN ASKS FOR DURIAN JUICE

BY CHANG MAY CHOON

Did you spot a pretty Japanese girl pointing at durians excitedly at Newton Circus hawker centre last Friday night, and think it was J-Pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki?
Well, it was her............ in the flesh.
The 24-year-old singer-cu.m-fashion-icon flew in to attend the MTV Asia Awards, held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. It was her first visit to the Lion City, and the first time she performed outside Japan. Here's a summary of her whirlwind 30 hours here:

Friday, Feb 1 , 6.20pm

Ayumi arrives at Changi Airport, accompanied by 4 minders. She looks as pretty as barbie doll, complete with a dazzling smile. 10 airport police officers escort her into a white mercedes.

6.45pm

The New Paper follows her to the Fullerton Hotel. 1 minder tries to shoo me away, but I quickly mutter in Japanese: "Ayumi, how are you?" She turns to me, flashing a megawatt smile, and says in a low and husky voice: "Genki!" (fine in Japanese)

8pm

Ayumi is spotted at the lift lobby of Swissotel The Stamford (former Westin Stamford). There's an MTV Asia party at the top-floor lounge, Equinox, but she doesn't show up.

9.45pm

Instead, Ayumi goes for supper at Newton Circus hawker centre with her entourage of 20, including her managers, personal assistant, hairstylist, makeup artist, fashion stylist, band members and 10 bodyguards in black. Mr James Kang, marketing and promotions manager of Ayumi's record label Avex Trax, tells The New Paper: "Ayumi wanted to try something authentic, so we suggested Newton Circus."
"She's very adventurous, and she walked around to order food for everyone. She even chatted with the hawkers in simple Japanese."
Her first stop is the fruit stall, where she tries mangosteen and rambutan. She gets really excited when she sees the spiky durian and asks for durian juice.
Next stop is the seafood stall, where she orders garlic lobster, tiger prawns, Hokkien mee and fried rice. At the barbecue stall, she orders chicken wings, satay and otak.
The total bill is "over $1000", says Mr Kang.
"Everyone was gawking at yumi, as though they can't believe she was there," he recalls.
"Her entourage is too big."

11pm

Ayumi returns to the hotel to change, and re-emerges with a white shawl over her shoulders. 1 male fan manages to slip past her bodyguards and asks for her autograph. She signs her name, then writes "Love & Peace".

11.30pm

She goes to the Indoor Stadium with her four-men band (guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboardist) for a closed-door rehearsal.
12 members of her fan club Ayu-Nite! welcome her with a banner. They've been waiting for her since 8.30am.
After singing her hit song "M" twice, she returns to Fullerton Hotel after midnight to rest.

Saturday, Feb 2, 10.30am

Ayumi's fashion stylist, Mr Matsumoto, heads for Bvlgari at Ngee Ann City, accompanied by Hello Singapore FM09.3's broadcast manager, Mr Randalf Arriola.
He buys clothes, shoes, and gold jewellery, according to Ayumi's shopping list.
Mr Arriola tells The New Paper: "Mr Matsumoto works closely with Ayumi to design her image. He said that Ayumi is very image conscious."
In their chat, Mr Matsumoto reveals that Ayumi's own boutique, Material Girl, which opened last November, reaped tens of thousands of dollars in sales in the first month.
Ayumi is also said to be shopping at Takashimaya that morning.

5.30pm

A beaming Ayumi walks up the red carpet at the Singapore Indoor Stadium escorted by her music producer, Mr Max Matsuura, who discovered her three years ago.
Wearing a Chinois-inspired white trench coat, she waves to screaming fans and stops to chit-chat with reporters and pose for photos.
Then she is ushered to her own private room backstage.

8.30pm

Ayumi goes on stage to receive the Most Influential Japanese Artiste In Asia award and performs her hit song M.
She has changed into a red kimono top with the words "hope" and "future" (in Japanese) printed on her sleeves, teamed up with black pants.
Pity her segment was edited out in the delayed telecast of the Awards on TV Works on Sunday because the TV station does not have the rights to broadcast any Ayumi performance.

8.45pm

Off the stage and into the chartered bus she goes, heading back to the hotel to pick up her luggage. Then she's off to Changi Airport to catch the 11pm flight back to Tokyo.

10pm

She arrives at Terminal 2 with her entourage of 20.
They play hide and seek with fans by splitting up to check in.
Ayumi, dressed in a brown trench coat over a white top and jeans, checks in at the first class counter. 1 fan shouts in Japanese: "Will you come here again to do a concert?"
She turns around and signals okay with her right hand.
A buggy appears to shuttle her to the boarding gate.
Talk about star treatment!

Ayumi's latest album, I Am... is out in the stores. For those who missed her performance on MTV, it's expected to be released as a music video on TV here later. There's also talk that she will visit Singapore again in July.

AYUMI, MEET THE SINGAPORE AYUMI

Imagine looking out of the car window and seeing your reflection... in someone else's face.
J-pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki, for one, got a shock when she saw her Singaporean fan Zynthia Siew.
The latterm who bears a striking resemblance to Ayumi, was eagerly waiting for her idol to come out of her car at Fullerton Hotel, together with other fans last Friday night.
Said Zynthia, 16: "Ayumi was waving to us in the car, then she saw me. She looked stunned for a moment."
Later, when Ayumi was walking to the lift lobby, Zynthia managed to slip her right hand through the cocoon of 10 bodyguards, hoping to touch her idol.
"Ayumi saw ,my hand and she shook it. I was so excited. Everyone told me not to wash my hand!" said Zynthia, who is the president of an Ayumi fan club titled Ayu-Nite!
She and 10 fellow fan club members, all dressed in the club T-shirt, also went to Changi Airport with a giant banner to send Ayumi off last Saturday night.
They also managed to pass their club T-shirt to Ayumi via an airport police officer.
"Ayumi saw our club name on the T-shirt, then she looked at our banner, and she held the T-shirt in the air and waved it at us.," she recalled.
On her impression of Ayumi, Zynthia gushed: "She's so gorgeous! And she's really friendly."

From The New Paper, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.