What is the cure?

[paper_doll]

^ I totally agree with you.

I don't think there's anything "unique" about what she's doing now at all. I'd say her music is just as "safe" now as it ever has been, except (imo) with a huge drop in quality steadily but surely over the years.

[primavera♥]

You were... is one of my fav winter ballads O.O it's so powerful and gorgeous, I loved that single when it came out.

[waterballoon]

if there is a problem, it's that she has opened herself up and trusts her co-workers more. i mean kill me if i'm wrong but 2001 Ayu will NEVER EVER approve to

- HORRIBLE fish-lips in 2008-9
- bad photo-shop from Leslie Kee recently
- the Party queen album.

i think after the GUILTY era she probably felt more comfort in her friends and felt it's better to let your friends do your job. yep, and she forgot the record has her name to it, not "ayumi hamasaki, Timmy, Leslie Kee, Tom, ****, Harry, Jane, etc etc".

i somehow feel that she has forgottent he kind of responsibility she holds over her music. i'm happy she trusts her friends more now, but letting them take rein over your career and having them participate in every of your projects (even if they suck badly), is just.. on another level.

[channy]

Ayu has been continuously smashing the music charts for the past 14 years.

[TeamAyu2004]

^ I think everything you just said was pretty much subjective, just like music. Just like Party Queen.
I LOVE Party Queen. I dont think it's typical ayumi, but it is no way experimental and it's nothing special.
You may find it special and experimental, but others do not.

And the title track, party queen, it could of been a really could track and is amazing live, but the version that is on the album is cheap sounding. I love this track and get everything you said, but it is far from perfect and even in the second verse you can hear the cheapness in the sound... its sad really.

[Delicious n Bold]

People hate RnRC more than I imagined...
I thought it was alright. It had it's lyrical moments and such.

[Andrenekoi]

^I find RnRC to be among her strongest lyric-wise...

too bad I don't speak Japanese :B

[emi♡]

I was just talking about her music in response to Lol. I kinda forgot about the thread subject lol

Ayu isn't popular anymore. People need to deal with it. There is no cure or fix. because there's nothing really broken.


What I meant about "the now" lol was kinda two fold. It's like, of course pop music is about what's popular right NOW, but often, we also see artists get popular, like way later right, for being experimental in their time or whatever.

Ayu could be as experimental as she wants, and maybe in 20 years, people will be like "oh look at all the stuff she did that went unnoticed." But it doesn't matter right now...cause no one cares right now.

And that's why I said, what is pop music really about. When does pop music succeed, and when does it fail?



About rnrc, I actually enjoyed it...well, the first half anyway. And Dont look back. But the only song I really listen to these days is count down. Still more than Love Songs or PQ though. I don't listen to them at all.

[JinHamasaki]

Originally Posted by emi♡

Ayu could be as experimental as she wants, and maybe in 20 years, people will be like "oh look at all the stuff she did that went unnoticed." But it doesn't matter right now...cause no one cares right now.

And that's why I said, what is pop music really about. When does pop music succeed, and when does it fail?

Ill have to write more later, but its funny bc people thought the same way about Namie's music back with Put Em Up album...and then look at the sales of BEST FICTION.

[Delicious n Bold]

@ Andrenekoi, that's what I think. That and most of Ayu's old work. After MY STORY, most of Ayu's lyrics are kinda... meh. There's a few songs on (m)u and Secret that stand out (rainy day for example), but most of RnRC's songs are just lyrically strong. Even SLT is pretty good.

I actually visited many jpop blogs (who are very harsh when it comes to reviewing albums) and they all gave RnRC a very good grade. One of them who HATES most of Ayu's new work gave it 7/10. I think it deserves an 8-8.5 but that's besides the point. The general public seems to like it A LOT. The fans are divided lol

[Andrenekoi]

@Emi
So, if it doesn't mater if she will repeat herself or try new stuff, as she will sell the same, I'm happy she is doing the hardest option left and actually trying new stuff, instead of releasing new versions of past hits.

@Delicious n Bold
I disagree with the lyrics... IMO LS and PQ have some of her strongest lyrics to date. Love song, crossroad, Virgin road, letter, the next Love, ESM for example... all among her more interesting, mature and most personal lyrics.

About RnRC... I always feel people outside her fanbase actually like her recent work when they give it a try... her album reviews tend to be pretty good (among non-haters)... I guess casual listeners just aren't expecting something expecific like her fans do... So, they enjoy the work by what it is instead of getting anoyed that she isn't doing what she "should" do.

[emi♡]

Yes

[jewelbox]

I just want that she stays true to herself and does what she really loves, I don't care about the sales either.
But some things made me think, like Party Queen's PVs, that she doesn't care anymore, at all.
All I can say is that I'm really waiting for her new release. RnrC was major disappointment, Love Songs was great surprise and PQ was disappointment again. Maybe next album will please me more.

[jbrat2219]

I don't think there is a cure for ayu. There really isn't much she can do without sacrificing her artistic integrity. I don't think it is an issue of quality or uniqueness in her music. It's about what kind of music is currently popular. What the public is into. Ayu does not make pop (as in popular music) anymore. She makes music that suits her tastes. That's why she's not selling very well anymore. Not even we as fans can agree on her music. Casual fans don't stand a chance.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

People hate RnRC more than I imagined...
I thought it was alright. It had it's lyrical moments and such.

I thought the same , I actually enjoyed RnRC to a certain extent but a flaw on that album was that I thought there were a bit too many ballads which didn't really fit the whole album concept that well

But if there's 1 thing I've learnt since being an AHS member on here for the past 4 years is that ayumi can't please every single person out there & is she making music to please everyone for the sake of doing so or just to please herself ?

I don't know , only she has the answer to that & not me

[Minttulatte]

Rock'n'Roll Circus hate makes me feel like a weird bird because I don't really see it as a crappy album. In my ears it's a 100% masterpiece. Same with Party Queen. These two are actually in my Top 5 favorite Ayu albums.

[channy]

Party Queen actually gives good material for DJs! Would love to see the album being remixed by Ferry, Above & Beyond, Alex M.O.R.P.H (love him since his 2011 remix of Far away) and the likes of them

[ayu_ready?]

I think it's better to give up than to keep being on track but with bad material, honestly

[primavera♥]

^but since someone always ends up liking her material, then I see no need to give up. Musicians can usually guaruntee that someone will like their stuff due to every person's different tastes. Ayu doesn't have ridiculous sales, but she has good sales, and I like to continue to see what music she releases. (And I want her to keep doing lives until I can get to Japan lol )

[tinka69]

^Primavera has a point. The market isn't just made up of, for example, pop or rock anymore. There are thousands of niche genres out there now with small to large followers. Some of her songs will appeal to others and other to others so on so forth... she will always have her fans who follower her no matter what (lol us) but I don't think it would hurt if she branched out and experimented some more; move away from the generic pop hole that she's buried herself in, and maybe pick up some more sales along the way.