Hamasaki's Image and Voice

[panda♥]

I'm positive that Ayu is SOOOO stressed during these days because of her ear problem and her tour coming up and everything. I would be so happy if she could just take a months break and relax and everything. It makes me so sad to hear her voice in the latest lives but I'll always be her fan no matter how bad her voice sounds and everything. I'm positive she'll improve, she just needs a big break!

[Mari-chan]

Well.. I also think, her voice sounds more bad, when she sings with her deeper voice. I think, it has not to much to do with her ear-Problem. Sure.. it is a problem for a Singer, to be deaf on one ear.
But.. that deafness don't came from one day to the next.
I also prefer her singing, when she sings a little bit higher.
And well.... I care more about her voice on CD. And.. thats always good.

[Coelacanth]

I'm not so sure it only has to do with her hearing...

For being deaf in one ear, I think she hits the notes pretty well. It's the condition of her voice that's the main problem. Maybe she's just out of shape. It seems as if she gets out of breath really quickly, and starts to sing 'lazily' like not holding certain notes the length that she's supposed to and being very careless with when to use the vibrato.

[cloud♥honey]

Well, Ayu ever singed really bad in TV performances. It's not a fault caused by her earing lose. I don't know if you guys remember but she loose 80% of her earing in 2001, in that bad incident. I don't know why you guys justify her horrid lives because of those incidents.

[Zemus]

Ayu's lives have been fine earlier though. The decrease of quality in TV performances happened at end of 2006 in my opinion. But I'm extremely grateful she still does a lot of live performances, so it's all good. She is a very strong person. ^^

[panda♥]

^ I agree. I don't really mind the bad voice, I think she's just stressed! Alot happens to your body when you get stressed but she keeps on singing and going on with her career. She is such a strong person.

Ayu has a lot going on. She's been busy for like 10 years! She needs to slow down and breathe!

[StaRR&]

i personally like her lower voice better.
cause her songs before were really high pitched and nasally (if your refering to that far back, lol).
now, when she sings, you don't hear that nasal and high pitched sound. she has really good voice control.

i feel so bad about her ear..it definitley affects her singing...

[Kikaru]

Okay, image wise I can't complain. I think her image has gone to the more classy, more mature rather than the stylish for teens, which is fine for someone her age. I like her elegance nowadays.

TV performances, well for start Mirrorcle World is not a easy song to sing. I think she's on note and that part wasn't bad. She was decent in certain part of the songs and even sounded good in the slow parts IMO, but it's the chorus that wasn't that good. I wouldn't say they're awful because I can think of worse by other artist, but I thought she sounded decent in the CDTV performances. And every artist have their off and on days. Hikki sounded not that good either on the Heyx3 performance.

[KarenPang]

I don't suppose the state of her voice now's due to smoking ? Cos some people mentioned that she does smoke & you do know how smoking affects a person's singing

[Zemus]

There is no real proof that Ayu is smoking. The two pictures available are way too unclear to be sure of it. And as I've mentioned before, even if she did. She doesn't do it often at all because we would have tons of pictures of it otherwise.

[panda♥]

^ she only smokes casually at parties i've heard. and even so i'm sure she's not a heavy smoker so it wouldn't affect her THAT much.

[Kikaru]

Originally Posted by karenpang

I don't suppose the state of her voice now's due to smoking ? Cos some people mentioned that she does smoke & you do know how smoking affects a person's singing

I don't condone smoking, but there are plenty of people who smokes and sings fine. Although it could be a cause, but it's one of those things that we can't say for certain because we don't know her and her habits that well.

To be honest, I thought she did fine during her A Best II promotion, did mostly well on her Glitter/Fated Singles, Talkin' 2 Myself could have used some improvement, and together when was mostly good. I actually enjoyed the CDTV Mirrorcle World, and I don't find too much problem in her Heyx3 performance (so initial disagreement with the OP, sorry ).

[prussian blue]

yeah me too
i'm so ashamed to see my friends laughing at me when they saw MW live performance...
it was really crab! IMO...
the vibrato, the shouting, the note... omg!

[sibby]

ayu is so.. i mean come on, she's half deaf and you want her to sing like she was 24 when she's 30 now?

i know the old ayu is never coming back. but im satisfied that she keeps trying.. so ya >_>

besides, the MW perf wasnt really THAT bad?

i thought, but considering she's already half deaf, i give it an A

Am I the only who thinks that the performance wasn't as bad you all say? It wasn't the best but it wasn't terrible. Ayu did shout at the chorus part but she sounded pretty okay to me during the rest. I know the ear problem has definitely messed with her live performances but not as much as people say.

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by Mari-chan

I care more about her voice on CD. And.. thats always good.

yes, that's true, but the technology allows really a lot of features to edit the voice whatever you like!

that's why live performances aren't perfect...
I think...the live performances show what artist can really do, it proves whether he/she is really could? could he burn up audience? and such
and I know Ayu is awesome at all that, but imho she must pay more attention, more to her sining

the one thing I say I dsilike is that I so much don't understand why avex left MW's part of the song where Ayu sounded clearly off key unedited? didn't they hear? it really ruins the impression of the song, besides, what's much more surprising is that in LIVES this part is sang very good, not at all like at the recording! weird, they should have edited/re-recorded

[panda♥]

^ what part of the song if i may ask?

[ayu_ready?]

Originally Posted by MYV*izm

^ what part of the song if i may ask?

well, of course it's my opinion

Nakanai de irareru no wa
Tsuyoku natta kara
Soretomo ...

this nakanai de ira... "ira" was badly sung, she sang it diefferently in Mirror and she sings it differently in lives; I think it was sang badly in MW and it should have been re-recorded
it's so small but it sound baaad

[panda87]

she sounds like me now after a long karaoke marathon and i start doing those major vibratos b/c i'm gettin tired and squeezing high notes b/c i'm strained by then. i also sing like that when i'm feeling lazy and start to sing in my jazzy voice... my singing has been greatly influenced by Ayumi, so my style is like hers... or according to that article, jigoe Japanese folklore style... but i've never sounded as clear and balanced as Ayumi in her My Story era... and now, she's just starting to sound as mediocre as i've always have been (which is me at my best).
i certainly believe that the many factors, such as drinking, her death ear, and career is wearing her down.

on her image... her style is actually quiet subtle now, not as hyped up and extreme as it used to be... but yeah, that doesn't mean she has focused less on her image. i believe it's like it's always has been, just in another phase or style now... but if you were to compare it to her pre-Loveappears years, YES, she has totally changed from low-key to super diva.