Ayumi's New Single (Bold & Delicious) becoming too American?

[kournikova]

I think.... a very huge improvement in vocal by ayumi..... americanized? I dont mind it... but well..yeah... shes becoming american and the choir selection.. she has done it on rainbow >.<

[shadow*puppet]

Originally Posted by j_nerd

B&D too Americanized?

For poop sake look at her, she dyes her hair blond. wears brands like juicy. names 99% of her songs with english titles. She's ALWAYS been Americanized!

But thats what I love about my country!

Not all blonds are found in america...and artists in the uk, scotland, ireland, australia, some english-speaking parts of africa, some english-speaking parts of asia, so many countries use english in 99% of their song titles... ENGglish wasnt even born in america. it came from ENGland...

america does not have a monopoly on blonds and english...

blond hair and english song titles are not proof you are americanized...

[tommy96814]

like how shes sings on top of a truck lol

[emi♡]

guys...it doens't really matter...even if ayu did become americanized and came to america, do you really think she would start to sing in ENglish (or is that what everyone's afraid of?) there are so many different styles in the world and ayu uses most of them...

when she came out for HAPPY ENDING in the Arena Tour did you guys think she was obviously going too European..
when she sang Will did you guys automatically think she was going too Japanese?

how is she "supposed" to be?

[RubbishMui]

nice debate going on here...

i think ayu has always gone for the american things or like them better than others..i mean she does admire madonna

so i think B&D makes her preference for american things more pronounced than before cause it's in your face..the music and the way she sings the song and the video in new york..

oooh i just had a thought...maybe she's trying out what it's like to be american..

[Aisha_Angel]

*sigh* We're all probably going to be fighting again. It's about that time anyway...-_-'

If you listen to J-pop as an escape from American music; you're listening to it for the wrong reasons, IMO. I ONCE thought that that was why I was listening to it; but over the years I realized it's just b/c I like it and culture of it.
The only differences between Japanese and American music is that American music generally sounds the same for a whole two years. A song can be number one for six whole months. Then magically everyone's style changes to the leading/highest-selling artists' of their genre's style; instead of just following their hearts. For example Avril Lavigne; as soon as she started dressing "punk" (as ppl call it) here comes A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE dressing "punk". Then everybody starts trying to fight each other over who's wearing Etnies & who's got on a pair of DVS'. When it really doesn't matter in the first place.
The other difference between J & A music is that American music is English, Japanese music is Japanese. All those songs that BoA*, Crystal Kay & other artist have re-done in english; I classify as AMERICAN music. But that's just me & my little thing.

Now, onto Ayu:

Ayu is going to sing whatever kind of song she feels like singing; regardless of what everyone else is releasing or saying about her. That's why she's still popular. Even though she hasn't jumped into the director's seat & directed her own PV like most artists, she's got a BIG hand in everything she releases/does.
As far as her being Americanized & Japanicanized (is that a word?) she's not just one of the two: She's actually both & MORE. Don't you all think that if Ayu really wanted to be Americanized she would make American versions of her songs like BoA* & C-Kay? And if she wanted to be Japanicanized she's do her song titles in Japanese like Hikki?
No other artists, that I have seen besides Michael Jackson (Black or White, Earth Song videos) & Janet Jackson (If...Together Again...& other videos) have really dared to dress/promote other cultures in their musical releases. [I can't think of any others so help me out if there are some] It's not AYU's latest style on the covers of INSPIRE and B&D> THAT'S INDIAN/AFRICAN. It's not Ayu's new style in the performances of Moments and HAPPY ENDING from Arena Tour '05; that's CHINESE/EUROPEAN.

These facts, make her WORLDLY and not just ONE specific culture. I could go on & on about the European music releases and the Urayu (sp?) stuff but I don't really feel like getting into it.
If you didn't like B&D; I'm sorry. It's gonna happen at least once with any artist you may listen to. Personally, I didn't like A single b/c of "too late" & "monochrome". >I hate those songs so much! >.<. It's just natural not to like something. If we all liked everything Ayu release w/o some kind of critisim it would be a little scary.

Phew...I hope this helps calm things down. I'll C ya'll LATER!

[Uemarasan]

I have no problem with the idea of "Americanization", especially if you live in America. I have no problem with other people in the world subscribing to American culture.

But when the people in your country watch more American movies than they do locally-produced ones, when college curriculums have more American books than they do locally-written ones, when the money that should have gone to supporting local artists, writers, and filmmakers goes to American ones instead, then I have a problem with that.

When American English is used as a tool of oppression by the elite and those in power, when the cultural identity of your country is slowly disappearing and being replaced my American ideals, then I have a problem with that.

When the dream of the people in your country is to live a long, happy life in America, and the nightmare of the people in your country is your country itself, then I have a problem with that.

Welcome to my country.

I am not blaming America for this. I am not blaming anyone. I am just saying that "Americanization" can reach that extreme point wherein it becomes something destructive. I am criticizing the idea taken to the extreme, which, unfortunately, happens.


Okay, sorry for that outburst. I recently just finished a course on Postcolonial Literature

[Aisha_Angel]

^ You are so right.

[ruixiong89]

Haha, I agree absolutely with you Uemarasan!

I don't think Bold & Delicious is too American for me. I think it's a great touch to her music and just because it has gospel and the music video is shot in New York doesn't really mean anything. I think it's more of a new urban style than being distinctively American (though you might say the Urban style is still kind of American-inspired, but I think it still has the quirkiness of the Japanese Urban Style)