Turned off by the squeak factor?

[Andrenekoi]

^Really, Shakira's voice is not considered common either xD

[Kanzaki]

I was never turned off by Ayu's squeaky voice.

What really annoyed/annoys me was/is her overpowered, over the top vibrato. I think it is more controlled now than when, say, she sang Voyage. I've never been able to listen to Voyage (which is a shame because it is a beautiful song!) only because of that.

[elite]

For me, the only 浜崎あゆみ is the one from MY STORY and going forward.

I really can't stand any of her music before that. Between her high pitched vocals and the atrocious music that accompanies them, her early albums are just unbearable. That being said, I have loved everything she has done from MY STORY. Her voice became something amazing and the music has just sounded so much better as well.

[R_Hikki]

Originally Posted by Kanzaki88

I was never turned off by Ayu's squeaky voice.

What really annoyed/annoys me was/is her overpowered, over the top vibrato. I think it is more controlled now than when, say, she sang Voyage. I've never been able to listen to Voyage (which is a shame because it is a beautiful song!) only because of that.

I totally agree. It used to sound so forced and unnatural.

[PinkShinigami]

I don't know, if I would be such a big fan of her, if I only knew her music from then or now. Something that I like about her is that there's so much different music. I guess I wouldn't be a fan of just ASFXX, but it was LOVEppears and Duty that made me a fan from the start. Now, I like her newer voice as of (m)u and GUILTY though.. so it's hard to say

[non3ko]

Originally Posted by kendelle

I found her squeaky voice was charming and part of my initial attraction to her.

She sounded just so different from all the singers I was exposed to before...the music and the vocals were just so unusual that I kept on listening over and over. It never particularly bothered me at all...nobody I know really listens to Ayu or any Jpop though, although a few have heard Mirrorcle World and like that. Maybe our friends and netizens are just so used to deeper voices from singers that a high voice is too strange for them to listen to? I wouldn't know how else to explain that...

Exactly.

[AngelSenshi]

I think it's down to almost the same thing with most people. Those that love and are interested in 'different' tended to love her, even if her voice was squeaky or really high. Whereas there were some people who were happy with what was considered normal, and found her high voice rather annoying and painful to listen to.

Having always found different interesting, I found the appeal in her high voice because even when I didn't understand her lyrics; the PV and her voice captivated me quicker than if I knew the words.