[tabloid] Japan Today - Ayumi Hamasaki vs Kumi Koda

[Raleigh]

This coming April will mark the 10th anniversary since the debut of 28-year-old J-Pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki. “A Best 2,” her second “best of” album in six years, will be released on Feb 28 and numbers for the CD have been getting a lot of attention lately.

“Her previous ‘A Best’ album sold 4.5 million copies,” said a spokesperson for Avex, the label she is under. “Unless her new ‘best of’ album sells equally as well, people will start talking about her declining popularity. In order to earn the No.1 spot on the sales chart, the label is doing everything it can for Hamasaki, such as shifting other artists’ release dates. So the release will be a turning point for her career.”

Last year, Hamasaki became the first ever solo artist to sell more than 20 million copies of her singles in her career. At a quick glance, the diva position seems secure, but Kumi Koda, 24, isn’t too far behind.

“Kumi Koda was ranked first in total sales of her singles, albums and DVDs in 2006, accumulating 12.7 billion yen,” said an entertainment reporter. “Ayumi Hamasaki, on the other hand, garnered 6.89 billion yen, which placed her fifth. In 2005, it was 7.6 billion yen for Koda and 6.9 billion yen for Hamasaki. It is clear that Koda surpassed Hamasaki in 2006.”

Hamasaki and Koda happen to belong to the same label, Avex. With two such singers in its camp, it is not surprising that Avex became the best selling label for Japanese music in 2006.

“Hamasaki is the single biggest contributor for the label,” said a label affiliate. “There was a time when Hamasaki alone accounted for 40% of Avex sales. It is not an overstatement to say that Kumi Koda and Ai Ohtsuka became who they are today with the money that Hamasaki raised.”

Long established, Hamasaki likes to indulge herself, the latest being her love for dogs.

“She brings her dog to work, because she doesn’t want to leave her alone at home,” said an Avex employee. “She is kind to us, but becomes a different person when it comes to her dog. We have to keep following her around and catch the dog and clean up after it, which is really tough.”

Far from easing any tension in the workplace, the dog has the opposite effect. “We once had to re-record because the dog barked during the session,” said one staffer.

Hopefully the diva will be back to the top with her dog giving her the energy that she needs. (Translated by Toshiya Fujii)

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