why does ayu sound so....

ron234 · #1 1st October 2005, 08:25 AM

why does ayu sound so bad in her old song like "you","poker face" and others? i'm curious

**Love Appears** · #2 1st October 2005, 09:28 AM

I don't think she sounds "bad" in her old songs. Her voice has just matured and changed a lot. Back when she was 19-20, she hadn't had as much experience with singing. The only work she'd done before her first album was rapping. Her range wasn't as developed, and her voice was higher.

Once she had some songs behind her and got used to singing, she developed a unique style and found the singing voice that was right for her.

***bulmasman*** · #3 1st October 2005, 09:54 AM

Personally i like her old voice more than the matured one she has now. ^_^

AyumiFanGuy · #4 1st October 2005, 10:37 AM

I'm glad squeeky Ayu is gone, but HONEY was a nice touch of the old days, IMO.

#5 1st October 2005, 12:37 PM

I never thought Ayu had a "bad" voice, A Song for XX, LOVEppears and Duty are my personal favourite Ayu era's i think she was great back then
(not that she isn't great now)
I think that the squeeky voice was put on.

Endlessoul · #6 1st October 2005, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulmasman

Personally i like her old voice more than the matured one she has now. ^_^

Totally agree!

sora-kara · #7 1st October 2005, 05:35 PM

Her 'old' voice was completely untrained and nasal.
She sang with her nose, not her throat.
Now that she's learned to sing with her throat, she has a better range, tone and more power.

elepop · #8 1st October 2005, 05:50 PM

Her voice was not bad at all. She sounded great, but since her voice is softer now, it may sound bad. But her voice was much more powerful in the older days.

Delirium-Zer0 · #9 1st October 2005, 05:52 PM

Not to mention she was offkey and weak sounding all the time... songs like "For My Dear" would have been SOOOOO so so so so SOOO much better if she sang them better! There's so much power in FMD that wants to come out but just can't because ayu's not delivering it properly

I really wanted FMD to be re-recorded for A BEST but it didn't happen.

LOVEppears was a vast improvement over A Song for XX. I mean a BIG one. It's like it's not even the same person. She still had some problems live, but she improved even more for Duty and I am..., but took a step down when she started overdoing it with the vibrato on some songs on RAINBOW. She's improved even more since then, finding a nice balance. On the other hand, songs like HONEY, Greatful days, July 1st, etc. where she sounds more pop and does a higher voice, well, it just sounds forced now. It sounds like she's trying to imitate her LOVEppears voice but it certainly doesn't sound like it was recorded in 1999. She's overdoing it, and you can tell.

I think her voice sounds perfect in "Will" though. As a singer who's shown a pattern of improvement over the last 7 years, it's no surprise that her most recent song has her best vocals. In this case, though, they're jaw-dropping.

So yeah, her younger voice isn't nearly as good. (she sounds outright tone-deaf on alot of tracks, imho x_x) But she has DEFINITELY gotten better.

Qt Mashi · #10 1st October 2005, 05:55 PM

well her singing has improved alot, and i dont think it sounded 'bad', her voice has just changed so much, back then if u listened to her old songs it would have been more normal

Delirium-Zer0 · #11 1st October 2005, 06:03 PM

I think she sounded bad... back when A Song for XX and LOVEppears songs were all she had out, I much preferred the LOVEppears stuff. I think the only songs i liked off A Song for XX were Depend on you, FRIEND II, POWDER SNOW (which I'd ADORE a re-recording of) and A Song for XX. On the other hand, most of the LOVEppears album, i just adored! She sounded great, the songs were awesome and fun, and it was just easier to listen to. A Song for XX got on my nerves

Yukitora · #12 1st October 2005, 07:00 PM

I thought she sung well back in her LOVEppears era (gotta love Boys and Girls, Trauma, End roll, Fly High). She had a very good and high pop voice. But I don't she sounded that bad during her A Song for XX era, I just think her voice was underdeveloped and ununique. She barely had any range and her songs not being that interesting didn't help. But A Song for XX (the song, not the album) was sung very well I think, which proves to me she could sing well back in 1999.

PickleCookies · #13 1st October 2005, 08:00 PM

She doesn't sound poorly at all. A Song for XX is definitely one of the underrated albums. The quality of those songs is amazing, and I would put it at the same level as I am...

miracleofsuzaku · #14 1st October 2005, 08:22 PM

Personally, I prefer her voice from the older days. Her voice sounded less strained and more natural(not that her "mature" voice is bad).

FancySN · #15 1st October 2005, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sora-kara

Her 'old' voice was completely untrained and nasal.
She sang with her nose, not her throat.
Now that she's learned to sing with her throat, she has a better range, tone and more power.

You're not supposed to sing from your throat. You're supposed to sing from your diaphragm.

Singing from your throat is bbaaaaadd. My vocal coach told me that Kelly Clarkson sang from her throat and look what happened to her--she lost her voice right after her first album and had to take a long break before her voice returned.

shinde · #16 1st October 2005, 09:29 PM

I think Ayu's voice was more natural back when she recorded ASFXX (not that her voice is not natural now, but it sure has matured a lot ^.^), but then it suited her image back then. It would be hard for me to imagine Ayu singing ASFXX like the version on A Ballads when she was still an adolescent IMO.

Delirium-Zer0 · #17 1st October 2005, 11:42 PM

I can imagine it. I mean, listen to asuca hayashi. At 13 she sounded absolutely divine, she already had a very mature voice. She still sounded innocent though.

Catzi · #18 2nd October 2005, 12:16 AM

I like the "old" voice; it's cute sounding. But the "new" voice is just as well. It's probably because I'm use to it now, but when I first heard her singing Trauma in a lower key it sounded weird.

SunshineSlayer · #19 2nd October 2005, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sora-kara

Her 'old' voice was completely untrained and nasal.
She sang with her nose, not her throat.
Now that she's learned to sing with her throat, she has a better range, tone and more power.

Actually you are not supposed to sing from your throat. That is how Ayu sang before - from the throat and that can damage your vocal chords. You want to sing from your abdomen, through the diaphram and up. That's how Ayu sings now and explains why her voice has gotten a deeper fuller sound.

voltron · #20 2nd October 2005, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sora-kara

Her 'old' voice was completely untrained and nasal.
She sang with her nose, not her throat.
Now that she's learned to sing with her throat, she has a better range, tone and more power.

Actually, before ASFXX she underwent extensive vocal training in New York, where they promoted her to use her higher register. That's why everything on ASFXX is so high pitched and screetchy sounding.