浜崎あゆみ:first impressions

[orenji_jaro]

well let's talk about our first impression in ayu.
how was it like when you first heard her music? did it get you more curious and started to be fanatic about ayu? o.o

well anyway i heard ayu first in her song Boys & Girls it was totaly a hit and make her really really popular here in japan!
I thougth she won't last thought after her single boys & girls well my first impression did last. lol
she made it till now and the future!

and i think she's more pretty in her earlier look.. but the styles here in japan just changes so fast.. you have to blend in with the style immediately.. >__<

[mod note: I fixed your spelling errors so that it's easier for people to read -devilayu]

[elepop]

Well, at first, I thoughts she was an actress... Not a singer. I saw a picture of her from a website and I was like: "WOW! Such big eyes for an asian!". (that was my first impression!) Me and my sister really wanted to learn more from her. So we search and ended up on a blog that had her song "M" played. I really loved what I heard, so I dedided to download many songs from her. (second impression: pretty voice)

[truehappiness]

"WHO IS THIS GODDESS?" XD

No. I just liked her songs. I never really saw her until I searched for the PVs..

[Why is there no teddy bear PV!? My first ayu song ;-;]

[Dustie]

First thing I ever saw/heard that had Ayumi Hamasaki in it were her CMs - both of her releases and products she was advertising. My first impression was like wow, this is something new, something fresh, like nothing I've ever seen before. Ayumi herself looked really mysterious to me, since I think she was the first Asian singer I've ever had a close look at.

[chibi_sunny]

Nice topic for a thread

I shall hate myself for saying this too:
When I first heard on Ayu (on the radio), I felt I should know her. It was weird. It felt like I've heard her name before (when I haven't) and that she was REALLY famous, or something along those lines. I totally hated her voice by the way. I looked up her pictures, just to see who she was. I thought she was a total fake, some Japanese made-up singer. I read that Time magazine article, and I didn't care. It took me a long time to like Ayu, trust me. I didn't know why people looked at her like she was some goddess. It just seemed dumb to me.
As time went, the more songs I heard, the more I started to think that Ayu was alright.

But now, I love her, thanks to this forum. It helped me realize what I was missing out on.

[immel]

5 years ago, christmas 2001, I saw Ayu & Gackt perform Silent Night, it was the first time I ever saw or heard anything of her.

One of my friends listened a bit to Ayu throughout those 5 years, I myself barely knew who she was, to me she was only a name.

6 months ago I remembered this name, while I was looking for new music. I downloaded some album at random, it was I am...

The next day, when it had finished downloading, I opened the folder to take a look. I recognized the name evolution, I guess my friend had talked to me about it some years ago.

I listened and got an impression.

3 months later I went to Tokyo to see her live.


After seeing more pictures of her I instantly fell in love with her eyes. After reading everything I could find about her I fell in love with her person.

[Hazuki]

At first, my sister showed me a picture of Ayu where she had the prettiest nails and the cutest hairstyle! Of course, I loved her eyes!

She had told me to buy her CD instead of Koda Kumi (I was such a huuuge fan).. But I didn't because, well, I've never heard of her!

Then, I searched on for her songs and came to find "evolution". I loved it and then.. Well... I couldnt stop looking for her songs XD

Now, look where I am

[destiny_ayu]

First time i know her is through the broadcast of her song "M". I was totally awed by her song and got curious of her that I found more information about her. I downloaded SEASONS and totally like it. Great voice, Nice songs, Pretty and Beautiful singer

[AyUmIXx]

well...
ehmm..
the very first ayu's song that i listened was "evolution" on mtv..
then i was like..
"woww..this japanese singer is so cute....." with her tiny body size..
and she sang so fast..and that's amazing..

before i even watched one of her videos..
i got A BEST album for myself..when i listened to it..
i found that..her songs were totally annoying with the high pitched voice (or squeeky voice)..

but since evolution..i started to listen to her A BEST album again.
finally..i found it quite nice..and loving it until today..

[realize_!]

She ws my first ever J-pop artist. I first heard Boys & Girls from a friend of mine, and I was telling her "You *&^%-ing don't know that language! Stop listening to that piece of (*%^"... She then played TO BE... back then I was only in love with her ballads... now I'm in love with her! I began to research on her... I thought she was gorgeous, and like most peoples impressions she has huge eyes! When I found out she writes her own lyrics, she's gained my respect and now she's forever number 1 to me.

[AyUmIXx]

she's my first ever J-POP artist too..
because of her..i begin learn to know other japanese artists...and hear japanese songs..
and learn about the language too..
thanks to Ayu~ hehehe

[xiaou-xijiang]

I first heard ayu, in moments and I was mildly intrigued. then I heard no more words from Inuyasha. I was really intrigued cause her vocals were impressive. So I found a site: akatsuki (which is down now, ) and it had a picture and downloads from MY STORY. That was my first ayu photo. (I was kinda startled cause she was in a weird dress lying upside down with her feet on a messy bed, attention grabbing makeup and curly wiglike blonde hair) but as I got more into it, I got more into her style (music and fashion wise; her nails was a big factor in my first impression, she has gorgeous nails)
I tried, at first to stay away from her earlier/pop songs and more into her more recent ballads. (I wasn't into all her high squeaky pop voice) but as I gained more info and listened to more and more of her stuff, I began to except, like, and enjoy every aspect of her music.

[julian]

I hate Jpop prior to her... lol.. Then I saw Fly high, my cousin accidently downloaded that instead of an Utada video... been a fan ever since!

[Namie]

My first impression was nothing really. Didnt know what to expect. The first song I heard was A song for XX from Abest. fell in love with it and have follow her since then <3

[*Petit*]

My first impresion of ayu was moments, and it made me look for more songs of hers. I wasen't totally blown away before I heard M and some remixes of UNITE! and som eother songs. The thing that kept me going was the fact that for every new song I discovered I was NEVER disappointed. There wasen't really ONE song I diden't like. This was in 2004 so there was a lot to go through. It never happened to me before (perhaps with the exception of Aqua) that I liked the entire discography of an artist. When I read the translations of her lyrics I was even more amazed. The remixes also helped, she probably has some of the best and diverse remixes ever made. Thus, when I found out that she was all that popular and had sold so much I wasen't very surprised, because this was THE music I had been looking for even thought I diden't know it before.

[Nevada]

I don't remember my first impression except for that I liked it a lot. I admit a lot of the intrigue was that it was Japanese and it sounded pretty cool ^^```

[emi♡]

I first heard a clip from J-fan of Fly High, of the chorus, and I loved it...it was so different.

I was never into Pop. EVER. I mean my parents were rockers in the 80's, and so I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Metallica, Queensryche, etc. And I HATED American Pop, it was sooo....well you know how it is. So I really only listening to like System of a Down and bands like that. But Ayu's music, was just so different... I had to listen to more, so I went on bearshare and typed in her name, and THOUSANDS of files turned up...and my downloading days began.

I don't even know how to describe it, except it was different, and Fly High was all happy and upbeat and fun...different.

[shavoingin]

well when i first saw her i thought she was very pretty, and a couple of years later i first heard bold & delicious and i hated it lol, but i kept listening to more songs by her until i found some i liked

[Ani_C]

Heh, i first heard of Ayu in Inuyasha with Dearest but i was like =_= good song but whatev... then in Inuyasha Movie 1 i was like O_O WOW awesome song!! and i saw Ayumi Hamasaki there so i searched up her songs and found Evolution and boom! hooked hehe

[Larisa-chan]

In 2001 I downloaded "poker face" from Napster and thought "this girl has the worst singing voice I ever heard, and this music is terrible too."

Then I finally came upon Evolution and~...