ユリアのブログ: Happy 15th anniversary Ayu~!

In anticipation of 08.04.2013...

How I got into "Ayu"・あゆ.

Ayumi Hamasaki・浜崎あゆみ. Debuted 8th April 1998.

Thinking back towards the end of primary school/start of secondary school, that was the time when idols are all the rage and friends around me have long started listening to music of their choice frequently and naming their favourite singers along with the usual primary school (fav colour, foods, movies etc). Back then I was still slow to catch on this phase and didn't really listen to anyone in particular save for the oldies my parents play as I don't have the habit of listening to the radio and didn't really start using the internet alot till secondary school.

Younger self

So I guess the first time a singer intrigued me was when I heard her short commercial on TV playing quite frequently promoting her new album, which was "I am". And it always ends with a very resounding "AVEX TRAX" lol. And that was Ayumi Hamasaki back when she was at her height of her popularity?

So I remembered the short snippet of her songs but didn't know where to find it then (was not that tech savvy despite playing computer games since I was 4). But I chanced upon it on my cousin's playlist one day when she had the track "I am".

Then well I learnt to use the internet a while later, got into neopets which fascinated me alot then, played MMOs, created anime graphics website (which was all the rage then headers, banners, web skins and what nots). Then I started getting into her songs and she soon became the no.1 artist in my playlist with the greatest number of songs. The first song that I liked from her would be "M", for its strong chorus and guitar solo and climax at the end, and it is also the first song she composed under the name "CREA". My playlist is, incidently about 90% japanese. ^^; And she was really, I guess my first idol and still would be the one I would name when asked.

From the time around "M"'s release.

Thats because she's so versatile, always keeping a fresh image and continually changing. On top of that, she always really fashionable.

Even her array of hairstyles over the years is inspiring (though she seems to favour the same light golden brown shade). From the documentaries of her I've seen, she appears to be a very independent woman who works hard to ensure what she puts out there is what she wants and less of the company's decision. She's also quite resilient even coming back again after deafness in one ear threatened her singing for a while as she would struggle to get the right pitch. I'm happy to say in recent performances she's been better vs a slight rut earlier. Also, I really like the lyrics to her songs, all of which she writes herself, and is more about life in general than just purely love which most songs (non-japanese I find) tend to be about. Not to mention, her live performances and concerts are always SUCH a pleasure to watch. always.

The setting, the theme, the concept, the costume, the raw singing shows alot of effort and thought put into the performance.

It makes the songs come to live and sometimes you see it in a new light through the way she presents it or understand it more.

Big scale concerts interspersed with simpler deliveries keeps things interesting.

So, when people are puzzled over why I'm obsessed over this singer so much more than others, I guess my answer is I think she is very inspirational in all those ways I've mentioned and a really creative person. And I guess she is more personable than some pop stars out there too.

I think most of her fans came in around the same time as I did and still tend to hawk back to her songs of that era, and take less to her newer songs (but don't we all do? I mean that's how oldies come about. I think most people stop taking in new songs past a certain age lol.) I'm similar, but I still find a few songs out of every new release that I liked and know will grow on me with time.

One of my fav pictures

I think 15 years of continual concerts, albums, appearances etc is a feat that majority of artists are not able to do. (She is so, so unbelievably active come to think of it). And the whole journey is marked by different "eras" and phases that she goes through where each has distinct styles. So many of my other favorite bands/singers have either disbanded (e.g. school food punishment) or gone on long hiatus (e.g. Utada hikaru). Of course they have have their personal reasons etc, and as we all know, life happens. So all the more I really appreciate ayu for always being there so far, and hopefully for as long as possible!

So to my first and favourite singer ever, Happy anniversary!