Hamasaki declares the 8th of each month 'Ayu Day'

Pfffft!

Translation "Please buy my stuff as my popularity has been slipping the last few years"

She still doesn't realize that she is done...Love Hotel Songs...interesting

Song 4 U, Melody, Missing.....who comes up with these corny titles? Lol at love hotel songs Mirai ^^

Good to see that her divorce has allowed her to continue to work tirelessly for the tohoku disaster victims.

She is one of the rare few that can sing and write. She is not tone deaf either like all those SMAP puppets and other Johnny things with their hair cuts more of a concern than their talent...or lack of talent I should say.

She is one of the rare few that can sing and write.

Really? You call that singing? She sounds horrible! (both her singing and talking voice) She talks out of her nose, and she gulps the lyrics much like an amateur radio DJ does. There are so few really talented singers in Japan and she is DEFINITELY NOT one of them.

She is one of the rare few that can sing and write.

She sings though he nose.

And as for "writing", I think you mean the Michael Jackson style of writing = get other people to write for you, then buy it off them and call it you own work.

almost as improtant as the Declaration of Independence.

I give her credit for trying...

She's not the best when it comes singing but at least she writes her own lyrics and she knows what she wants. unlike bunch of idols these days only sing and dance like they are told to.

She cannot sing. Have you heard her sing without music. Just terrible. The music covers her out of tune voice. She only has the 'talent' to rehash old songs and make 'new' mixed CDs so she can sell sell sell!! New Single, new mixed single, best of..., etc etc .

Money grab

Oh she still around, I stopped listening to her when i was a teen and stopped watching anime etc etc. when i woke up and realize dang..she really wasn't singing that great lol.

I haven't really listened to her music, but my impression is that they are so much alike. It's like the same score over and over.

Madonna is not the only one hanging on to their decimating career. I can't believe there are people out there that buy this garbage and insult the real hardworking musicians out there coming out every 4 years to make an album because they care about quality and this girl chucks out these songs like a pez dispenser. Sheeeeesh!

TEAM AYU

insult the real hardworking musicians out there coming out every 4 years to make an album because they care about quality and this girl chucks out these songs like a pez dispenser. Sheeeeesh!

She doesn't make her own music, avex does, she has no control over what they make her sing and promote, they just pimp her to make money, she gets a flat salary monthly with more than likely a bonus like most groups in Japan including AKB

Can't sing to save her life but she does look nice in this photo. Much nicer than usual, actually - maybe less makeup than is her norm?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. If you don't like her music then leave her alone as simple as that.You don`t have to be troll you know. For all of you saying she sings using her nose, I guess you have never been educated in music. There is a big difference between Mix/pharyngeal/head voice and the one your saying nasal voice duh? IT IS JUST HER VOICE QUALITY for God's sake. And please don't compare AKB48 to Ayumi. Ayumi is a talented singer and composer. Look her wiki and learn your facts first. We all know western people have never liked JPOP. http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/does-j-pop-really-suck But Ayumi is not just a POP artist. She is also a ROCK singer!!!!! Now, I'm not a big super of her, but I love some of her songs. Like "Memorial Address"and "Blue Bird" etc. Though the titles in English sounds silly, but hey IF you know Japanese and listen to the lyrics it will make sense. Well I do agree that proclaiming a day each month as your day sounds retarded, and her recent divorce is undeniably bizarre, it is not a good reason to hate the artist.

I laugh at the people who say she's got no talent. Remember, she broke Matsuda Seiko's number-one singles record. No one will ever break that record.

Remember, she broke Matsuda Seiko's number-one singles record. No one will ever break that record

Donguri no se-kurabe

SAD~ LOL! DESPERATE! xD

Remember, she broke Matsuda Seiko's number-one singles record. No one will ever break that record.

Since when is record sales the measuring stick for talent? LOL..

AKB48 broke a lot of sales records too, and so did Morning Musume...do they have talent? .The US learned from Milli Vanilli that good sales doesn't equal talent. It just means she has good marketers and relatively attractive which is all you need to make it as a so called "talent" in Japan.

No one will ever break that record.

There are a lot of people out there who have REAL talent who just need a break. All they need is the right marketing and they'll easily make chihuahua-chick look like a one hit wonder.

I think there are better singers than her but she has a unique style that is just...Ayu. Good or not, she has a bunch of fans that will keep her rich...

who cares?

stupid manufactured date of self-importance for a stupid manufactured "music" industry.

sorry, from mother's day to veteran's day to jump to aids awareness week and cancer day or whatever is mildly annoying but more than forgivable. But a pop star saying x day is my day? just arrogant and stupid and insulting at the same time. I don't even think it should be reported as news outside of an industry magazine.

I don't even think it should be reported as news outside of an industry magazine.

TOTALLY AGREE...JT!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. If you don't like her music then leave her alone as simple as that.

This is JT and we are supposed to comment on daily articles that they post and this is one of those posts. So we are making our comments known.

You don`t have to be troll you know. For all of you saying she sings using her nose, I guess you have never >been educated in music.

I'm highly educated in Music and graduated from a very prestigious music school, so I think more than qualifies me to make professional judgements or comments and yes, she does sing more through her nasal cavity. She has a problem with singing falsetto and letting it flow naturally, she strains a lot. It's shrieking. As gogo said, she is just a talent that chucks out songs whenever told, even Lady Gaga does a far better job at writing music.

There is a big difference between Mix/pharyngeal/head voice and the one your saying nasal voice duh? IT IS JUST HER VOICE QUALITY for God's sake.

There is NO quality, seriously.

And please don't compare AKB48 to Ayumi. Ayumi is a talented singer and composer. Look her wiki and learn >your facts first. We all know western people have never liked JPOP.

Don't need to look at wiki to see that she is clearly in the same category as AKB48, minus the hundreds of girls.If people like Ayumi because they like her music, I don't have a problem with that, however, I do have a problem with someone saying that she is a talented musician which would put her in the same level as Heart or Björk. Listening to J-pop music is subjective, I can only speak for myself, but for me, it all sounds the same, whiny and tinny.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/does-j-pop-really-suck

But Ayumi is not just a POP artist. She is also a ROCK singer!!!!!

Rock singer??? Wow? You want to put her on the same level as Queen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith? I sure hope not!

Now, I'm not a big super of her, but I love some of her songs. Like "Memorial Address"and "Blue Bird" etc. >Though the titles in English sounds silly, but hey IF you know Japanese and listen to the lyrics it will make >sense. Well I do agree that proclaiming a day each month as your day sounds retarded, and her recent divorce >is undeniably bizarre, it is not a good reason to hate the artist.

I understand, if you like her, great, but I prefer quality over quantity. Back in the day, groups like Pink Floyd, Rush etc would come out with an album every 2 years, sometimes 4 years, but you knew it was going to be good, because these musicians would really sit down and take the time to contemplate and really write good music quality music. That is NOT the case usually with Japanese pop music. Jazz is a different story. There are many serious talented Jazz musicians in Japan, but they would never compromise on quality. Again, this is just my opinion, but there are many people that would probably agree with me in thinking that Ayumi is a huge ca$h cow and is good at bringing in the bacon, but talented, I don't think so.

For all of you saying she sings using her nose, I guess you have never been educated in music.

ROFTLMAO.... There is a difference in using your nose as resonance, and singing through your nose because you because you have a weird voice and have to use your nose to sing. Opera singers use their nose for resonance, Ayu uses her nose to make that god awful noise she makes.

And please don't compare AKB48 to Ayumi.

Why not...they're both Jpop aren't they?...its a fair comparison. And as much as I cannot stand AKB48, I would rather listen to their crap than Ayu's crap...I would be bored to tears by the lack of talent, but at least I wouldn't be annoyed by the nasally voice and that fake fade she does !

But Ayumi is not just a POP artist. She is also a ROCK singer!!!!!

AHAHAHA...LOL LOL LOL!!!! (in tears) I gotta agree with bass on this (that's the second time today...this is getting scary) Ayu is FAR from being a rock singer. She wouldn't know what rock was, even if it hit her in her chihuahua face. She's a washed up talentless jpop singer with no fan base outside of Japan. Real rock singers like the ones mentioned by Bass have a vast fan base that stretches all over the world and have been popular for SEVERAL decades by die hard fans of many generations. Ayu appealed to the age 10 to 25 demographics and akiba types over the age of 35. Most of which grew out of her and went onto someone else.

IF you know Japanese and listen to the lyrics it will make sense

I am fluent in Japanese and they make no sense.

Well I do agree that proclaiming a day each month as your day sounds retarded, and her recent divorce is undeniably bizarre, it is not a good reason to hate the artist.

Yes it is, and not only for those reasons, but because she sucks....LOL

This is JT and we are supposed to comment on daily articles that they post and this is one of those posts. So we are making our comments known.

I don't think I said anything about YOU or anyone not to post on JT. READ MY COMMENT AGAIN!

I'm highly educated in Music and graduated from a very prestigious music school, so I think more than qualifies me to make professional judgements or comments and yes, she does sing more through her nasal cavity. She has a problem with singing falsetto and letting it flow naturally, she strains a lot. It's shrieking. As gogo said, she is just a talent that chucks out songs whenever told, even Lady Gaga does a far better job at writing music.

Obviously you don't know the differences of the vocal registers. If she was using falsetto then her breathe will run out while she's singing. It is what people call "head voice". Maybe its time to go back your prestigious school once again? "she strains a LOT" Do you know shes a ROCK singer too? It is call vocal style.

There is NO quality, seriously.

When I said VOCAL QUALITY, I was referring to the unique individual characteristic of a person.No two person is alike,even in terms of the voice. If you were saying she has no voice quality then you are saying she has a voice that sounds the same as another person? LOL

Don't need to look at wiki to see that she is clearly in the same category as AKB48, minus the hundreds of girls.If people like Ayumi because they like her music, I don't have a problem with that, however, I do have a problem with someone saying that she is a talented musician which would put her in the same level as Heart or Björk. Listening to J-pop music is subjective, I can only speak for myself, but for me, it all sounds the same, whiny and tinny.

Good to know you that you have preferences, and it happened that your ear wast built to despise JPOP. Again Don't over generalize because you've never heard the rest of the artist.

Rock singer??? Wow? You want to put her on the same level as Queen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith? I sure hope not!

yes she is! If you have any problems keep to yourself. hahahha

Readers, no more bickering please.

Hey more power to her and her marketing folks. Whether I like her or don't doesn't matter, it's her fans than will appreciate what she is doing.

This is JT and we are supposed to comment on daily articles that they post and this is one of those posts. So we are making our comments known.

There is no "supposed" to comment anywhere in the rules here. It's your choice, nothing more, nothing less. No one put a gun to your head to comment, nor has anyone put one to mine to read them either.

Keep that in mind when you consider whether or not you want to post something.

Best to milk it while you can.. I'd do the same I think... can't say for sure unless I was in her shoes.

bass4funk

you said that jpop and hamasaki ayumi

it all sounds the same, whiny and tinny.

However, I must strenuously disagree with you. I believe that "it all sounds whinney and tinny"

would be a far more accurate description of the medium. To me, the vast majority of those singers are clearly not ppl, they are horses.

let that be the "Ayu-day" for herself and her fans... as for me... just another day... good luck!

As I said, people can listen to what they want it doesn't bother me, but as I said, Ayu seriously IMO having played in a a few bands and working exclusively as a Sound Engineer, I can tell there is a lot of Compression and a lot harmonizing used to bring her voice to proper equalization, because of her nasally head voice pitch, she isn't singing through her diaphragm gently and naturally. Has nothing to do with liking her or not. But I know many musicians and how the Japanese industry works and for them, they are mostly concerned about the cash flow and let's face it and let's be real, Ayu is one of the biggest cash cows around. The woman makes millions in record sales and if you look at it from a marketing perspective she is one of the best, just don't lump her in with a person that is real talent. To me a real singer is Janis Joplin or Adele or the late Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, absolute legends! Ayu is NOT a singer, whether pop or rock or soul, she is a talent, like Madonna or Britney Spears pop divas or pop/rock singer like the great Teena Marie gone way too early. There is nothing wrong with Ayu being a talent, but there is a huge difference between a talent artist and a musician, people get the two mixed up. I don't think that most of these artists could ever make it in most countries in the west. I remember when Seiko Matsuda years ago tried to make it big in the states and it just didn't go anywhere, the same for Utada Hikaru. I think for most western ears, even if you speak or understand Japanese fluently, I think for most Westerners the high pitch sound of J-pop generally turns people off, happy childish lyrics, not relating to the daily ins and outs of reality and serious social issues. Hikaru a few years ago when she released one of her albums in the states, she sold about 80,000 copies and in the music industry that is considered a huge failure. Again, more power to the people that like her, but she is NO Joe Walsh that's for sure.

"Song 4 u"

I hate it when lazy people spell like this, it should be Song For You, is that so hard to write?

Otherwise, I like Ayumi!

She talks out of her nose..........................

That's a rare talent indeed, does that mean it leaves the mouth to perform other functions while she sing/talk out of her nose ?

I gotta buy her album and find out for myself !!

If the 8th is "Ayu Day", does that mean that everyother day of the month is "Ayu-free Day"? If so, I am in!

No lie, but I personally think her best work was Dearest for the Inu Yasha anime. I don't have anything against her, but she's been making a lot of mainstream Jpop crap. No matter how much I used to like Jpop, it's just gone downhill, especially with all the stuff they're spewing out. I mean, look at KAT-TUN. They used to have semi-decent stuff, but now it's all just a bunch of mainstream crap I can't even look forward to anymore. And Jpop artists like Ayu and AKB48 are the reasons why a lot of people turned to Kpop. Well, it's just my honest opinion. Bash all you want, defend all you want, but I don't care anymore. T-T

How very pompous and self-aggrandizing of her! I didn't mind some of her work 12 years ago, when she peaked, but since then I haven't bothered to listen to anything she produces. As for the new album, I think "Love hotel songs" is more appealing than "Hotel love songs", and might be more interesting.