Ayumi Hamasaki VS Utada Hikaru
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no,this is not celebrity deathmatch.They are as different as day and night but ever since their albums were released on the same date(i'm talking about 'A Best' and 'Distance' being released on 28/3 last year),people tend to compare Ayu with Hikki.
What do u think?
(pls,no insulting remarks in this discussion,i do not tolerate such infantile behaviour) -
Both are the icons worshipped by modern youngsters, whether in Japan or elsewhere.
Ayu is more of a visual artiste (reminding me a little of Namie Amuro) and going beyond all imagination when it comes to her ever-changing image. One thing I do not like was her releasing so many remixes, compilations, etc which seem more like a marketing ploy to attract the youngsters' money. But I guess that is not much fault of her, rather her "greedy" company cashing on her popularity.
Hikki is more Westernised and metropolitan. Her popularity may be partly due to the "worship everything foreign" mentality, which is particularly evident in modern Jap youngsters. She can relate to wider audiences with her music, given her interesting multi-cultural background. She plays less on her images, winning more appeal with her song-writing talents - a music child prodigy, that's what she is known for. She is commercialised in a different way from Ayu is that her songs are deployed in many successful serials, eg. Hero and Mo Nu De Tiao Jian ("Terms of a Witch"...what a horrid translation!). But she has lower profile than Ayu, in fact I read somewhere that she will try to avoid any form of telecasted publicity, unless it is hosted by her idol Takuya Kimura (yes, she is just like any other normal Jap girl).
Hope I have been partial... -
u are spot on about the issue of ayu's remix albums.By releasing different versions of Ayu's most popular songs,avex is just trying to make a quick buck from the legions of Ayu fans all over Asia.I make it a point not to buy Ayu's remix albums even though I'm a big fan.
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I admit I'm an Utada fan. Face it, Utada is more talented than Ayumi. Of course both albums, namely A Best and Distance are best-sellers and listenable. Listening to too much of Ayumi will give you an earache. Utada's tenor and husky voice is a nice change from the usual J-pop stuff. Her music is simply American pop with Japanese lyrics. And, I never liked the fact that Ayumi seems to be selling herself rather than the CD when I see the CD covers.
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I do like ayu;s songs last time but not now . Reason being , her songs and her singing is goin down the drain . this is how i feel .
hikki well i dun really listen to her music i can;t comment coz i prefer MAI kuraki , maki yano yuki koyanagi then her -
Indeed,Utada has more musical talent than Ayu,having come from a family with strong music background.But let's not forget that Ayu writes her own songs as well,having penned the lyrics for earlier singles like 'Poker face' as well as all the songs in her latest album 'I am...'Originally posted by chuichi:I admit I'm an Utada fan. Face it, Utada is more talented than Ayumi. Of course both albums, namely A Best and Distance are best-sellers and listenable. Listening to too much of Ayumi will give you an earache. Utada's tenor and husky voice is a nice change from the usual J-pop stuff. Her music is simply American pop with Japanese lyrics. And, I never liked the fact that Ayumi seems to be selling herself rather than the CD when I see the CD covers.
As for the vocal department,Hikki does have a mature and attractive voice for a girl as young as 19.But there has been talk that her voice was digitally enhanced when she was recording songs for her albums.If u watched her performance in the 'Bohemian summer concert ' VCD,u would have noticed that she sang off-key or sounded completely different in some of the numbers that she performed.Well,u be the judge.
I do admit that Ayu's voice sounds screechy when she 'gang chu dao',but she has since toned down on her high-pitched vocals.Anyway,I think Ayu's high-pitched voice is very suitable for fast-tempo rock numbers.
About the fact that Ayu selling herself rather than the her CDs,I think that to be an all-rounded artiste,marketing your talent alone is not enough.U hav to be able to give that something extra.It is a well-known fact that Ayu plays around with her image frequently to attract attention.But if u observe carefully,Hikki also plays around with her image to a certain extent.One moment she is this 'plain Jane' dishing out love ballads like 'First Love',the other and she suddenly transforms into a futuristic cool gal in her 'traveling' MTV.Having talent is never enough,but packaging can help to bring out that talent to bigger audiences. -
It is evident that Ayu's album sales are sagging,a far cry from her heyday in 2000 and 2001.It has been quite a while since her Maxi single sales in Japan reached 1 million copies.('M' was the last single to hit 1 million).I can foresee Ayu following in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue though, transforming from a pop princess to a funky disco queen.What do u think?Originally posted by Seraquiel:I do like ayu;s songs last time but not now . Reason being , her songs and her singing is goin down the drain . this is how i feel .
hikki well i dun really listen to her music i can;t comment coz i prefer MAI kuraki , maki yano yuki koyanagi then her -
How about tracing Ayumi's future path in the direction of Namie Amuro? I have always felt they are pretty similar in some sense. To be frank, Namie is my benchmark for a Jap diva. Just look at how she thrives even after being a mum.
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No doubt,Namie was BIG in the 90s.But she can no longer compete with the likes of Ayu and Hikki.Her status as a pop diva is also threatened by a host of young pretenders such as BoA,Aya Matsuura,Yaiko and MaiK.I really cannot imagine seeing my beloved Ayu going on to become another Namie.In order to remain at the top,I think more radical changes must be introduced to Ayu's music style.Which is why I suggested the Kylie Minogue approach. Ayu's well-known high-pitched vocals would not be out of place when performing disco tunes(like Can't Get U Outta My Head).Originally posted by Hajime:How about tracing Ayumi's future path in the direction of Namie Amuro? I have always felt they are pretty similar in some sense. To be frank, Namie is my benchmark for a Jap diva. Just look at how she thrives even after being a mum. -
Okie..To tell frankly..I dun like Ayumi hamaski..Her songs not nice..No offence..I prefer Namie Amuro better.
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Namie Amuro of course when it comes to j-pop.
Ayumi?What a joke..
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hmm...i would still prefer ayu...no matter how and what...in actual fact i dun realli listen to hikki...so i should make any comments 'bout her then...i see ppl saying hikki is more talented than ayu...but that can false...as all of us know that ayu write the lyrics as well as the song...& she uses CREA as her nick when composing songs...& her songs are oso veri melodious...from here...we can see that ayu & hikki are equally talented...
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hana -
I seriously advise everyone to try Hikki's CD. Strongly recommend the hits First Love or Can You Keep A Secret?. Hikki does everything from composition to lyrics...for the whole album, and that is no mean feat. of course, ayu can write songs too...but personally, I think Hikki's songs have higher standards...more nai ting. First Love is a timeless classic (as described by many) try it.
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*raise both hands to agree*!!!!!
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I prefer Hikki too
She has a new single out isit? "Hikaru"...Not bad, but First Love is still my perennial fave, and that of many others too! Can't help, really too lovely the song... can't imagine she was only so young when she wrote the song... -
hanor hanor!!
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Sorry,but i dun like Ayumi Hamasaki.Esp the advertisement on tv..It's really..gross..I dunnoe who is the other singer u all are talking about,but if u let me choose,i'll prefer the othe singer than AYUMI..No offence..
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Sorry,but i dun like Ayumi Hamasaki.Esp the advertisement on tv..It's really..gross..I dunnoe who is the other singer u all are talking about,but if u let me choose,i'll prefer the othe singer than AYUMI..No offence..
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Which ad issit?Definitely from scv right?
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whats wrong with the ad? she chio mah..
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*~DuN CaRe DuN GiVe a DaMn~* -
The ad is aired nearly after every commercial break during some time slots.
Anyway, I feel the ad was pretty good, it protrayed her varied images. I really like the computerised face which is half-cat half-Ayu, coz I always feel she has the characteristics of a cat. Ohya, and the one of her dressing up as a panther too...*meow*
But again, I like Hikki better...
No gimmicks, just Hikki -
sure,u can't force everyone to like ayu,just like u can't force everyone to like a guy who CANNOT even sing or talk properly and one who brushes off embarrassing questions with a goofy smile...oh no offence...Originally posted by luv~zaizai:Sorry,but i dun like Ayumi Hamasaki.Esp the advertisement on tv..It's really..gross..I dunnoe who is the other singer u all are talking about,but if u let me choose,i'll prefer the othe singer than AYUMI..No offence.. -
Pls...dun start an argument. And dun use "no offence" when you dun mean it. Bing_qi_bu fan, you can continue loving your ayu, but no need to insult others right? Don't make personal attacks pls.
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what u r sayin demonstratespure escapism. u r trying to sway the truth. yes hikki is more musically inclined than ayumi, and yes ayumi sounds like the cats in the backlane. why wont u juz admit it? stop denying things and coming up with petty and lame excuses for her and try to counter that with a pathetic attempt to diss hikki. give credit when credit is due.
on that bohemian thing, it juz proves how little u know of the entertainment industry or performing live. there is such a thing a bad sound system where u dont hear feedback. dats why u sing off key. do u even know wut feedback is coz im beginning to feel that im wasting my time. i have seen hikki's unplugged mtv performance and there are absolutely no doubts on her vocal capabilities. on the other hand, i walked into a store the other day and they were playing ayumi's concert but at that time she wasnt singing, she was thanking the audience. even then i couldnt stand her "whining". that girl cant sing for shizz. i walked out five seconds later.
one thing u got right is dat both hikki and ayumi plays around with their image to keep the fans interested. but u r missing the main point; hikki keeps her clothes on and is merely trying different styles but ayumi seems to be spending less and less on garment and stripping down lower than the bare neccessities.
now that we have succumbed to reality and only now can we debate on which we PREFER. bear in mind that all that is stated above is in my opinion and personally, hikki is way better. some may beg to differ and prefer ayumi's style and i am in no way disrespecting dat. what pisses me off is some people trying to avoid the truth and somehow deflecting it in an angle wide enough to hopefully divert the attention to something else.
peace out -
I wandered onto here by accident, and stayed when I saw Ayu being disrespected. I live in the UK and I'm English - no Japanese connection whatsoever, and I just found Ayu by accident. That was a year ago. Now I'm a die-hard fan of Ayumi Hamasaki, got most of her albums, singles, live vids, etc.
I have listened to Utada Hikaru and have a few things to say about her (hopefully I won't insult too many people):
Firstly, she sounds exactly like every english pop/r&b singer that there ever was. Her lyrics make me cringe (also like other english singers) and her voice is too plain for my liking. I'm sure a lot of you like her (as I can tell by your defending of her), but I won't stand back and let Ayu be dragged through the mud, when she doesn't deserve it.
Addmitedly, Ayu doesn't have the greatest vocal ability. But her voice is unique. She can reach amazingly high notes and can sing really well when she puts her heart into it. Her music is also unique. She is nothing like Kylie Minogue and never will be. She is heaps better than Kylie. Her lyrics (which she writes herself) are deep, intelligent and moving. She writes and sings from the heart, and her fans love her for it.
I love her new style, moving into rock and trance. I love her sense of dress (nowhere near as slutty as people like Kylie and Brittney Spears, etc). I love her voice because I've never heard anything like it before. I love everything about Ayu, and the way she keeps changing and trying different things will make her last a lot longer than Utada Hikaru. Frankly, Hikaru bores me. I've heard too many people like her in the UK. And most of them bore me too.
I could have said worse things that that, but then I would have just been spiteful (like some of you were). So I'll just say this:
LONG LIVE AYU!