Japanese music related posts. J-pop, J-rock, and the various subgenres.
August was weird. Well, first off, to the left is the red-and-white pinstripe outfit Ayu wore for the month’s Tu-Ka print campaign. Fairly early in the month she filmed a TV commercial that featured “Dearest,” but that ad didn’t end up airing for awhile. Between August 11th and 18th, she...
On June 1st, Ayu posted on the TeamAyu BBS that she was recording a new song: “UNITE!” She posted a short sample of the lyrics: 自由を右手に愛なら左手に持ち．．．(Holding freedom in the right hand, and love in the left hand…) That same day, Ayu’s new Takanoyuri CM for their La Stone Therapy...
Ayu was busy behind the scenes for the first half of May, preparing for DOME TOUR and doing photo shoots for Tu-Ka and Takanoyuri as well as the rehearsal photos ultimately used for the DOME TOUR 2001 tour pamphlet. The Takanoyuri campaign wouldn’t debut until the following month, but...
Right off the bat, a new version of Ayu’s “NEVER EVER” Kirin Supli commercial began airing at the beginning of April. It’s not majorly different in mood or concept, but it shows Ayu in a more empowered & less dazed state. This was a big month for Ayu’s Tu-Ka...
March 2001 was a fun month. By this point, we already knew A BEST was happening. It had been announced in early February, and we knew at least a couple of older songs were being re-recorded. The details regarding the release would slowly trickle out over the course of the...
February was a new month, and with it came a new Tu-Ka Campaign. This one featured Ayu in a dress made entirely of other Tu-Ka photos of Ayu. The “retrospective” nature of the campaign did cause fans to wonder if Ayu’s Tu-Ka contract would be ending soon since this...
It’s now the 15th anniversary of Ayumi Hamasaki’s biggest, greatest, most spectacular, and highest quality year. I’m not being superlative here – Ayu’s best-selling album, A BEST, was released in march; she composed all the solo singles she released that year herself, in whole or in part; she sold...
Hey there, been awhile huh? 🙂 Last year I noticed a lot of blog posts and articles about Japan being behind in its transition to digital music, still clinging to CDs, as one writer put it, “like it’s 1995.” Indeed, the Oricon chart started following music downloads in 2006 but...
The first song I ever heard by Rurutia was her second single, “LOST BUTTERFLY,” released at the tail-end of 2001. The unassuming pop ballad, a melodic wonder, was charming and sweet and instantly lovable to every one of my friends who heard it. It took over a decade of...
Ayumi Hamasaki is important. She’s very, very important. Both to me and to Japanese popular music. As B’z are my favorite Japanese band, Ayumi Hamasaki is my favorite solo artist. Now getting into “why,” that’s the hard part. With B’z it’s easy – I love how their music sounds,...