The J-Pop queen of yesteryear Ayumi Hamasaki will release her 15th studio album on July 2nd. At time of posting, the album is untitled and the full track list it yet to be revealed, as are the album arts - but they will probably feature Ayumi Hamasaki shot with a sunset colour palette, with her name and the album title in a variation of italicized times new Roman; as this her been her 'thing' as of late.
Ayumi Hamaflop has been desperate to prove her relevance, ever since Namie's success began to question hers and snatched the HBIC crown right off of her head. Namie surpassed the HBIC title to such an extent that she started her own record label, with is located on a satellite miles above the city of Tokyo, propelled by the gravitational pull of relevance and album sales, which is why Ayu could never and will never.
Ayu's 15th studio album will be her first to feature productions from non-Japanese producers. Dutch producer Armin van Buuren, RedOne of Lady Gaga fame and Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins. This roster of producers only goes to serve how outdated Ayu is. Armin is a Dutch house producer. Yes Ayu. Because Dutch house is exactly where it's at right now. RedOne hasn't had a smash hit since 2012 with Nicki Minaj's God awful "Starships". I bet Ayu only poached RedOne because she wanted a song which sounds just like it. Rodney 'Dementor' Jerkins has been sucking the chart success out of songs for the past 5 years. As a footnote, Hikaru Utada worked with Rodney Jerkins on her Distance album 13 years ago, back when he was actually hot.
Ever since cracks in Ayu's perfect trophy case began to show from the 2008 release of her album Guilty, the only consistent thing Ayu has delivered is disappointment. With Love again she showed that she knows what retrospectively works well for her. But she's continually shown a complete inability to try anything new and make it work. Namie's ascent within the landscape of J-Pop has made Ayu look like she has even less of a clue. Namie's had a solid handle on her sound for a decade. She's become the master of emulation. Namie takes a popular Western sound, emulates it and then delivers it in a way that makes it her own. Namie has also developed a good ear and established a close knit team around her who know what works and what doesn't. Ayu on the other hand is still struggling to find a new sound. Floundering in her attempt to deliver music which sounds contemporary and can also hold its own against her chart competitors. Songs such as "You & me" and "Merry-go-round" show the disparity between what Ayu thinks sounds cool and what legitimately is. That tinnitus paired with her desperation to chase Hikaru Utada's ghost, catch up to Namie and fend off Kumi is turning her crazy. It's consuming her to the point where it's pulling her attention from trying to improve and better herself as an artist. There has been no sense of evolution or growth in anything Ayu has done in quite some time.
A large part of what kept Hikaru Utada relevant and keeps her relevant is that she was never trying to compete with any of her peers. She didn't care what anybody else was doing. She focused on what they could do themselves to deliver good music and evolve. The same goes for Namie Amuro. She wasn't trying to compete with Ayu, Kumi, BoA. None of them. She stayed in her own lane and managed to lap the competition, meanwhile they're stuck in pit stops scratching their heads on how to change a tyre.
Ayumi Hamasaki's album releases just a mere week before Miss Japan 2014: Kyary Pussy Pamyu releases her 3rd studio album. Ayu's street and promo team need to milk this weeks' head start for all that it is worth, because once Kyary's shit drops, it's a wrap for Ayu and her sales trajectory will nose dive faster then Ecco the dolphin. Promotion in that week prior to Pussy Pam's release will be a struggle in itself, because Kyary will be everywhere for weeks leading up to her album dropping. Kyary is everywhere in Tokyo when she's barely endorsing anything, let alone when she actually a product to plug.
Poor Ayu.
Album reviews: Next level | Rock 'n' roll circus | Five | Love songs | Party queen | Love again