Monday, October 2, 2006

Ayumi Hamasaki


Ayumi, for those unfamiliar with her, is an extraordinary talent. Described by some as the Japanese Madonna, ... she's better than Madonna in opinion. It is only the English language barrier that holds her back from western mega stardom. She sings in Japanese, which for me is an attraction, as I don't speak Japanese. Odd thing to say I know, but it means I listen to the poetry of her voice, rather than to the meaning of her words. I rarely listen to the meaning of words in songs, concentrating more on the voice as an instrument.

A number 1 seller in Japan and recipient of numerous MTV (Japan) and best song, album and artist awards, she is well deserved of praise. Ayumi is an excellent keyboard player (and I say that as a keyboard player), performing classical orchestral works as well as Jpop/rock, and she is the composer and performer of her own material

I first heard Ayumi with her 2001 single Never Ever ( an album which has 10 different mixes of the song in different genre's) which I bought from Honya, our local Japanese language product retailer. Never Ever blew me out of my chair, and I've been a fan ever since.

Happy Birthday Ayumi, 28 today, and a fine talent.

Like to know more about Ayumi and hear her music?

Ayumi @ Jpop Forums
Ayumi official website