I suppose most J-media followers know this already, but TeamAyu has released a statement saying that Ayumi Hamasaki has lost all hearing in her left ear. The translation is literally everywhere, so I’ll be short: she got an ear check-up last year and found out that she has lost all hearing in her left ear. Although she has lost hearing in her left ear, her right ear is fine and she wants to continue singing until her right ear has lost function. She won’t give up or make excuses and will continue to keep working hard.

It’s admirable that Ayu wants to keeping singing until her right ear is gone, but how exactly is it going to benefit her if she has no hearing? Maybe if she thinks a bit more, she’ll realize that she really shouldn’t strain her hearing if she’s already half-deaf. It’s only a matter of time until she retires from the music industry. I’d give it at least a year though, enough time for a few single and another studio album. Plus, she’s already been half-deaf for a year. I wouldn’t doubt that her right ear isn’t exactly in perfect condition right now.

As a side note, it’s interesting that although it was confirmed last year, this news was not released until now. Now being a few days after the release of her album, GUILTY. The singles on this album has rather dismal sales, and it’s not just because the music industry isn’t doing so well, Ayu just hasn’t been doing so well either (which really is a shame). I wonder how many more copies GUILTY’ll sell now that avex has played their trump card.

Anyway, back to the real subject. With her retirement just looming (yes, looming, that woman will retire before she goes completely deaf no matter how determined she is), what will happen to the queen of Jpop? One of the reasons that Ayu is labeled ‘queen’ is not musical. It’s not just that she sells a shitload of records, it’s because her influences are places other than music. She continually tops those dumb Oricon polls and is a huge fashion icon in Japan.

I’d like to see Ayu design a line of clothing after she retires. It’s really only fitting that it’s something in the fashion industry. It’d either be super wearable or completely out theree…I mean, did anyone else think the yellow frilly strapless dress was a little over the top? Or a bunch of the other outfits that she’s been shot in… Maybe after a few seasons of designing clothing, she’ll be a guest star in a drama and then publish an autobiography. And then in about 15-20 years there will be a tanpatsu drama special about how Ayu pushed through her new disability and how she dealt with the change. It’s almost ridiculous how drama-friendly this situation is…I can see it already playing in my head. I wonder who’ll play Ayu in the drama…

I don’t want this to come off as if I’m saying “retire already Ayu! You’re old news!” because I really like her music. I suppose all I am trying to say is that she’s such a huge star and hugely known not just in the music industry that she can move over into other industries and still be successful. Who knows, I guess the only thing to do is to wait a year or two. Seriously, I’m waiting for the first collection of Ayu-brand clothing.

Tracklist
1. talkin’ 2 myself
2. decision
3. fated “Orchestra version”
4. talkin’ 2 myself - Instrumental
5. decision - Instrumental

talkin’ 2 myself is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 42nd single. It was released on September 19, 2007 and reached the #1 spot on the weekly Oricon charts, selling about 70,000 copies in the first week, an unusual low for her. Both A-side and B-side had commercial tie-ins.

After the disappointing release of glitter / fated, fans were excited by preview of talkin’ 2 myself. And I have to agree. The intro is excellent - starting off with a fast electronic melody and then combining strings and heavy electric riffs. Ayu’s vocals are just as good, and while the verses aren’t too special, the pre-chorus and chorus are quite powerful (the chorus especially, I really like it!). I’ve always been a fan of particularly her rock songs, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s nothing completely different from anything I’ve ever heard, but it’s of high quality. And wow, the arrangement is great!

decision starts off with tragic sounding piano and strings, then much like talkin’ 2 myself, guitar riffs enter. Again, the verses don’t do much for me, but I really enjoyed the pre-chorus and chorus. The chorus sounds really epic, though, because the verses are so quiet that in the chorus you are just assaulted with all the elements. The bridge is also pretty good and goes back into the chorus nicely. The arrangement here is amazing, too.

Well, I rather liked the original mix of fated, but orchestral arrangements are usually quite beautiful. The strings are absolutely gorgeous and it really highlights the sadness in the song. I particularly liked the pre-chorus in fated and here, it sounds really nice against the orchestra. Not sure which version I like more, though, they’re pretty much on equal footing.

Buy this single: CD only | CD+DVD