pieces of me

I’ve been an ardent fan of J-pop music scene for years. It’s funny how one can be obsessed with music from another language medium so distant & foreign. Perhaps it’s the unique pop-culture & style of music that appeals to me. Having picked up some very basic Japanese over the years has helped a little. As a matter of fact I can recognize more Japanese characters than I do Chinese characters.

Ayu’s 3^rd compilation album

Light & upbeat

Dark & broken

2 of the more recent CDs I’ve bought; bought White, got hooked & went back to get Black a couple of days later. It comes in a 1CD+2DVDs format costing a mere RM45 which, is a pretty good value-for-money; impressive compilation of hits (though I have like half of them already) + PV + Countdown Live ’06 – ’07 – I find it too irresistible to not buy & ended up buying both.

Ayu still remains one of my favorite artiste – a talented singer, songwriter, composer, a brilliant live performer in her own right; a sense of her own creation. Known for her ever-changing style like the seasons, her distinctive voice & singing, her music is still pretty much steeped in rock & grunge influence with evolving vocal & lyrical maturity with each new release. 9 years of music – from 80-ish sounding debut album days, a relatively unknown kawaii face writing songs just to save herself, to the cult supernova she is today, trading cherished freedom for the right to tell her story through songs – I still enjoy her songs very much the same.

What’s in a song? Songs that cheers you thru rough patches in life, songs that expresses thoughts, emotions & feelings that are closest to you, songs that captures the essence of defining moments in life; music sometimes transcends language barriers – the intensity of the emotions & feeling poured into a song, it does not take very much to understand what she is singing.

Some of records I have amassed over the years at the height of her popularity from 1999 – 2003: *some only; she's got like 8 full length studio albums, several non-studio ones, 1 mini-album, 40 singles & countless of countdown live & concerts - & still going

Debut album: A Song for XX - Jan '99