Credits to iloveayu.com

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I want to tell everyone in my troupe “You are not alone!”

During ayu’s concerts, she is not a solo artist. That is because she is supported by the members of her “troupe” in all aspects, be it audio or visual. All the records she has held and broken so far, all the awards, are not an evaluation of ayu alone. “That is the result of the hard work of my staff and fans.” This is how ayu feels. Even if the audience of ayu’s show consists of only a single person, she does not feel lonely. That is because she is able to let go of all her emotions and share her “hope” with anyone who is there—-

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What I wish to convey with my show now is a wish that you can believe in yourself more. The life you are living now is the only one you have. It is never too late to start doing something. No matter how old you may be, if you are interested and want to give it a try, I think you should go for it. If my stage can act as a push in the back for those who are lost, it’ll be really great.

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Because everyone holds onto loneliness, they will wish for “hope in the form of companions”.

Records and awards are not an evaluation of me alone. I always see it as an evaluation of the hard work of all my fans and staff.

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Like individual cells awakening one by one, this was a powerful live. In this era where stability, extremity and gentleness are in excess, this came as a strong provocation. Inspiring a wonderful desire to rock out, the body and mind are purified—– For 「Rock’n’Roll Circus」 tour’s final 「7days Special」, ayu bewitched all with her superb elegance and her powerful attacks.

For last year’s tour, we just did what was neccessary, and focused on having fun instead. But this year, I wanted to make a provocative show that packs a punch. My senses were already stimulated when I was making the album, so the show was created based on that same stimulation. However, before the tour began, I was really worried. To what extent will the audience let go and rock with me? When I say rock, I mean that, even girls who don’t normally bob their heads to music will just let go and bang their heads to the music, even if it messes up their hair. (laugh) After seeing this happen at lots of places, I was relieved because it told me that my audience are rockers at heart. It’s the same for my members and I. After each live, we all feel like we’ve been released, that we have become free, and come into contact with a part of ourselves previously unknown. After realizing that my audience can share these feelings with me, I was glad. That it was not just us, our audience also possess a strong energy to rock out……

Ayu continued making discoveries as the 「Rock’n’Roll Circus」 tour progressed. With that as a base, new songs were added to make the 「7days Special」 show. During the rehearsals for this final leg, she witnessed her troupe members crying with emotion.

That was the first time I saw my members like that. It gave me confirmation that this show will definitely reach out to the audience.

“Becase we are living in this age”. These words have often been repeated, and seemed indicative of a message ayu wishes to bring across. However, it does not mean that she made this 7days show just to be “more proactive, more provocative!” in the face of depression.

What I want to say is, I wish people will believe in themselves more. We only have the one life which we’re living now, right? The time we have is limited, but no matter how old you are, if there is something that interests you and you wish to give it a try, just go ahead. There is no such thing as “too late”. That’s what I feel. However, I don’t want to force anyone to just “go for it!”. I just want my show to give that gentle push to all those who are currently feeling lost and confused.

During the concerts, ayu often mentions about her “troupe”. Even though Hamasaki Ayumi is a solo artist, one will definitely sense the bonds and atmosphere of a team when watching ayu interacting with her band members and dancers during a concert. Here, ayu talks once again about how “Hamasaki Ayumi is not a single entity during lives, but an entire troupe”.

For example, if Yo-chan wasn’t there, I wouldn’t want to do a live. If the current staging director wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be challenging this show… This is something I will say for every member in my troupe, and a Hamasaki Ayumi live will only be thus if we’re all there. Like the dancers who have appeared together with me in this Vivi’s issue. They’re all wonderful dancers in their own right, and they look good, but what underlies all that is an amazing self-discipline to maintain their bodies, their looks, their condition. Even I am in awe of their discipline. They know how they want to be, and what to do to get there. Furthermore, they have also sacrificed so much for my show. That’s why I’m always so touched by them, and wish to tell of their hard work to all my audience.

Because of this mutual trust, one can feel the power of companionship in ayu’s lives.

We often hear that “Humans cannot live alone”, but what makes me happy is that, at the end of the day, “Humans are never alone”. Humans place emphasis on and are attracted to concepts like friends and family. Because everyone holds onto loneliness, they will wish for hope in the form of companions or family. No matter how lonely a person feels, he is never truly alone. For example, when that person comes to watch my show and feels happiness or pain or whatever, he will be sharing his emotions with me, and is thus released from loneliness. This is a form of hope that everyone in our troupe wishes to convey with our show.

In the maxi-single 「L」 released last month, ayu managed to set a new record for consecutive top singles by a solo artist, after 22 long years. Just by looking at the numbers, it is evident that ayu has always been on top, running non-stop for the past 8 years. Once again, ayu talks about what records mean to her.

Records and all the awards I’ve been receiving all this while, either trophies or recognitions, are in truth not my own. My works are judged by charts and numbers, and while I am the representative accepting the awards, I am not the person who won. All my fans and my staff are the ones. Records and awards are an evaluation of the hard work of all my fans and staff.

What record will I aim for next? I have never been aiming for any in the first place, so I can’t answer that… I’ve always been doing my best for the present, and evolving as I go along. For me, any vision that I come up with is in danger of being dumped in the next instant. (bitter laugh) That’s why, with the passion of living from one moment to the next, I wish to face anything that comes my way and continue moving forward.

After each live, we all feel like we’ve been released, that we have become free, and come into contact with a part of ourselves previously unknown.

From now on, with the passion of living from one moment to the next, I wish to face anything that comes my way.