The vocal aesthetics of Ayumi Hamasaki

Posted by: Hayden on: October 9, 2010

• In: Pop
• 6 Comments

If there’s any J-Pop idol that I respect in terms of professionalism, it’s Ayumi Hamasaki. She is a brand in and of herself, and has sustained a career for longer than any other “idol.” Needless to say, Ayumi Hamasaki is among the greatest figures in J-Pop today. My introduction to Ayumi Hamasaki came at the age of 10. Ayu-chan’s 1997 single, “Depend on You,” was one of the first J-Pop songs I heard, since it was included in the Atlus game, “Thousand Arms”. As a boy, I fell in love with her style, presence and uniqueness. In particular, there’s just something really appealing about her voice, which, like fellow songstress Utada Hikaru, is completely original. It’s instantly recognizable; you listen to her songs and think, “oh, that’s Ayu-chan, for sure!” But, what elements distinguish Ayu-chan from other J-Pop singers?

Where Utada Hikaru’s voice is quavering and emotive (a beautiful aesthetic also), Hamasaki’s is powerful and resonant. Her vibrato is extremely wide and slow, and she’s selective about which notes, and when, she vibrates. It’s not uncommon to listen to an entire passage and only hear her vibrate on one or two notes. In my opinion, Hamasaki started the stereotypical idol trend of infrequent, wide vibrato, but she really is the master of this technique.

Hamasaki sings mostly from the throat. I understand that this is a completely un-American approach to singing, and also can be damaging to the vocal chords. Because she tenses her throat, she is able to create a type of vocal portato between notes (disconnected, yet articulated repeated notes). Her articulation is also very clear, because of the amount of pressure it requires to overcome the tensing of the throat. This strain is a part of her vocal aesthetic, and the bukkari (girlish) style in general. Of course, her diction is also fabulous. Every syllable is distinct and perfectly intelligible, even to a gaijin like me.

Part of the distinguishing elements of Ayu-chan’s voice is also its flaws. She sings, at times, painfully flat. I’m aware that this may be due to her partial deafness. But sometimes the flatness of her voice is off-puttingly low, almost a half-step flat for entire passages. I imagine this is due to her vocal straining, artificially pushing her notes flat. And, compared to the virtuosic range of American singers like Mariah Carey, Ayu-chan’s range is fairly limited. Because of the tense quality of her voice, her highs make me wince a little bit. Think: Alvin and the Chipmunks… But, this is just a part of the “Ayu package.” Her power is impressive, but, without employing the classical style, it comes at some costs.

Despite its flaws, Ayumi Hamasaki’s voice is a crucial element to her success. Without it, she wouldn’t be “Ayumi Hamasaki: The Product”. Reading and listening to her interviews, I think she’s aware of her stance in the larger scheme of the Japanese music industry, and takes it very seriously. She really hasn’t stepped outside of her idiosyncratic style. If anything, her latest chart-topping singles seem to resurrect her 1998/1999 sound, and to great avail. I expect that Ayumi will always be the Ayumi that everyone (well, almost everyone) knows and loves.