Ayumi Hamasaki Deaf In Left Ear

[zekey]

Here is a translation of her blog entry:

I have a wild aspiration this year.

Last year, I went for an ear inspection and found out that my left ear has completely gone deaf. It's confirmed that there's neither therapy or cure for it. Despite this news, I still wish to be a singer.

I'm going to persevere and keep on singing even if it's going to take my right ear's ability to hear away too. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to find any excuses. As a professional singer, I will definitely deliver my best vocals and performance to everybody.

I'm going to do my best! I don't like it this way either. I'm going to do my best! Definitely!

Until that day comes...

Hamasaki's latest album (and her 9th studio album total), entitled "GUILTY", was released during the last week of December and has been number #1 for each day it has been in stores so far. April 2008 marks her tenth anniversary in the music industry.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/ohn.../18970953.html

[Masu]

Holy crap... It's sad whenever i heard such things happens..

[dalilahani]

so sad... i hope she will be strong facing it.

[wich]

Ouch, that really sucks. I do hope she's mindfull of her remaining hearing, it'd be such a shame if she'd lose all of her hearing and won't be able to keep on working and listen to music.

[MethoD]

How sad! I wish her ear would be cured!
There would be cure for this future!

[Yamapi]

hopyfully she keeps bringing outgreat music at least she still has another ear <3

[gorn_nova]

Eeh? It can affect right ear too? OMG

[5mehere]

Hope that it does not affects her right ear and also that the left ear might recover.
Sad to hear this news.

[lemanz]

such a sad news... hopefully there will be a cure soon enough to cure it...

[zekey]

more info ]=

It started with an ear infection in June 2000.
Fans say performance has suffered. Industry insiders say practice will help
Then came a bout of ringing in her ears a year later.
Now, J-pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki has announced that she is completely deaf in her left ear and that it is not treatable.
But the 30-year-old has vowed to continue singing and will 'use what's left of the hearing in my right ear to sing to my limits, until the very end'.
Still, one cannot help but wonder how the affliction will affect the singer who has built her career on staging spectacular concerts.
Already, some fans have noted on online forums that because of her deafness, Ayumi's performance during the recent NHK Red & White Singing Festival on TV was not up to mark.
Local singer Sing Chew Sin Huey agreed, telling The New Paper that she saw Ayumi's clip on YouTube and felt that she was 'not her usual self'.
'Her voice was different and she sounded like she was sick, and she couldn't hit some of the notes.
'It felt weird because it was such an important occasion.'

It was only later that Sing found out about Ayumi's hearing loss - which would explain her unusually flat performance.
A check with industry sources also revealed that Ayumi would have to make certain adjustments to cope with her lack of hearing on one side.
Music producer Goh Kheng Long said performing live can be 'very tricky' if Ayumi can only rely on one ear to monitor the music on stage.
'You can't make good judgement if you're so used to using both sides of your ears,' he said.
It is also likely she might sing out of tune more often if she cannot hear herself so clearly through her earphones, he added.
Mr Goh has not come across singers with hearing impairment, but he figured that Ayumi would have to work closely with the sound engineer for her concerts to help her perform better on stage.

ONLY TAKES PRACTICE
Songwriter Roy Loi, however, said it only takes practice for Ayumi to overcome her hearing disability.
Mr Loi, who also manages a music school, said he has two students who are deaf in one ear, but they both have no problems singing or doing studio recordings.
He added that the biggest problem Ayumi might face is her pitching, but that could be corrected with practice.
'As long as you put your heart into it and practise hard, you can strike a balance. Ayumi is musically inclined, so even with just one ear, she can still sing.'
The cause of Ayumi's hearing loss is not known but Dr Nelson Chee of Chee Ear Nose Throat Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre told The New Paper that it seems from reports it could be caused by the dysfunction or damage of her inner ear hearing organ or hearing nerve.
'Nerve-related hearing loss is usually permanent and not reversible,' he said.
But there are possible rehabilitative options.
This could include wearing a hearing aid or undergoing surgery to install a device in the skull to 'divert sound to the good ear'.
Dr Chee's advice: 'Take good care of the good ear since you're very much reliant on it and be careful of over-exposure to loud sounds that might cause damage to the good ear.'
Luckily for the J-pop queen, her fans have been showing their strong support.
Since the news broke, many have flocked to online forums and fan websites to express shock, sympathy and concern for her health.
Netizen Imuya wrote on the Ayumi-hamasaki.net forum: 'Ayumi, if I could give you my left ear, I would do it in a heartbeat.'
Others, like Minlichi, felt sad for Ayumi but admire her attitude nonetheless.
'I can't even imagine what it's like to have music be such an important aspect in one's life and only have the ability to experience it with limited senses. She's so strong.'

REMINDS FAN OF BEETHOVEN
Keikeiaznqueen wrote: 'She reminds me of Beethoven - what great, dedicated musicians they are.'
Other fans suggested that Ayumi should go on a hiatus instead of pushing herself so hard.
Her new album Guilty is just released on 1 Jan and she is slated to embark on an Asia concert tour that starts in Japan in April. Her label Avex Trax told the Japanese media that it will go on as planned.
An industry insider said Ayumi taking a break now would give her rivals a chance to overtake her as the reigning J-pop queen.
'In Japan's competitive music scene, whoever works the hardest will get the biggest rewards.
'Ayumi has always been a hard worker and with people like Kumi Koda catching up with her in terms of success, she'd definitely have to work harder than before to maintain her status.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 1/2-year fight with ear problems

June 2000: Suffers ear infection. Forced to postpone two concerts

June 2001: Starts to hear ringing in her ears. Loses balance and falls from the stage during a final rehearsal. Sent to hospital but still performs despite a sprained ankle

2004: Admits she can't hear very well

2005: Rumours spread among fans that she is going deaf

Sep 2007: Found to be wearing a hearing aid while performing at the Music Station programme on TV

Jan 2008: Announces on her fan website that she is completely deaf in her left ear. Doctors tell her surgery will not help


Credits to asianfanatics

[obezyanka88]

AAAAh! say it isnt so...shes my idol. its so sad to see that she is such a hard worker and now she is going to have to work even harder. well then i guess that puts her on an even higher pedestal. right?

[Ayamael]

Well, it's been going on for a while now... I guess at some point it was to be expected. It's sad for sure, and I do wish there was a miracle treatment for her to hear again, but unfortunately, the world isn't fair. I think she's taking it rather well though, if she promises to keep on singing until the end. By that, I mean that I admire her attitude towards the whole problem. At least she doesn't just give up. But she should be careful as to keep her other ear protected at least from constant exposure to loud noises (which, let's face it, is a bit difficult when you're in the music business). I'll just hope for the best...

[mikazuki]

she's so Amazing. never give up till the end....

but I'm worried about her good ear since she would still among the loud sounds.

[krykrykrynunit]

Pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki confirmed earlier this month what her nastier critics have been saying about her tone for years -- she's deaf, at least in her left ear. And Sunday Mainichi says the 29-year-old superstar's ailment isn't being helped by her increasing isolation in the music world.

Ayumi Hamasaki used a special member's only blog she writes to reveal she'd lost her hearing. "Actually, last year I had a hearing test that revealed my left ear doesn't work at all, and the doctor said there's no operation that can fix it," Sunday Mainichi quotes the songstress writing to her fans.

Ayumi Hamasaki has actually known for years that her hearing was going bung, and has twice postponed national tours because of it.

Nonetheless, now her secret is out in the open, Hamasaki is determined to forge ahead with her plans to tour the country from April, but the disclosure of her deafness has also opened another can of worms for her.

"I read everything she wrote on her blog and it seems she kept the news all to herself, not telling her relatives or staff," entertainment beat journalist Yuji Watanabe says. "I think rather than the deafness itself, the bigger problem (for Hamasaki) is why she kept such a problem held so tightly in her heart."

Ayumi Hamasaki has long known it's lonely at the top. She has almost single-handedly kept her record company Avex at the apex of the Japanese music world, but realized as the company's queen bee she can't afford to have a public perception of weakness. She only told two people of her hearing problems -- Tomoya Nagase, the boy band Tokio member and her longtime ex-boyfriend, and Mika Noguchi, the president of panty manufacturer Peach John.

Hamasaki's career is also not as sturdy as it once was. During her 10 years on the scene, her every album has come out at No. 1 on the charts in the week that it was released. But "Guilty," her latest offering that came out on New Year's Day, only reached No. 2, giving greater credence to suggestions that younger, flashier singers such as Kumi Koda and others of her ilk are about to usurp Hamasaki's title.

As for Ayumi Hamasaki's actual condition, ontological expert Tetsuro Ogata suspects she may have Meniere's disease.

"She's got either sudden deafness or Meniere's disease. Her hearing has become progressively worse over a number of examinations, so I think it's probably more likely to be Meniere's," Ogata tells Sunday Mainichi, noting that sudden deafness arises out of the blue and can be caused by such things as viruses or stress, while the condition also believed to have affected Beethoven starts with hearing difficulties and dizziness before progressing to hearing loss.

more info
credit-asianbite

[darkhawk999]

i am just back of my vacations and read this.....damn such a bad notice, i hope there is some extra-experimental treatment to cure her deaf...