Empress of J-pop, Ayumi Hamasaki Has Tinnitus and Deafness

Before Kyary Pamyu Pamyu became the icon of J-pop, 10 years ago the icon of J-pop was Ayumi Hamasaki.

I was a huge fan of Ayumi Hamasaki 10 years ago back when I was in middle school. She used to be really huge in Japan 10 years ago (has sold 53 million albums in Japan alone) and I heard she is also well known in other East Asian countries but I was not aware that she had Tinnitus back in 2008 since I did not know what Tinnitus was back then.

She is currently deaf in one of her ears but even after having severe Tinnitus and completely deaf in one of her ears she said:

"Nevertheless, I would like to continue as a singer. That's why I would like to continue singing until I reach the limit with my remaining right ear, I won't stop. I won't make excuses. As a professional, I would like to deliver the best performance for everyone."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7174893.stm

Her determination really inspired me, I was thinking of suicidal thoughts 2 weeks ago when I first got Tinnitus but when I found out my idol is suffering much more severely and she is doing everything she can even if she exceeds her limits, it gave me hope.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite songs from her, I hope you guys like it.

浜崎あゆみ / M

浜崎あゆみ / Dearest

浜崎あゆみ / Marionette

Ayumi Hamasaki - Memorial Address

Ayumi Hamasaki - Trauma (jpn/rom/eng subbed)