Ayumi Hamasaki has released a bunch of her own acapellas and wants y'all to remix her shit

Miss Corona's world tour ain't even remotely close to being over. So artists are stuck for news ways to engage with their fans in the wake of tours being cancelled and album releases being pushed back. And to help fill the gap, Avex and Ayumu Hamasaki have launched the Creator Challenge, which tasks anybody to remix Ayu's music using any of 100 official acapellas which will be made available to download. 

The only rules to this competition are...there are no rules! Entrants are encouraged to do whatever they like. Remixers just need to ensure that whichever social media platform is used to upload and share the remix is tagged with #ayumix2020. Whilst there are no regulations on which social media platforms you should use, your best bet would be Twitter and YouTube if you're outside of Japan, and additionally Line if you're in East Asia.

The winners will be included in a playlist which will be put together by Ayu herself. But the scope of this competition is far beyond that. 

This is a great opportunity for aspiring producers and remixers, as there is every chance that entries that Ayu really likes could lead to her commissioning official remixes from entrants, or even working with them on an upcoming album. And because entries are not confined to some web form or an e-mail address, it means that anybody can search the hashtag and get a feel for what others are doing and have access to a whole bunch of remixes, regardless of whether Ayu shortlists them or not. It also provides a treasure trove for fans who can now own official Ayumi Hamasaki acapellas. 

I'm not gon' say anything about Ayu's vocals and how I would never voluntarily listen to them without music. I will not.

It would be great for professional producers to get in on this, as this pandemic is sure to be hitting them too and freeing up their time, although to maybe a lesser extent. And Ayu and her team should definitely be using this competition as a way to forge a path for a sound which could work for an upcoming album. She really has nothing left to lose at this point.

🎤 Get the acapellas: Download | Listen on YouTube
📝 Album reviews: Next Level | Rock 'n' Roll Circus | Love Songs | Five | Party Queen | Love Again | Colours

🔙 Remembering "Sparkle": When it just don't bling like it used to