In my previous installment of Why Psy, I introduced several Asian acts who attempted to break into the American market with little fanfare, despite being A-list celebrities in their respective countries. Here's the list again. It has been updated to include acts who have not expressed a clear desire to promote heavily in America but have still done some promotion.
- Jin Akanishi
- Utada Hikaru
- Wonder Girls
- BoA
- SNSD
- Perfume
- Bi Rain
- Jay Chou
- Lee Byung Hun
Any novice Asian Pop fan should be able to recognize most of this list. Jay Chou has been the most popular male Cpop artist since 1999. But his sole claim to American fame is his role as Kato in 'Green Hornet'. Utada Hikaru is one of Japan's best female soloists, active 1995-2011. She released official American debut material, but all of it flopped. Her greatest achievement is singing the opening to Kingdom Hearts II, although this fame is limited to America's otaku community. Kwon Boa, stage name BoA (Best of Asia), has been the queen of Kpop since she was 13, sometimes nicknamed the 'Asian Britney Spears' for her prodigal talent. She has also became a mainstream success in Japan. Jay Chou and Utada Hikaru have always composed critically acclaimed music. Utada Hikaru and BoA have released music in the US and promoted it. But why did they fail? Because they tried too hard to mold themselves into a trendy 'American friendly' image as opposed to being themselves. While Asian artists follow trends, American artists are more revered for their individuality. Both Utada Hikaru and BoA sacrificed their musical identities in an attempt to appeal to America, making them insincere and forgettable.
Utada Hikaru grew up in New York City, making her bilingual and allowing her to experience the American music scene long before she debuted in her native Japan. Some of her Japanese work includes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfpX8lkaSdk and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q5-4yMi-xg&feature=relmfu . But when she decided to debut in America, this horror happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RpqTJySA5Sc it's nothing like Utada's style, Utada's lyrics, Utada's visual appeal, or really anything. Somehow, Utada was convinced that the only way America would love her was if she edited herself to seem more 'American'. Do you even remember the melody to that song? No? That's because while it is arguably 'American' sounding, it's terrifically generic. As a result, it's fake and shallow coming from such a respected singer-songwriter.
BoA has been a staple of both Kpop and Jpop for years. Her discography speaks for itself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoA_discography . With excellent singing and dancing skills, taking the Best of Asia to America seems like a no-brainer. America has the biggest music industry, and would surely be profitable, right? And who wouldn't want to see their national darling conquering a bigger nation like America. Think about all the national pride. It's like taking candy from a baby. NOPE. Not if you release something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDAIPaXn4Gk . Can you understand what she's singing? Why is she wearing so much leather? Why does her cane emit light? Why is it so vocally processed, when BoA is known for her vocals? Why does she turn into water? It's a terrible song and a terrible video. BoA is given absolutely nothing to work with here. I don't even recognize the token minority man she's featured, in some attempt to start with a little relevancy.
Despite being beautiful and talented, these women failed in America because the material they debuted with was uncharacteristic and bland. It was uncharacteristic of them and sounded like trashy American flops, which they ultimately became. So why did a random clown like Psy get signed to Justin Bieber's label and featured on shows like SNL and the Ellen DeGeneres Show? TUNE IN NEXT TIME because I have to go to sleep now.
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